Latest News

See the latest news and get GPT analysis of articles

Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller says Trump is ready to debate Harris None - ‘We don’t want to go back’: Women voters fear a Trump-Vance America

Pete Buttigieg blasts JD Vance’s ‘strange worldview’ and bizarre GOP agenda None - Pete Buttigieg joins to discuss Kamala Harris's vision for the country, JD Vance's bizarre comments railing against "childless cat ladies," and the importance of ensuring we never reelect Donald Trump to the Oval Office.July 28, 2024

Nationwide protests spring up over the fatal shooting of Sonia Massey None - Protesters from across several states plan to march to honor Sonia Massey, who was fatally shot by police in her home. NBC News' Maura Barrett reports on the latest reaction from locals in Springfield, Ill., where Massey was living. July 28, 2024

‘Petty, small-minded and vindictive’: Inside Project 2025’s plan for the Department of Justice None - Elie Mystal, Justice correspondent for The Nation, joins Ali Velshi to break down how Project 2025 could radically alter the U.S. Justice Department while playing into Trump’s desire for revenge against a branch which he lacked the power to control during his first term as president. “Trump has active PTSD over what the Department of Justice did to him while he was president,” Mystal says. “So as president again… his entire plan is to power the DOJ and make them jump to his own rules."July 28, 2024

‘We’re concerned about every race’: Key Dem Committee Chairs talk ground game for general election None - ‘No campaign is going to work harder to defeat Trump’: Biden campaign director on the path forward 01:48

USA's Huske and Walsh go 2-1 in women's 100m butterfly final None - Just four hundredths of a second separated American teammates Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh at the top of the women's 100m butterfly podium. Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on NBC and streaming on Peacock, July 26 - Aug 11.July 28, 2024

Durant continues impeccable shooting in U.S. men’s basketball opener versus Serbia None - American Kevin Durant’s shooting in the U.S. men’s basketball opening match-up against Serbia helped deliver a win as he went on to score 21 points and missed only one shot. July 28, 2024

Biles battles through calf pain to push U.S. into the lead None - Biles battles through calf pain to push U.S. into the lead While warming up on the floor exercise ahead of rotation two, Simone Biles appeared to hurt her lower leg. After being evaluated by medical staff, Biles resumed competition and helped push Team USA to the top.July 28, 2024

A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris' voice, raising concerns about AI in politics None - A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead just three months away from November’s elections NEW YORK -- A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday evening without explicitly noting it was originally released as parody. The video uses many of the same visuals as a real ad that Harris, the likely Democratic president nominee, released last week launching her campaign. But the video swaps out the voice-over audio with another voice that convincingly impersonates Harris. “I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate,” the voice says in the video. It claims Harris is a “diversity hire” because she is a woman and a person of color, and it says she doesn't know “the first thing about running the country.” The video retains “Harris for President” branding. It also adds in some authentic past clips of Harris. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press: “We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” The widely shared video is an example of how lifelike AI-generated images, videos or audio clips have been utilized both to poke fun and to mislead about politics as the United States draws closer to the presidential election. It exposes how, as high-quality AI tools have become far more accessible, there remains a lack of significant federal action so far to regulate their use, leaving rules guiding AI in politics largely to states and social media platforms. The video also raises questions about how to best handle content that blurs the lines of what is considered an appropriate use of AI, particularly if it falls into the category of satire. The original user who posted the video, a YouTuber known as Mr Reagan, has disclosed both on YouTube and on X that the manipulated video is a parody. But Musk's post, which has been viewed more than 123 million times, according to the platform, only includes the caption “This is amazing” with a laughing emoji. X users who are familiar with the platform may know to click through Musk's post to the original user's post, where the disclosure is visible. Musk's caption does not direct them to do so. While some participants in X's “community note” feature to add context to posts have suggested labeling Musk's post, no such label had been added to it as of Sunday afternoon. Some users online questioned whether his post might violate X's policies, which say users “may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.” The policy has an exception for memes and satire as long as they do not cause "significant confusion about the authenticity of the media.” Musk endorsed former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, earlier this month. Neither Mr Reagan nor Musk immediately responded to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Two experts who specialize in AI-generated media reviewed the fake ad's audio and confirmed that much of it was generated using AI technology. One of them, University of California, Berkeley, digital forensics expert Hany Farid, said the video shows the power of generative AI and deepfakes. “The AI-generated voice is very good,” he said in an email. “Even though most people won't believe it is VP Harris' voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice." He said generative AI companies that make voice-cloning tools and other AI tools available to the public should do better to ensure their services are not used in ways that could harm people or democracy. Rob Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, disagreed with Farid, saying he thought many people would be fooled by the video. “I don't think that's obviously a joke,” Weissman said in an interview. “I'm certain that most people looking at it don't assume it's a joke. The quality isn't great, but it's good enough. And precisely because it feeds into preexisting themes that have circulated around her, most people will believe it to be real.” Weissman, whose organization has advocated for Congress, federal agencies and states to regulate generative AI, said the video is “the kind of thing that we've been warning about." Other generative AI deepfakes in both the U.S. and elsewhere would have tried to influence voters with misinformation, humor or both. In Slovakia in 2023, fake audio clips impersonated a candidate discussing plans to rig an election and raise the price of beer days before the vote. In Louisiana in 2022, a political action committee's satirical ad superimposed a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor portraying him as an underachieving high school student. Congress has yet to pass legislation on AI in politics, and federal agencies have only taken limited steps, leaving most existing U.S. regulation to the states. More than one-third of states have created their own laws regulating the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Beyond X, other social media companies also have created policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media shared on their platforms. Users on the video platform YouTube, for example, must reveal whether they have used generative artificial intelligence to create videos or face suspension. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

