AP Trending SummaryBrief at 11:31 a.m. EDT | Nation

Heavy rains flood the streets of Chicago, forcing NASCAR to abandon a downtown street race

CHICAGO (AP) — Heavy rains have flooded the streets of Chicago, forcing the cancellation of a NASCAR race through downtown. The National Weather Service said up to 6 inches of rain fell in the Chicago suburbs by midday. The Illinois State Police said portions of Interstate 55 and Interstate 290 were closed due to flooding and at least ten cars were trapped in water near Pulaski Road, a major north-south thoroughfare in the city. NASCAR announced that the Xfinity Series race, which was scheduled to finish in the city’s downtown area, was canceled due to weather.

The web designer quoted a client in the Gay Rights Supreme Court ruling as denying having made a request for a wedding site

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado web designer who was allowed by a US Supreme Court ruling to refuse to create a wedding website for gay couples had cited a request from a man who said he never asked to work with her. The contested motion was not the basis for the federal lawsuit preemptively filed by web designer Lorie Smith seven years ago. But as the case progressed, her attorneys referred to it as Colorado state attorneys pressed Smith on whether she had reasonable cause to sue. The revelation detracts from Smith’s victory. Friday’s ruling is widely seen as a setback for gay rights.

Affirmative Action for Whites? Admissions for older universities are being put to the test again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Following a Supreme Court decision removing racial segregation from the admissions process, colleges are under renewed pressure to end traditional preferences, the practice of favoring applicants with family ties to alumni. Long seen as a benefit to the white and wealthy, opponents say it is no longer sustainable in a world where there is no counterbalance to positive action. President Joe Biden suggested that colleges should reconsider this practice after the court ruling, saying the preferences of the tried and true “expand privilege rather than opportunity.” For critics of outdated approvals, the renewed debate over regulatory equity offers an opportunity to win public opinion over to their cause.

Car crashes into New Hampshire restaurant, injuring dozens, man stuck in bathroom

LACONIA, NH (AP) — Rescue workers in New Hampshire say a car crashed into a busy restaurant, injuring more than a dozen people. The Laconia Fire Department said the vehicle struck the Looney Bin Bar & Grill just after 12:40 p.m. Sunday. Restaurant owner Michelle Watson says the car crushed a man in the bathroom. Rescuers transported 14 people with leg injuries, cuts and bruises to hospitals and treated 20 others at the scene. Watson said everyone jumped in immediately to make sure people were okay, but the damage to the building was significant and she wasn’t sure when it would reopen.

According to media reports, four people were injured in an explosion in a building in downtown Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — An explosion at a building in Tokyo’s Shimbashi business district has shattered windows and belched smoke, injuring four people, ministry officials say. According to the Tokyo Fire Department, the blast happened Monday at a restaurant on the second floor of an eight-story building. Two people inside were injured and two pedestrians were hit by broken glass. A local owner, who was among the injured, told police the explosion occurred when he lit his lighter, NHK said. Further information, including the cause, was not available so far.

Elon Musk imposes daily limits on reading posts on Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk has capped the number of tweets Twitter users can see each day. He described the restrictions as an attempt to prevent unauthorized tapping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform. The site now requires users to log in to view tweets and profiles. That’s a change in longstanding practice that allows anyone to read the babble. The restrictions could result in users being banned from Twitter for a day after scrolling through several hundred tweets. Thousands of users complained on Saturday that they could not access the site. Musk said after facing backlash that he will raise the thresholds on how many tweets accounts can read per day.

Prosecutor in Hunter Biden case denies retaliation against an IRS agent who spoke with the House GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal prosecutor leading the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has dismissed claims that he was prevented from pursuing criminal charges in Los Angeles and Washington. And the investigator denies retaliating against an IRS official who disclosed details of the case. US Attorney David Weiss in Delaware responds in a letter to Republicans in the House of Representatives. Weiss is defending the lengthy investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings, which ended last month with an appeal to the Justice Department likely sparing Biden a stint behind bars. Weiss also makes it clear that the case is an ongoing criminal investigation and he has little else to divulge at this time.

Passengers were stuck because United Airlines canceled their flights. The CEO took a private plane

The United Airlines CEO apologizes for jumping on a private plane this week while thousands of his airline’s customers were stranded because their flights were cancelled. CEO Scott Kirby said Friday that taking a private jet was the wrong decision. He says it was insensitive to United Airlines customers waiting to get home and he apologizes to customers and airline employees. He promises to do better in the future. Kirby took a private flight from New Jersey to Denver on Wednesday. United canceled 750 flights that day. That’s a quarter of his schedule.

The tallest flagpole in the world. A small town in Maine. An idea intended to unite people divides them

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) – In the United States, many people think bigger is better. But some residents of a small Maine community are reluctant to measure patriotism by the size of a flagpole. Located on the eastern tip of the state, Maine’s Down East region is where sunlight kisses the east coast of the United States for the first time each day. This is where the vast wilderness and the sea meet. It’s also where a patriotic family proposed the world’s tallest flagpole — one that would be taller than the Empire State Building, with a giant American flag at the top. The proposal should unite people around the flag and create jobs. Instead, community and cultural hotspots are exposed.

Friends and family gather for Houston rapper Big Pokey’s funeral

HOUSTON (AP) — Family and friends gathered over the weekend for the funeral of Houston rapper Big Pokey, a founding member of pioneering group Screwed Up Click. Pokey, who was born Milton Powell, died June 18 at the age of 48 after collapsing while performing in Beaumont, east of Houston. The Houston Chronicle reports that attendees at his Saturday service at Houston’s Fountain of Praise church included Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and rappers Paul Wall, Trae Tha Truth and Slim Thug. Pokey was known for hits from Texas and the Gulf Coast like “Ball N’ Parlay”, “Who Dat Talking Down” and a verse about DJ Screw’s freestyle called “June 27th”.

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