AP Top News at 3:31 a.m. EDT

France's exceptionally high-stakes election has begun. The far right leads preelection polls

PARIS (AP) — Voters across mainland France began casting ballots Sunday in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election that could put France's government in the hands of nationalist, far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome of the two-round election, which will wrap up July 7, could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine, and how France's nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed. Many French voters are frustrated about inflation and economic concerns, as well as President Emmanuel Macron's leadership, which they see as arrogant and out-of-touch with their lives. Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Rally party has tapped and fueled that discontent, notably via online platforms like TikTok, and dominated all preelection opinion polls.

After president's debate debacle, Jill Biden delivering the message that they're still all in

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jill Biden was right at her husband's side Saturday as they exited Air Force One to head for a pair of campaign stops at luxurious vacation homes on Long Island. And she got straight to the point when it was her turn to introduce the president at a tony fundraiser. "Joe isn't just the right person for the job. He's the only person for the job," she declared. The first lady also told donors, "Anyone can tell you what they want to do, but Joe Biden can tell you what he's done with his judgment, his experience, and his relationships with leaders across the globe." The first lady is trying to rally support for her husband after a dreadful performance in Thursday's presidential debate created fresh worries about President Joe Biden's age and his ability to compete in November's election and to serve another four years.

A private call of top Democrats fuels more insider anger about Biden's debate performance

NEW YORK (AP) — A sense of concern is growing inside the top ranks of the Democratic Party that leaders of Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic National Committee are not taking seriously enough the impact of the president's troubling debate performance earlier in the week. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison and Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez held a Saturday afternoon call with dozens of committee members across the country, a group of some of the most influential members of the party. They largely ignored Biden's weak showing Thursday night or the avalanche of criticism that followed. Multiple committee members on the call, most granted anonymity to talk about the private discussion, described feeling like they were being gaslighted — that they were being asked to ignore the dire nature of the party's predicament.

Beryl strengthens into hurricane in Atlantic, forecast to grow into major storm entering Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Beryl grew into a hurricane Saturday as it churned toward the southeastern Caribbean, with forecasters warning it was expected to strengthen into a dangerous major storm before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Monday. A major hurricane is considered Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph). On Saturday night, Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane, marking the farthest east that a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher. A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, St.

US and Europe warn Lebanon's Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Iran and Israel traded threats Saturday of what Iran said would be an "obliterating" war over Hezbollah. Hopes are lagging for a cease-fire in Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza that would calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias. With the stalled talks in mind, American and European diplomats and other officials are delivering warnings to Hezbollah — which is far stronger than Hamas but seen as overconfident — about taking on the military might of Israel, current and former diplomats say.

American and British voters share deep roots. In 2024, they distrust their own leaders, too

DARTFORD, England (AP) — Distrust has settled over the campaign trails in the United States and United Kingdom ahead of July 4 like a soggy summer haze. On that day, British voters will choose a new Parliament in an election expected to finish with a Labour government after 14 years under the Conservatives. Americans across the pond, deeply polarized by the rematch between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump, will mark Independence Day in something resembling unity with barbeques and fireworks ahead of their vote on Nov. 5. There's much to celebrate on the Fourth of July for the world's biggest democracy and the venerable kingdom that gave rise to it, 248 years after they split and set off on slow, troubled journeys toward granting all citizens the right to vote.

Parties and protests mark the culmination of LGBTQ+ Pride month in NYC, San Francisco and beyond

NEW YORK (AP) — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reaches its exuberant grand finale on Sunday, bringing rainbow-laden revelers to the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere across the globe. The wide-ranging festivities will function as both jubilant parties and political protests, as participants recognize the community's gains while also calling attention to recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws, such as bans on transgender health care, passed by Republican-led states. This year, tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza are also seeping into the celebrations, exposing divisions within a community that is often aligned on political issues.

Canada airline WestJet cancels more than 400 flights after a surprise strike by mechanics union

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's second largest airline, WestJet, said it canceled 407 flights affecting 49,000 passengers after the maintenance workers union announced it went on strike. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association said its members started to strike Friday evening because the airline's "unwillingness to negotiate with the union" made it inevitable. The surprise strike affecting international and domestic flights came after the federal government issued a ministerial order for binding arbitration on Thursday. That followed two weeks of turbulent discussions with the union on a new deal. WestJet said it will continue to park aircraft through Sunday for the long weekend culminating in Canada Day on Monday.

Video shows NY officer fatally shooting 13-year-old on ground. Police say he pointed a replica gun

NEW YORK (AP) — Video released late Saturday shows an officer in upstate New York fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who had been tackled to the ground after he ran from police and pointed a replica handgun at them. The teen was killed a little after 10 p.m. Friday in Utica after officers in the city about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan stopped two youths in connection with an armed robbery investigation, police said. The youths, both 13, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same area at around the same time the day after, police said.

For India's garbage pickers, a miserable and dangerous job made worse by extreme heat

JAMMU, India (AP) — The putrid smell of burning garbage wafts for miles from the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu in a potentially toxic miasma fed by the plastics, industrial, medical and other waste generated by a city of some 740,000 people. But a handful of waste pickers ignore both the fumes and suffocating heat to sort through the rubbish, seeking anything they can sell to earn at best the equivalent of $4 a day. "If we don't do this, we don't get any food to eat," said 65-year-old Usmaan Shekh. "We try to take a break for a few minutes when it gets too hot, but mostly we just continue till we can't."