President Milei renews his vow to scrap export taxes as Argentina's powerful farmers get impatient None - Argentine President Javier Milei has told his country's struggling farmers that he was committed to scraping export taxes and rescuing the key agricultural industry BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Addressing crowds of struggling farmers in flat caps and home-knit sweaters who helped vault him to power but have grown increasingly impatient with his progress, President Javier Milei on Sunday vowed to scrap export taxes and rescue Argentina's key agricultural industry. The country’s powerful agricultural producers say they're willing to give the libertarian more time to deliver on his free-market promises. But many farmers are disillusioned that seven months into Milei's presidency, they remain hobbled by labyrinth currency controls, crushing export taxes and an uncompetitive exchange rate. “We said we were going to lift the restrictions and every day we do," Milei said at Argentina's annual La Rural convention, where for one week the huge Buenos Aires exposition ground becomes one vast farmyard teeming with sleepy cows and whinnying horses. “No one is as eager as we, and me in particular, are to get out of this disastrous model where the state, through withholdings and restrictions, expropriates 70% of what the countryside produces." The crowds whooped and cheered. As the farmers tell it, that model of budget-busting populism confiscated their wealth for redistribution among the unproductive masses and devastated the lush grain belt that made Argentina among the world’s richest economies a century ago. Today, Argentina remains one of the biggest livestock and grain producers but its more dubious distinctions include being beset with one of the world’s highest debt burdens and highest annual inflation rates. Successive left-leaning Peronist administrations in recent decades took an estimated $200 billion from the agricultural sector into state coffers, banning meat exports to stem inflation and levying sky-high export taxes on agricultural commodities to pay for bloated budgets. So far under Milei, Argentina's agricultural industry — which accounts for some 20% of the country's gross domestic product — is “hopeful but realistic," said Nicolás Pino, head of the Argentine Rural Society, the country’s agribusiness lobby. “There are sufficient reasons to complain, but we prefer at this time to appeal to the patience of the men and women of the countryside,” Pino said. “We believe it's useful to give the government some space for trust." But already there are signs that patience in Argentina's fertile Pampas is wearing thin. Earlier this week, the Argentine Rural Confederation, one of the country’s main producers’ groups, turned up the pressure on Milei with a harsh statement lamenting the government’s failure to eliminate the “unfair, arbitrary and distortive tax” on agricultural exports” that it said, “suffocates our producers.” President Milei has prioritized balancing the government’s books and quelling inflation — key campaign promises that he hopes can keep public opinion from swinging against him as his austerity drive hits Argentines hard. But agricultural leaders say these goals have come at the cost of other campaign pledges to unleash the free market and end heavy-handed state intervention. “We need clarification about some of these recent economic measures,” said Elbio Laucirica, the head of another agribusiness group. In recent weeks, Milei has moved to hike up taxes and tighten his grip on the exchange rate, contradicting his libertarian orthodoxy and stoking frustration among farmers. Because Milei's plans to prop up the peso have reduced export competitiveness, Argentine farmers whose sales are linked to the U.S. dollar are hanging on to their harvests, stockpiling billions of dollars worth of exportable grain and soybeans so they don’t have to surrender their dollars for less than what they are worth. At the rural expo on Sunday, the grumbling was audible among the gauchos, or Argentine cowboys. “Every decision like this affects us so much, and an overvalued exchange rate is not what we need from a government that promised us something different," said Maurro Berrra, a 34-year-old farmer wearing a trademark poncho and bombachas (trousers) who had hoped Milei's policies would prompt a gush of exports to his Chinese buyers. “We have more stability than last year, that is something, but we're still facing huge obstacles.” A drop in local demand has also hurt Argentine producers. With poor and middle-class Argentines staggering under the government's extreme austerity measures and 270% annual inflation, beef consumption has dropped to its lowest recorded level in history, according to the Rosario Board of Trade. “The economy has never been good to us, but this drop in consumption has really hit us hard,” said 67-year-old rancher Jorge De Marcos. “It's tragic because steak here isn't just steak, it's a way of life.”

