Jul 2, 2023 By Ap 7 min read

Heavy rains flood Chicago roads and force NASCAR to cut short a downtown street race

CHICAGO (AP) — Heavy rains have flooded Chicago streets and forced the cancellation of a NASCAR race set to run through the city’s downtown. The National Weather Service said up to 6 inches of rain had fallen in suburban areas of Chicago by midday. The Illinois State Police said parts of Interstate 55 and Interstate 290 have been closed because of flooding, with at least 10 cars trapped in water near Pulaski Road, a major north-south thoroughfare in the city. NASCAR announced it has canceled the Xfinity Series race set to conclude in the city’s downtown because of the weather.

Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the wake of a Supreme Court decision that removes race from the admissions process, colleges are coming under renewed pressure to put an end to legacy preferences, the practice of favoring applicants with family ties to alumni. Long seen as a perk for the white and wealthy, opponents say it’s no longer defensible in a world with no counterbalance in affirmative action. President Joe Biden suggested that colleges should rethink the practice after the court’s ruling, saying legacy preferences “expand privilege instead of opportunity.” For critics of legacy admissions, the renewed debate over fairness in admissions has offered a chance to swing public sentiment behind their cause.

Web designer in Supreme Court gay rights ruling cited client who denies making wedding site request

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled could refuse to make a wedding website for gay couples had cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her. The request in dispute wasn’t the basis for the federal lawsuit filed preemptively seven years ago by web designer Lorie Smith. But as the case advanced, it was referenced by her attorneys when lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed Smith on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue. The revelation distracts from Smith’s victory. Friday’s ruling is widely considered a setback for gay rights.

An anti-Trump video shared by the DeSantis campaign is ‘homophobic,’ says a conservative LGBT group

NEW YORK (AP) — A prominent group that represents LGBT conservatives says a video shared by Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign that slams rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people “ventured into homophobic territory.” The video was shared on Twitter on Friday, the last day of June’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The video features footage of Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016 saying he would “do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.” The video later shifts from its Trump focus to promoting headlines saying that DeSantis as Florida governor signed “the most extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history” and a “draconian anti-trans bathroom bill.”

Prosecutor in the Hunter Biden case denies retaliating against IRS agent who talked to House GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal prosecutor leading the investigation of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter is pushing back against claims that he was blocked from pursuing criminal charges in Los Angeles and Washington. And the investigator denies retaliating against an IRS official who disclosed details about the case. U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware is responding in a letter to House Republicans. Weiss is defending the lengthy investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings that ended last month with a plea with the Justice Department that likely spares Biden from time behind bars. Weiss also is making clear that the case is an active criminal investigation and there’s little else he can divulge at this time.

Elon Musk imposes daily limits on reading posts on Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk has limited the number of tweets that Twitter users can view each day. He described the restrictions as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform. The site is now requiring people to log on to view tweets and profiles. That’s a change in its longtime practice to allow everyone to peruse the chatter. The restrictions could result in users being locked out of Twitter for the day after scrolling through several hundred tweets. Thousands of users complained Saturday of not being able to access the site. Musk said after facing backlash that he would raise the thresholds on how many tweets accounts can read per day.

Passengers were stuck because United Airlines canceled their flights. The CEO took a private plane

The CEO of United Airlines is apologizing for jumping on a private plane this week while thousands of his airline’s customers were stranded because their flights got canceled. CEO Scott Kirby said Friday that taking a private jet was the wrong decision. He says it was insensitive to United Airlines customers who were waiting to get home, and he is apologizing to customers and airline employees. He promises to do better in the future. Kirby caught a private flight New Jersey to Denver on Wednesday. United canceled 750 flights that day. That’s one-fourth of its schedule.

The world’s tallest flagpole. A tiny Maine town. An idea meant to unite people is dividing them

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — In the United States, many people view bigger as better. But some residents of a tiny community in Maine are balking at measuring patriotism by the size of a flagpole. Situated at the nation’s eastern tip, Maine’s Down East region is the place where the sunlight first kisses the East Coast of the United States each day. It’s where the vast wilderness and ocean meet. It’s also the place where a patriotic family has proposed the world’s tallest flagpole — one that’d be taller than the Empire State Building, with a huge American flag on top. The proposal was supposed to unite people around the flag and create jobs. Instead, it’s laying bare community and cultural flashpoints.

Friends and family gather for the funeral of Houston rapper Big Pokey

HOUSTON (AP) — Family and friends gathered at the funeral over the weekend for Houston rapper Big Pokey, an original member of the pioneering group Screwed Up Click. Pokey, who was born Milton Powell, died June 18 at the age of 48 after collapsing at a performance in Beaumont, located east of Houston. The Houston Chronicle reports that those attending his service Saturday at Fountain of Praise church in Houston included Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and rappers Paul Wall, Trae Tha Truth and Slim Thug. Pokey was known for Texas and Gulf Coast hits such as “Ball N’ Parlay,” “Who Dat Talking Down,” and a verse on DJ Screw’s freestyle known as “June 27th.”

After fall of Roe, emboldened religious conservatives lobby to restrict abortion in Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion a year ago, it shook efforts to legalize and make abortions safer in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest rate of unintended pregnancies, and 77% of abortions are estimated to be unsafe. Yet the Supreme Court’s ruling has emboldened some U.S.-based organizations that advocate against abortion in Africa, especially in largely Christian countries. One Christian conservative group helped to develop a “family values” conference with lawmakers from several African countries this year. African experts worry recent gains in abortion access could be reversed.