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Joey Chestnut (right) holds a gold belt after winning the Fort Bliss hot dog contest, as the Impossible Foods CEO holds a giant check onstage.

Joey Chestnut (right) won a hot dog-eating contest against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday, with Impossible Foods pledging to donate $1,000 in support of military families for each hot dog downed. Impossible Foods hide caption

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Impossible Foods

National

Joey Chestnut, banned from Coney Island, takes his hot dog-eating skills to Fort Bliss

Chestnut ate 57 hot dogs in five minutes, beating a team of four soldiers who downed 49 total. He not only broke his own record, but nearly tied the Coney Island winner, who ate 58 dogs in 10 minutes.

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Wu-Tang Clan: Tiny Desk Concert

Happy 55th birthday to the RZA! In 2018, his legendary rap group sped through a medley of classics. "Wu-Tang is for the kids!" RZA proclaimed.
A Cal Fire OV-10 air tactical aircraft releases a puff of smoke while guiding a fire retardant drop during the Thompson Fire in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday.

A Cal Fire OV-10 air tactical aircraft releases a puff of smoke while guiding a fire retardant drop during the Thompson Fire in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP hide caption

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Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP

National

Firefighters make progress against California fire, but heat risks grow in the West

Containment of the wildfire that had triggered extensive evacuations rose Friday to 46%, and most evacuation orders were lifted. But forecasters say heat and fire risk are expanding on the West Coast.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos speaks at an event unveiling the Kindle 2.0 in 2009. Bezos founded the company in his Bellevue, Wash. garage 30 years ago on July 5, 1995.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos speaks at an event unveiling the Kindle 2.0 in 2009. Bezos founded the company in his Bellevue, Wash. garage 30 years ago on July 5, 1995. Mario Tama/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Business

Amazon is 30. Here's how a book store gobbled up all of e-commerce

Jeff Bezos founded the e-commerce giant in his garage 30 years ago. NPR's Andrew Mambo talks with business reporter Alina Selyukh about how Bezos built an empire and what's next for the company.

Amazon is 30. Here's how a book store gobbled up all of e-commerce

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Tourists are seen photographing an eruption of Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park in this 2011 file photo. On Thursday, a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement park rangers after he was reported to have a weapon and issuing threats, according to the National Park Service.

In this photograph taken on Saturday, May 21, 2011, in Yellowstone National Park, Mont., tourists photograph Old Faithful erupting on schedule late in the afternoon. As the summer travel season kicks off this Memorial Day weekend, many people may take one look at the price of an airplane ticket or a gallon of gas and decide to put off their dream vacation for one closer to home and closer to nature. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) Julie Jacobson/AP hide caption

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Julie Jacobson/AP

National

A person is dead after a shootout with park rangers at Yellowstone

Park rangers said the individual, who has not been identified, opened fire after being confronted over reports that they were armed and making threats.
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Richard Briggs has served as Tennessee state senator for District 7, representing part of Knox County, since 2014. In 2019, he helped pass a state trigger bill on abortion that was one of the most austere in the U.S.

Richard Briggs has served as Tennessee state senator for District 7, representing part of Knox County, since 2014. In 2019, he helped pass a state trigger bill on abortion that was one of the most austere in the U.S. Emily Moses for NPR hide caption

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Emily Moses for NPR

In the deep-red Tennessee Legislature, a moderate Republican wonders how much he can do

State Sen. Richard Briggs has been in office for about a decade. He's a doctor and an Army veteran. And recently, he's found he's a minority in the state's Republican supermajority.
Year of Global Elections
Labour Leader Keir Starmer celebrates winning the 2024 general election with a speech at Tate Modern on Friday in London.

Labour Leader Keir Starmer celebrates winning the 2024 general election with a speech at Tate Modern in London on Friday. Ricky Vigil/Getty Images Europe hide caption

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Ricky Vigil/Getty Images Europe

Europe

Britain swings to the center-left in a historic U.K. election landslide

After 14 years of Conservative rule, Britons elected a new prime minister, Keir Starmer, and Parliament dominated by the Labour Party, which hadn't won a national election since Tony Blair, nearly 20 years.

The U.K. has a new government with Sir Keir Starmer at the helm

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A person looks at an election poster board for Tokyo gubernatorial election Monday, July 1, 2024, in Tokyo.

A person looks at an election poster board for Tokyo gubernatorial election Monday, July 1, 2024, in Tokyo. Tokyo elects a new governor on Sunday but residents say personal publicity stunts have overtaken serious campaigning — there are nearly nude women in suggestive poses, pets, an AI character and a man practicing his golf swing. Eugene Hoshiko/AP hide caption

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Eugene Hoshiko/AP

Asia

With suggestive poses and pets, 'wacky' election campaigning tests Tokyo's patience

This year's wackiness — notably from non-candidates renting campaign billboard space — is proving exceptional, and residents have flooded election offices with angry calls and messages.
In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili, left, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, and reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian greet one another at the conclusion of a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, on June 1, 2024.