'Deadpool & Wolverine' debuts to $205 million, shattering R-rated record and becoming 8th biggest opening of all time. None - 'Deadpool & Wolverine' debuts to $205 million, shattering R-rated record and becoming 8th biggest opening of all time. 'Deadpool & Wolverine' debuts to $205 million, shattering R-rated record and becoming 8th biggest opening of all time.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ smashes R-rated record with $205M debut None - Marvel is back on top with “ Deadpool & Wolverine.” The comic-book movie made a staggering $205 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. It shattered the opening record for R-rated films previously held by the first “Deadpool” ($132 million) and notched a spot in the top 10 openings of all time. Including international showings, where it’s racked up an addition $233.3 million from 52 markets, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is looking at a global opening of over $438.3 million. Fittingly for both characters’ introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Deadpool & Wolverine” played less like earlier X-Men or Deadpool movies and more like an Avengers pic. In the top domestic opening weekends ever, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is seated in 8th place between “The Avengers” ($207.4 million) and “Black Panther" ($202 million), bumping “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($191.3 million) out of the top 10. It’s by far biggest opening of the year, unseating Disney’s “ Inside Out 2 ” ($154.2 million) and the most tickets a movie has sold in its debut weekend since “Barbie” ($162 million) stormed theaters last July. Playing in 4,210 locations, “Deadpool & Wolverine” also surpassed 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191.8 million) to become the biggest July opening ever, and is the 34th consecutive MCU movie to debut in first place. And these are numbers previously thought impossible for an R-rated film. “It’s great news full stop,” said Tony Chambers, who leads theatrical distribution for Disney. “Not only is it great for Disney, not only is it great for Marvel, but it’s great for the industry as a whole. We’ve said it before but success begets success.” That the numbers came alongside an R-rating, Chambers added, was “nothing short of phenomenal.” The Walt Disney Studios release arrived at a pivotal time for an industry grappling with box office returns that continue to run at a double-digit deficit from last year. Disney has played a vital role in the summer season, releasing the top movies in May (“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”), June (“Inside Out 2″) and now July. The success is also an important moment for Marvel Studios, which has had several high-profile disappointments lately; Most notably in “ The Marvels ” which opened to an MCU low of $47 million last November. Superheroes have been struggling even more elsewhere: Sony, which reached a high point with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.9 billion worldwide) had a new low with “Madame Web,” which barely crossed $100 million. Warner Bros. Discovery, after a string of disappointments with “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle,” is currently working on restarting their DC universe under the supervision of James Gunn. Marvel's savior came in the form of two characters who got their start outside of the MCU. Both Deadpool and Wolverine, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, existed previously under the 21st Century Fox banner which for two decades had the rights to Marvel characters like the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four.” That changed when Disney acquired the studio’s film and TV assets in early 2019 and plans started to take shape of how all these characters would fit into Kevin Feige’s MCU. In some cases, as with “Fantastic Four,” Marvel Studios is starting fresh. With “Deadpool & Wolverine,” directed by Shawn Levy, the stars were as crucial as their characters. This weekend at the Comic-Con fan convention, Marvel also teased more to come, including Robert Downey Jr.’s return — not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom. Going into the weekend, $200 million domestic seemed like a pipe dream. Analysts were more conservative with predictions in the $160 million range. But from the start of the 3 p.m. Thursday preview screenings it was clear that “Deadpool & Wolverine” was more powerful. By the end of Friday, it had already made $96 million and recieved a coveted A CinemaScore from audiences. Critics, too, have been mostly positive. Premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats, accounted for 18% of the total box office. “Historically, PG-13 is the rating that will get you the biggest bang for your buck,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “The old rule that R-rated movies have a box office ceiling was literally shattered this weekend. The edgier content actually enhances their appeal to older teens and young 20-somethings.” The top domestic opening of all time still firmly belongs to “Avengers: Endgame” with $357.1 million. It’s followed by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($260.1 million), “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257.6 million), “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($247.9 million) and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ($220 million). Second place went to Universal's “Twisters,” now in its second weekend with $35.3 million. The standalone sequel to “Twister” has now earned $154.9 million in North America. Universal also claimed third place with “Despicable Me 4,” which added $14.2 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $291 million. “Inside Out 2” landed in fourth place with $8.3 million. The Disney and Pixar release this week became the biggest animated release ever with $613.4 million domestically (surpassing “Incredibles 2”) and $1.5 billion globally. It also passed “Top Gun: Maverick” to become the 12th highest-earning global release of all time. It all adds up to one of the top 10 domestic grossing weekends of all time, with $277.5 million, according to Comscore. That puts it ahead of this weekend last year, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” helped propel the box office to over $216.9 million in their second weekends. “This is one for the history books," Dergarabedian said. ”Hopefully this will carry over into August." Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $205 million. 2. “Twisters,” $35.3 million. 3. “Despicable Me 4,” $14.2 million. 4. “Inside Out 2,” $8.3 million. 5. “Longlegs,” $6.8 million. 6. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $3 million. 7. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $1.3 million. 8. “The Fabulous Four,” $1 million. 9. “Fly Me to the Moon,” $750,000. 10. “Raayan,” $378,571.

