Biggest news you missed this weekend
The Democratic ticket makes its debut
Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, got his first spin in the national limelight on Saturday as the newly minted Democratic presidential ticket made its debut in Miami. Clinton introduced Kaine as a “progressive" who is “everything Donald Trump and Mike Pence are not," while Kaine highlighted his working-class roots. Here's why Paste BN's editorial board says Kaine is the right pick for veep.
Wasserman Schultz to step down as Democratic Party chair after convention
Debbie Wasserman Schultz will step down as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee at the conclusion of this week's convention, the Florida congresswoman said Sunday in a statement. The announcement follows the growing controversy over the release of party emails that at times depicted staffers favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the primary campaign.
IOC declines to issue blanket ban of Russian athletes
In the face of calls to ban Russia from competing in the upcoming Rio Olympics, the International Olympic Committee on Sunday deferred decisions about the eligibility of the country’s athletes to the international federations that govern each sport. The decision now moves the heavy lifting of determining whether individual athletes can meet the criteria set out by the IOC to demonstrate sufficient anti-doping records, a challenge for the international federations (IFs) as the IOC has advised reversing the presumption of innocence. Paste BN Sports' Nancy Armour says the IOC has sold its soul.
80 dead in Islamic State suicide bombing in Kabul
At least 80 people were killed and 231 injured Saturday when suicide bombers attacked a large demonstration in the Afghan capital of Kabul, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. The demonstration was organized by ethnic Hazaras demanding that a major regional power line be rerouted through their impoverished home province. Most Hazaras are Shiite Muslims, but most Afghans are Sunni. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement on its Amaq News Agency that two of its fighters detonated explosive belts during the march.
Munich gunman planned attack for a year
The teenager who shot and killed nine people at a Munich mall planned the attack for at least a year and had received psychiatric treatment, officials said Sunday. The shooter, identified by local media as German-Iranian Ali David Sonboly, 18, had visited the site of a 2009 school shooting in the town of Winnenden last year and took pictures, then he started planning Friday's shooting spree, according to the Associated Press. No evidence indicates the gunman knew any of his victims or had any political motivation behind the attack that also wounded 35 people, said Thomas Steinkraus-Koch, spokesman for the Munich prosecutors’ office.
California fires rage
Two wildfires continued to rage across California on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of homes and leaving at least one scorched body in the aftermath. Firefighters have battled since Friday the so-called Sand Fire that burned 34 square miles near the city of Santa Clarita, which is north of Los Angeles, and the Angeles National Forest. Another 16 square miles burned in the Big Sur region about 300 miles to the north.
More than a thousand people turn out for prom of Wisconsin teen choosing to die
They came from California, Florida, Indiana and points in between. A YouTube star made a surprise appearance, members of a favorite boy band poured their hearts out in a video message and flowers arrived from around the world. All for a 14-year-old girl from Appleton, Wis., they had never met. Jerika Bolen has spinal muscular atrophy type 2. The disease destroys nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle activity, and a lack of movement causes the muscles to waste away. She has decided to be put in hospice care so she can die. But first, she wanted her last wish: a prom.
A few other things:
Chris Froome wins third Tour de France of his career
4 people killed in Texas shooting, authorities say
GOP unity? Trump takes aim against Kasich, Cruz
White Sox suspend Chris Sale for five days after clubhouse incident