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Welcome back. This is Mark writing for a few days while Nadja’s away on vacation. In the news today: Sen. Mitch McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about his health; the U.S. and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz in new attacks; and dozens die in a Bangkok fire. Also, getting ready for the release of “The Odyssey.”
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at an event in 2025, in Fancy Farm, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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McConnell says a fall led to hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about health condition
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was first taken to the hospital and has undergone a battery of tests to try to determine what led to his fall. He said he was also treated for mild pneumonia and has been moved to a rehabilitation facility. Read more.
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- McConnell’s statement came on the heels of the unexpected death of his fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. McConnell said he cannot return to the Senate “quite yet.” Coupled with Graham’s passing, that will temporarily whittle the GOP majority in that chamber down by two, to 51-47, as Republicans try to increase military funding, advance President Donald Trump’s agenda and confirm Trump’s nominees.
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US and Iran vie for control of Strait of Hormuz in latest attacks
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Each country asserted Monday that they controlled the waterway after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war. Read more.
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Iran and the U.S. are nearly at the midway point of the 60-day period of an interim deal that was supposed to set up talks for a permanent end to the war. Instead, it has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait and its future, worrying world leaders that the Iran war could fully resume.
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Fire breaks out at a beer hall in Bangkok, killing at least 27 people
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A huge fire tore through a beer hall in Bangkok overnight into Monday, killing at least 27 people and injuring dozens before firefighters brought the blaze under control. Read more.
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Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, but Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said investigators would examine the ceiling materials and whether any emergency exits may have been obstructed, potentially making it more difficult for people to evacuate.
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Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena, in a scene from “The Odyssey.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)
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Getting ready for ‘The Odyssey’
One of the most anticipated summer movies is “The Odyssey,” coming out Friday. I must admit, I haven’t opened the original epic since freshman year. If you’re in a similar situation and want to catch up on the source material before experiencing Christopher Nolan’s take, our film writer Lindsey Bahr is here to help. She put on her classics hat to create a primer on the key characters being played by Hollywood’s biggest stars. The AP’s global reach means we have reporting from Greece on what people there think about the latest adaption of Homer’s story, including the controversy over casting. You can also watch our interviews with Nolan, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya about bringing the story to the big screen.
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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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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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