UK is 'broke and broken,' new government says as it prepares to tackle shortfall in public finances None - Britain’s new left-leaning government says the nation is “broke and broken,” blaming the situation on its predecessors ahead of a major speech on the state of the public finances that is widely expected to lay the groundwork for higher taxes UK is 'broke and broken,' new government says as it prepares to tackle shortfall in public finances LONDON -- Britain’s new left-leaning government said Sunday that the nation is “broke and broken,” blaming the situation on its predecessors ahead of a major speech on the state of the public finances that is widely expected to lay the groundwork for higher taxes. In a sweeping assessment three weeks after taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office professed shock at the situation they inherited after 14 years of Conservative Party rule, while releasing a department-by-department analysis of the perceived failures of the previous government. The critique comes a day before Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is expected to outline a 20-billion-pound ($26 billion) shortfall in public finances during a speech to the House of Commons. “We will not shy away from being honest with the public about the reality of what we have inherited,’’ Pat McFadden, a senior member of the new Cabinet, said in a statement. “We are calling time on the false promises that British people have had to put up with and we will do what it takes to fix Britain.” Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide election victory earlier this month following a campaign in which critics accused both major parties of a “conspiracy of silence” over the scale of the financial challenges facing the next government. Labour pledged during the campaign that it wouldn’t raise taxes on “working people,” saying its policies would deliver faster economic growth and generate the additional revenue needed by the government. The Conservatives, meanwhile, promised further tax cuts in the autumn if they were returned to office. As proof that the previous government wasn’t honest about the challenges facing the country, Starmer’s office pointed to recent comments from former Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt confirming that he wouldn’t have been able to cut taxes this year if the Conservatives had been returned to power. Those comments came in an interview with the BBC in which Hunt also accused Labour of exaggerating the situation to justify raising taxes now that they’ve won the election. “The reason we’re getting all this spin about this terrible economic inheritance is because Labour wants to raise taxes,” Hunt said on July 21. “If they wanted to raise taxes, all the numbers were crystal clear before the election. … They should have levelled with the British public.” The government on Sunday released an overview of the spending assessment Reeves commissioned shortly after taking office. She will deliver the complete report to Parliament on Monday. Those findings led the new government to accuse the Conservatives of making significant funding commitments for this financial year “without knowing where the money would come from.’’ It argued that the military had been “hollowed out’’ at a time of increasing global threats and the National Health Service was “broken,’’ with some 7.6 million people waiting for care. And despite billions spent to house migrants and combat the criminal gangs ferrying migrants across the English Channel on dangerous inflatable boats, the number of people making the crossing is still rising, Starmer’s office said. Some 15,832 people have crossed the Channel on small boats already this year, 9% more than during the same period in 2023. “The assessment will show that Britain is broke and broken — revealing the mess that populist politics has made of the economy and public services,” Downing Street said in a statement. The quandary the government finds itself in should be no surprise, said Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, an independent think tank focused on Britain’s economic policies. At the start of the election campaign, the institute said that the U.K. was in a “parlous fiscal position” and the new government would have to either raise taxes, cut spending or relax the rules on public borrowing. “For a party to enter office and then declare that things are ‘worse than expected’ would be fundamentally dishonest,” the IFS said on May 25. “The next government does not need to enter office to ‘open the books.’ Those books are transparently published and available for all to inspect.”

