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Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, a look inside a tumultuous period for Congress; Iran’s internet shutdown is squeezing businesses; and the “Scientology speedrunning” viral trend.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives for King Charles III’s address to a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday. (Kylie Cooper/Pool via AP)
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Speaker Mike Johnson once longed for a ‘normal Congress,’ but that seems long gone in the House
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There have been all-night sessions. Hours of dead zones with no action on the floor. Legislation being written on the fly, behind closed doors. Sudden votes scheduled. Spectacular failures. And, as happened this week, stunning turnarounds in which the House actually passes bills. Read more.
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Internet shutdown squeezes Iran’s ailing businesses already hurt by crashing currency
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Iranians have been struggling for nearly two weeks with the longest, most comprehensive internet shutdown in the history of the Islamic Republic — one that has not only restricted their access to information and the outside world, but is also throttling many businesses that rely on online advertising. Officials have offered no firm timeline for the internet to return, leading to fears by businesses across the country about their future. Read more.
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Inside ‘Scientology speedruns,’ the viral trend prompting the church to bolster security
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The trend took off in early April, with users on social media posting videos of themselves — sometimes inexplicably in costume — entering multiple properties owned or inhabited in some way by the Church of Scientology. Their task? Map out the church’s buildings and get as much information as they can about the inner workings of the organization. While it may amuse online viewers, this is far from lighthearted fun to the church. Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg told The Associated Press that a staff member was injured during one of the incidents and required medical attention as a result. Read more.
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Ann Hermes’ photo shows Louie Graffeo delivering copies of The Post-Gazette for his girlfriend, publisher and editor, Pamela Donnaruma, in Boston in 2023. (Ann Hermes via AP)
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Members of the public look at a statue of a man holding a flag covering his face, and signed ‘Banksy’, which appeared in Waterloo Place in London on Thursday. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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Banksy confirms a new statue in London is his work
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Elusive street artist Banksy said Thursday that a new sculpture that appeared in central London of a man striding off a plinth, with his face blinded by a billowing flag, is his work. In a humorous video posted Thursday on his Instagram account, Banksy showed snippets of how the sculpture was put up in the dead of night. The sculpture appeared to have been erected in the early hours of Wednesday on a plinth on a traffic island in Waterloo Place, near Buckingham Palace.
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Mark
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