- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
Democratic US senator's stroke threatens Biden agenda
A US senator was resting in hospital Wednesday after suffering a stroke from which he is expected to recover fully, although it threatens to throw the Democrats' agenda into disarray until his return.
Ben Ray Lujan, 49, underwent brain surgery to relieve swelling late last week and remains hospitalized, his office said, with no clear timetable for how long he will be sidelined.
As he recovers, Democrats effectively lose their advantage in the Senate, which was split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote.
Unlike in the House, senators must vote in person.
Party leaders fear that advancing White House priorities such as a stalled social spending bill and confirming a Supreme Court justice on a party-line vote may now prove complicated.
A brain bleed in 2006 took Democrat Tim Johnson out of Senate action for around nine months when he was 59 years old, while Republican Mark Kirk's stroke in 2012 laid him low for a full year at age 52.
"Early Thursday morning Senator Lujan began experiencing dizziness and fatigue," his chief of staff Carlos Sanchez said in a statement.
"He checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe. He was then transferred to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation.
"Senator Lujan was found to have suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance. As part of his treatment plan, he subsequently underwent decompressive surgery to ease swelling."
President Joe Biden said he expects to announce his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer by the end of this month and has vowed to pick a Black woman.
The first Senate confirmation hearings would not likely take place until several weeks later, with a vote expected in late March at the earliest.
But Biden would need at least one Republican vote if Lujan's recovery takes more than a few weeks.
Ketanji Brown Jackson, the early favorite to replace Breyer, won support from three Republican senators last year when she moved up to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
If Lujan were unable to return to work at all, Democratic New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham would appoint his replacement.
In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will likely focus on judicial nominations or legislation with clear cross-party backing.
A government funding deal or a Russian sanctions package would likely be unaffected, but without Lujan the planned resurrection of the divisive Build Back Better social welfare package appears dead in the water.
And the prospects for legislation aimed at ending supply chain woes and countering competition from China in the next month are also shaky.
"I'm glad to hear my friend Senator Lujan is recovering," New Jersey Democratic senator Cory Booker tweeted.
"Praying for him and his family as he gets back to full strength."
G.Stevens--AMWN