Italy and China sign a 3-year action plan as Italian leader Meloni tries to reset relations None - Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Italy and China have signed a three-year action plan to implement past agreements and experiment with new forms of cooperation BEIJING -- Italy and China signed a three-year action plan on Sunday to implement past agreements and experiment with new forms of cooperation, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on an official visit to the Chinese capital. Meloni is trying to reset relations with China as fears of a trade war with the European Union are interwoven with continued interest in attracting Chinese investment in auto manufacturing and other sectors. "We certainly have a lot of work to do and I am convinced that this work can be useful in such a complex phase on a global level, and also important at a multilateral level,” she said in remarks at the start of a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Her five-day visit comes several months after Italy dropped out of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a signature policy of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to build power and transportation infrastructure around the world to stimulate global trade while also deepening China's ties with other nations. Still, Italy remains keen to pursue an otherwise strong economic relationship with China. Stellantis, a major automaker that includes Italy’s Fiat, announced in May that it had formed a joint venture with Leapmotor, a Chinese electric car startup, to begin selling EVs in Europe. Li, addressing Italian and Chinese business leaders after the meeting with Meloni, said that China's push to upgrade its economy will increase demand for high-quality products, expanding opportunities for cooperation between companies from their two countries. He pledged to open Chinese markets further, ensure that foreign companies get the same treatment as Chinese ones and create a transparent and predictable business environment, responding to frequently heard complaints from businesses operating in the world's second-largest economy. “At the same time, we hope the Italian side will work with China to provide a more fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies doing business in Italy,” he said. Meloni told the business leaders that the two sides had signed an industrial collaboration memorandum that includes electric vehicles and renewable energy, which she described as “sectors where China has already been operating on the technological frontier for some time ... and is sharing the new frontiers of knowledge with partners.” Electric vehicles have also become a symbol of growing China-EU trade tensions, with the European Union imposing provisional tariffs of up to 37.6% on China-made electric vehicles in early July. The two sides are holding talks to try to resolve the issue by an early November deadline. Meanwhile, China launched an anti-dumping investigation into European pork exports, just days after the EU announced it would impose the tariffs on Chinese EVs. Meloni, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday, is making her first trip to China as prime minister. She has held talks with Li before, meeting in New Delhi last September during the annual G-20 summit, which brings together the leaders of 20 major nations. Italy's decision to join the Belt and Road Initiative in 2019 appeared to be a political coup for China, giving it an inroad into Western Europe and a symbolic boost in a then-raging trade war with the United States. But Italy says the promised economic benefits didn't materialize, and its membership created friction with other Western European governments and the United States. ___ Associated Press writer Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

