Why the Biden administration is considering collaborating with the Taliban. A study shows that what you eat in your 40s can affect your health for decades. And a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter faces jail time in a defamation case.
Here’s what you need to know today.
Biden administration considers unlikely partnership to track ISIS-K
Until recently, U.S. and other Western officials believed the terrorist group ISIS-K had the intent but not the capability to orchestrate attacks abroad. But that changed with the attack on a concert venue in Moscow in March, which killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more. Now, faced with a global terrorist threat, Biden administration officials are debating expanding cooperation with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to help hunt down ISIS-K, according to two sources familiar with the matter and a former U.S. official.
The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the decline of the West in Africa have weakened Washington’s ability to gather intelligence on the various offshoots of ISIS. ISIS-K is the branch of the terrorist group operating in Afghanistan and refers to the Khorasan branch of ISIS.
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Meanwhile, the Taliban views ISIS-K as a threat to its rule and has carried out a series of attacks against the group.
But there is deep distrust between the West and the Taliban. Some members of Congress who favor a partnership argue that the U.S. should demand concessions from the Taliban in return. Those who oppose the move fear that the Taliban would use the partnership as a way to get the U.S. to recognize its authority in Afghanistan, which it has not done.
Read the whole story here.
Hurricane Beryl approaches Jamaica as a Category 4 storm
Hurricane Beryl is expected to pass near or over Jamaica today, with a storm surge that could reach 5 to 8 feet above normal tide levels. The powerful storm weakened slightly yesterday, but is still a major Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. Beryl is expected to approach the Cayman Islands tomorrow and reach Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by tomorrow evening. The National Weather Service also said Beryl could cause minor flooding in the United States.
Beryl has already been blamed for seven deaths. Three people were killed in Grenada, three were killed in Venezuela and one was killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said. In Grenada, where the hurricane made landfall earlier this week, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said “the situation is grim,” and reported downed power lines, impassable roads and destroyed buildings. Here is the final prediction.
Democrats nervously await polls after Biden’s weak debate
Republican Lloyd Doggett from Texas became the first Democrat in Congress to call on Joe Biden to withdraw of the presidential race, as the president’s campaign team races to convince party officials that Biden still has a viable path to re-election after a poor debate performance last week against Donald Trump.
While some other Democrats have joined Doggett in urging Biden to withdraw, others are waiting for polls to show whether Biden’s support has collapsed. Still, they are nervous. One Democratic lawmaker wrote in a newspaper op-ed that he expects Trump to win. A second lawmaker said he and others are being pressured by donors to speak out publicly against Biden. Some are starting what could happen if biden decides to withdraw.
More coverage of the 2024 elections:
What you eat at 40 can affect how healthy you are at 70
Eat well now and you may feel better later, Harvard researchers concluded in a new study presented this week. According to an analysis of patients over a 30-year period, people with higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and the like were more likely to age well. “Healthy aging” was defined as reaching at least age 70 and having good cognitive function, mental health and physical function, and being free of chronic disease.
The study adds to a raft of other research linking a healthy diet early in life to better long-term health. But in this study, which analyzed data from more than 106,000 participants over 30 years, researchers were “surprised,” according to the study’s lead author. This is why.
Mississippi reporter who exposed welfare fraud scandal faces prison
Mississippi reporter Anna Wolfe or her editor could, in Wolfe’s words, “become the first person to go to prison in the Mississippi welfare scandal.” Her reporting on the state’s $77 million welfare fraud exposed how federal funds went to athletes, boyfriends and hobby projects. Now she and her editor, Adam Ganucheau, are being sued by one of the main subjects of their reporting: the state’s former governor.
They have been hit with a court order requiring them to turn over internal files, including the names of confidential sources — an order they say they will fight. Former Gov. Phil Bryant did not file a lawsuit after the stories were published in 2022. But after the CEO of Mississippi Today misrepresented the reporting at a journalism conference nearly a year later, he took legal action.
The most experienced American women’s gymnastics team ever
Simone Biles, who has 37 Olympic and world championship medals, will be joined in Paris by reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee, Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles, Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey and freshman senior Hezly Rivera. Biles called the upcoming Games a “redemption tour” for the Tokyo returnees — and each teammate has a personal goal in mind.
More Olympic Games highlights:
Politics in brief
Postponement of sentence: New York State Judge Juan Merchan a postponement approved from the sentencing of Donald Trump in the hush money trial against the former president until at least September 18 after the Supreme Court’s immunity decision.
Next steps: The White House is weighing its options for responding to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, such as legal guidance, as some liberal advocates criticize Biden and Democrats because he was “misled.”
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Staff choice: Solitary boa constrictor gives birth to 14 baby snakes
It’s rare for vertebrates to give birth without ever having had contact with a mate — a process called parthenogenesis. So when we heard about a boa constrictor at a school in England that had reproduced asexually and given birth to 14 baby snakes, we had to know more. NBC News intern Elysee Barakett spoke to the snake’s keeper, who revealed that he had thought the snake, named Ronaldo, was a male — until posterity appeared.— Dana Varinsky, science and health editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Allergies, lack of sleep, stress and aging can all wreak havoc under your eyes. NBC Select asked the experts what really works to improve the appearance of your skin and rounded up the best treatments for dark circles And swelling.
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