In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili, left, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, and reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian greet one another at the conclusion of a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, on June 1, 2024. Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/AP/IRIB hide caption

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Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/AP/IRIB

World

Iran holds a runoff presidential vote pitting a hard-liner against a reformist

An initial round of voting June 28 saw no candidate get over 50% of the vote, forcing the runoff. The candidates are running to replace the late president, who was killed in a helicopter crash.
The Chinese and the Olympic flag wave during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping allegations despite positive tests for banned substances, allowing them to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Games.

The Chinese and the Olympic flag wave during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers of doping allegations despite positive tests for banned substances, allowing them to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Petr David Josek/AP hide caption

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Petr David Josek/AP

Sports

The Justice Department opens a criminal probe of the Chinese Olympic doping scandal

One focus of the probe appears to be on the World Anti-Doping Agency, which reviewed repeated positive drug tests by elite Chinese swimmers.

Justice Department opens a criminal probe of the Chinese Olympic doping scandal

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 20: Residents drop mail-in ballots in an official ballot box outside of the Tippecanoe branch library on October 20, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today is the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, which is considered a battleground state for the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 20: Residents drop mail-in ballots in an official ballot box outside of the Tippecanoe branch library on October 20, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today is the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, which is considered a battleground state for the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Elections

Wisconsin voters can once again return ballots by drop box, the state's high court rules

 Wisconsin Public Radio

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed a 2022 ruling banning the use of ballot drop boxes in the swing state.
Marvin Cox, community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission on June 25, in Nashville. As temperatures reached into the upper 90s, the Metro Action Commission was offering free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions.

Marvin Cox, community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission on June 25, in Nashville. As temperatures reached into the upper 90s, the Metro Action Commission was offering free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption

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Mark Humphrey/AP

National

As heat waves intensify, more public housing residents may get help with AC bills

For decades, public housing providers could subsidize heating bills but not air-conditioning. New Biden administration guidance changes that, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough.

Public housing buildings can now pay for residents' ACs, providing relief to many

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A Northern Spotted Owl flies after a mouse jumping off the end of a stick in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman, Ore. To save the spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a plan to deploy trained shooters to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins.

A Northern Spotted Owl flies after a mouse jumping off the end of a stick in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman, Ore. To save the spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a plan to deploy trained shooters to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. Don Ryan/AP hide caption

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Don Ryan/AP

Environment

To save spotted owls, officials plan to kill a half-million of another owl species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strategy is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington and California by killing barred owls that have encroached into their territory.
Family members often provide caregiving for people with dementia and it can take a financial and emotional toll.

Family members often provide caregiving for people with dementia and it can take a financial and emotional toll. Ocskaymark/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption

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Ocskaymark/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Medicare explores a new way to support caregivers of dementia patients

 TRADEOFFS

The government is launching an experimental program to ease the burden on caregivers of people with Alzheimer's. The idea is to keep patients healthier without exhausting their families.

tradeoffs medicare caregivers

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An elderly patient with an advanced stage of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) sits on her bed at the community hospital in Bangui,on January 27, 2022. - In the Central African Republic, the second least developed country in the world according to the UN and in civil war for more than eight years, approximately 110,000 people are affected by HIV out of a population of some 5.4 million inhabitants. But many do not enter this count, for lack of screening.

An elderly patient with an advanced stage of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) sits on her bed at the community hospital in Bangui,on January 27, 2022. - In the Central African Republic, the second least developed country in the world according to the UN and in civil war for more than eight years, approximately 110,000 people are affected by HIV out of a population of some 5.4 million inhabitants. But many do not enter this count, for lack of screening. Barbara Debout/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Barbara Debout/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

A new way to prevent HIV delivers dramatic results in trial

The testing of lenacapavir was halted because results were so impressive — 100% effectiveness. The decision was made to give all participants the injection rather than the alternative daily pill.
The Caesar Salad was born 100 years ago, on July 4, 1924, in Tijuana, Mexico. Above, a Caesar Salad from the Boucherie restaurant in New Orleans.

The Caesar Salad was born 100 years ago, on July 4, 1924, in Tijuana, Mexico. Above, a Caesar Salad from the Boucherie restaurant in New Orleans. Randy Schmidt/Boucherie hide caption

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Randy Schmidt/Boucherie

Culture

Hail Caesar salad! Born 100 years ago in Tijuana

The Caesar salad was invented at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico, on July 4, 1924, to feed hungry American tourists. We've been enjoying it in various incarnations ever since.

100 Years of Caesar Salads

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