Barcelona wants to get rid of short-term rental units. Will other tourist destinations do the same? None - Imagine planning a vacation and not being able to check Airbnb or another online booking site for an apartment in which to spend a few days living among the locals Barcelona wants to get rid of short-term rental units. Will other tourist destinations do the same? BARCELONA, Spain -- Imagine planning a vacation and not being able to check Airbnb or another online booking site for an apartment in which to spend a few days walking, shopping and eating among the locals. Would a hotel do? That's the future confronting visitors to central Barcelona in four years. To safeguard and expand the housing supply for full-time residents, local authorities want to rid the Spanish city known for its architecture, beaches and Catalan culture of the 10,000 apartments licensed as short-term rentals. Barcelona City Hall announced last month that it would not renew any tourist apartment licenses after they expire in 2028. Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said the city wants tourism, which accounts for 15% of the local economy, but must help residents cope with skyrocketing rents and real estate prices. “Our housing emergency obligates us, forces us, to change the way we do things and to put the priority on housing above our policies for accommodating tourists,” Bonet told The Associated Press. Property owners plan to fight the decision, arguing that eliminating short-term rentals would threaten their livelihoods and leave the city without enough temporary lodging: Some 2.5 million tourists stayed in an apartment last year, according to the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona, also known as Apartur. Residents of the city, which has a population of about 1.6 million, have campaigned against “overtourism” for several years, but the anti-tourism sentiment has grown more heated: During a protest in Barcelona's Las Ramblas district this month, some participants shouted “Go home!” and squirted water pistols at people seated at outdoor tables. Residential real estate prices in Barcelona have increased by an average of 38% over the past decade, a period in which the average rent soared by 68%, according to the municipal government. Like in other popular urban areas, many young people who grew up there struggle to afford a place of their own. Authorities say a lack of supply is partly to blame. Other cities around the world also are struggling to reconcile the housing needs of year-round residents, the rights of landlords and the allure of the economic benefits that being a top tourist destination can bring. Measures to limit the free-for-all of investors converting apartments into holiday rentals have included partial bans, caps on the number of days units can be let out and registration requirements for frequent hosts. New York cracked down on short-term apartment rentals in September with rules requiring owners to remain in their residence when they host overnight visitors and capping the number of guests at two. Maui's mayor said last month that he wants to end condo rentals to tourists to help deal with a housing shortage made worse by last year's devastating fire on the Hawaiian island. In Italy, a 2022 amendment to national legislation allowed the lagoon city of Venice to limit short-term rentals, but the city administration has not acted on it. Before moving to eradicate tourist apartments altogether, Barcelona officials tried more limited approaches. Its previous mayor, a former housing activist, made several moves to regulate the market, including a ban on the rental of individual rooms in apartments for stays under 31 days in 2020. The city also has moved aggressively to get unlicensed tourist apartments removed from online platforms. “We have accumulated lots of know-how in Barcelona that we are ready to share with other cities that want to have this debate,” Bonet said. The decision in Barcelona was made possible after the government of Catalonia, the northeast region of which Barcelona is the capital, passed a law year year stating that current licenses for tourist apartments would expire by 2028 in areas determined to have shortages of affordable housing. Local governments that want to renew the licenses must demonstrate that doing so is compatible with locals being able to find affordable housing. Barcelona City Hall said it wasn't. Spain’s conservative opposition party is challenging the regional law in the country's Constitutional Court, alleging that the law infringes on property rights and economic liberty. Apartur, which represents 400 owners of short-term rental units in Barcelona, argues the industry has become a scapegoat in a city that has not granted any new tourist apartment licenses since 2014. Bonaventura Durall runs a company that owns and rents out 52 apartments near Barcelona’s beachfront. Forty of the apartments are located in a building that his business and others built in 2010 to tap into the growing short-term rental industry. He says the municipal government's plan to phase out vacation rentals is unfair and puts his business and its 16 employees at risk. “There is an investment behind this that has created jobs and tax revenues and a way of life, which will now have its wings clipped,” Durall said. "This is like you go to a bar and take away its liquor license or you take away a taxi driver's permit to drive a taxi.” Critics also say the move amounts to Barcelona exercising eminent domain and will inevitably create a black market of unregulated vacation rentals. Bonet, the deputy mayor, denies that City Hall is expropriating anyone's property. “We are not saying that these apartments will disappear and therefore the owners of these apartments can’t generate revenue from them,” Bonet said. “They will have the same assets, but they will have to put them to the use they were originally built for, which is to house families.” Ignasi Martí, director of the Observatory for Dignified Housing at Spain’s Esade business and law school, said that in addition to likely facing legal hurdles, the initiative would at most only dent rental costs. Most studies indicate that Barcelona needs about 60,000 new housing units to meet current demand, he said. But Martí thinks that removing tourists from residential buildings could improve the daily lives of people who call the city home. “Take the case of a mother who needs to leave her child with a neighbor. If she lives in a building with tourist apartments, she knows that she can’t count on them,” he said. “Tourist apartments undoubtedly have repercussions in the possibility of creating ties, solidarity or making friends, beyond the issue of noise and people coming and going at any hour." Esther Roset, a 68-year-old retired bank worker, thinks so, too. She has spent years complaining about the tourist apartment above her home. Some guests have done things like vomit off the balcony, brought in prostitutes and opened a fire extinguisher in the stairwell. Apartur argues that such behavior is rare, in party because of Barcelona's strict regulations. Roset has other tourist-related pet peeves, such as the expensive food joints catering to foreigners that have swept away the traditional bars where she could get a simple sandwich. She pointed to three nearby restaurants that specialize in brunch. Roset, like most Spaniards, doesn’t do brunch. “I shouldn’t have to leave. This is my apartment. If the tourists who came behaved, OK, but one out of every 10 doesn’t,” she said. “At the end, I will have to follow the advice of a lawyer and hang a sheet from my balcony with the message ‘Tourist go home.’” ___ Colleen Barry contributed to this report from Milan.

