Venezuelan security guard

pulled from quake rubble

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela — Rescuers have pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement, ending a grueling dayslong operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was extracted safely after being trapped since June 24 under the rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town in La Guaira. Rescuers initially made contact with him over the weekend. Gil Flores, who worked as a night-shift security guard at the complex, was inside his small security cabin when the first violent tremor struck.

Former Olympian indicted

in Reflecting Pool vandalism

WASHINGTON — A former Olympian has been indicted on a felony charge for alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

David Hearn is a former Olympic canoe racer who was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C. court. District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said he ripped up recently installed sealant and caused over $1,000 in damage.

Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool to examine the newly peeled coating during a 64-mile bike ride. Trump has said federal authorities made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool following a $16-million rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Vatican excommunicates

schismatic bishops, priests

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has responded aggressively to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent. The Vatican on Thursday declared that the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church and it excommunicated its bishops. It also warning its faithful they also could face the harsh sanctions. The Vatican went above and beyond the minimal sanctions foreseen by the church’s canon law to respond to the consecrations Wednesday of four new bishops at the society’s seminary in Switzerland. The Vatican has excommunicated the four new bishops and the two bishops that participated in the ceremony. It declared that the society had created a schism, or intentional rupture with the church.

Iran warns oil tankers at

strait of ‘forceful response’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s joint military command has warned that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response.” The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command was aired on Iranian state television Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran.

Ship passage through the vital waterway is continuing to rebound, even after Iran attacked two commercial vessels last week that circumvented its routes. Shipping data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence says at least 258 ships transited the strait last week, a period that includes the Iranian strikes. That’s up from 138 ships the previous week.

FBI instructs hundreds

to probe Ga. 2020 election

ATLANTA (AP) — The FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County. A memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press calls for the FBI to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort. The memo describes it as a “priority investigation.” While the memo does not describe the investigation, people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal decision-making have confirmed the request was to help with the Georgia 2020 election investigation.

La. attorney general indicted

Louisiana’s attorney general was indicted Thursday over accusations she threatened the jobs of New Orleans leaders who fought a Republican-led overhaul of local courts in the heavily Democratic city. The 16-count indictment against Republican Liz Murrill, handed up by a New Orleans grand jury, charges Louisiana’s first female attorney general with intimidation and malfeasance.

At the center of the case are deepening rifts between state leaders in Louisiana, which is heavily Republican, and Democrats who control the state’s most prominent city. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry promised a swift pardon. Democratic Mayor Helena Moreno was among those accusing the state’s top law enforcement official in May of threatening public officials.

The Associated Press