President Biden calls for Supreme Court reforms including term limits for Supreme Court Justices None - President Biden speaks live from Austin, TX to discuss new proposals he has put forward to reform the Supreme Court which include term limits for justices, and a constitutional amendment to curb Presidential Immunity. July 29, 2024

'What is happening now is not normal': Biden plans to reform Supreme Court None - 'What is happening now is not normal': Biden plans to reform Supreme Court President Biden is set to announce proposals for major reforms in the Supreme Court, which include term limits and a code of conduct. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., joins Alex Witt to weigh in, saying it’s going to give a “boost of positivity” to his ethics and term limits bills.July 29, 2024

Bipartisan group of lawmakers chosen to investigate Trump assassination attempt None - Speaker Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Jeffries, D-N.Y., have announced the bipartisan group of lawmakers chosen to serve on the task force that will investigate the assassination attempt on former President Trump.July 29, 2024

Nedoroscik heroic on pommel horse to clinch bronze None - Stephen Nedoroscik came in clutch on his signature event to clinch the U.S. men's first Olympic team medal in 16 years. Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on NBC and streaming on Peacock, July 26 - Aug 11.July 29, 2024

How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 7/29/2024 None - U.S. stock indexes drifted to a mixed close ahead of a week full of earnings reports from Wall Street’s most influential companies and a Federal Reserve meeting on interest rates How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 7/29/2024 The Associated Press By The Associated Press U.S. stock indexes drifted to a mixed close ahead of a week full of earnings reports from Wall Street’s most influential companies and a Federal Reserve meeting on interest rates. The S & P 500 rose 0.1% Monday, coming off its first back-to-back weekly losses since April. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. ON Semiconductor led the market after delivering stronger profit than analysts expected. Reports from Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Meta Platforms will follow later this week. So will a meeting by the Federal Reserve, where officials may hint that a rate cut will arrive in September. On Monday: The S & P 500 rose 4.44 points, or 0.1%, to 5,463.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 49.41 points, or 0.1%, to 40,539.93. The Nasdaq composite rose 12.32 points, or 0.1%, to 17,370.20. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 24.74 points, or 1.1%, to 2,235.33. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 693.71 points, or 14.5%. The Dow is up 2,850.39 points, or 7.6%. The Nasdaq is up 2,358.85 points, or 15.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 208.26 points, or 10.3%.