The world may never reach herd immunity against covid-19, experts say
As covid-19 surged last year, governments worldwide touted the hope of “herd immunity,” a promised land where the virus stopped spreading exponentially because enough people were protected against it. That’s now looking like a fantasy. The thinking was that the pandemic would ebb and then mostly fade once a chunk...
Texas Supreme Court blocks lower-court rulings that allowed mask mandates
AUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court stepped in Sunday evening to block lower-court orders that had allowed Dallas and San Antonio to impose mask mandates contrary to an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott. The temporary restraining orders, issued by separate District Court judges and upheld Friday by intermediate appellate...
The Taliban won. Here’s what that could meanVideo
Now that the Taliban has regained power after nearly two decades in the Afghan hinterlands, the average Afghan will face a radically different government, and lifestyle, than the one they have known since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001. How will the Taliban rule? Have they changed? When the Islamist...
USDA to permanently boost food stamp benefits by 25%
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families—the largest single increase in the program’s history. Starting in October, average benefits for food stamps (officially known as the SNAP program) will rise more than 25 percent...
Man stabbed at Los Angeles anti-vaccination protest leaves hospitalVideo
LOS ANGELES — A man who was stabbed when a Los Angeles protest against vaccine mandates turned violent has been released from the hospital, police said Sunday. The man was stabbed and a news reporter was kicked after a fight broke out Saturday between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counterprotesters in front...
St. Thomas GOP chairwoman arrested in trafficking caseVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The chairwoman of the University of St. Thomas College Republicans has been arrested in Florida on suspicion of recruiting minors for a sex trafficking ring. Gisela Castro Medina, 19, was arrested Thursday in Fort Walton Beach, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s website...
Trudeau triggers Canadian election, voting day Sept. 20
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered an election Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on Sept. 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing...
Death toll of powerful earthquake in Haiti soars to 1,297Video
LES CAYES, Haiti — The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off frantic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm. Saturday’s earthquake also left...
Rural population losses add to farm and ranch labor shortage
OMAHA, Neb. — Rural America lost more population in the latest census, highlighting an already severe worker shortage in the nation’s farming and ranching regions and drawing calls from those industries for immigration reform to help ease the problem. The census data released last week showed that population gains in...
Fred strengthens to tropical storm as it heads to U.S. coast
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center said Fred regained its tropical storm status in the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday as parts of the Caribbean were gearing up for impacts from Tropical Storm Grace. Fred was forecast to move across the Gulf before reaching the coast Monday night...
Longest war: Were America’s decades in Afghanistan worth it?
Here’s what 19-year-old Lance Cpl. William Bee felt flying into southern Afghanistan on Christmas Day 2001: purely lucky. The U.S. was hitting back at the al-Qaida plotters who had brought down the World Trade Center, and Bee found himself among the first Marines on the ground. “Excitement,” Bee says these...
Spain clocks heat record of 116.96 degrees
MADRID — Spain set a new provisional heat record of 116.96 Fahrenheit on Saturday as Southern Europe sweltered under a relentless summer sun. Italy put 16 cities on red alert for health risks and Portugal warned 75% of its regions that they faced a “significantly increased risk” of wildfires. Data...
Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and...
After UN climate report, individuals seek to do their part
HOBOKEN, Belgium — Young urban shepherd Lukas Janssens guides his flock among the graves in Schoonselhof, one of Belgium’s iconic cemeteries, knowing sheep are kinder to nature than lawnmowers. Limiting emissions of carbon dioxide, a key contributor to climate change, and promoting biodiversity are two key goals of De Antwerpse...
Japan marks 76th anniversary of WWII defeat; no Suga apology
TOKYO — Japan marked the 76th anniversary of its World War II surrender on Sunday with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided apologizing for his country’s aggression. Suga said Japan never forgets that the peace...
Police in Florida release frantic 911 calls after toddler shoots mom on Zoom call
ORLANDO, Fla. — Shamaya Lynn was at her Altamonte Springs apartment on a Zoom call with a group of co-workers when she suddenly fell back away from the computer, according to 911 calls released Friday by the police department. The confused and frightened co-worker called 911 not knowing where Lynn...
Tropical Storm Grace forms; Fred now a tropical wave
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Grace formed Saturday morning in the Atlantic Ocean and grew stronger, while Fred weakened into a tropical wave as it headed into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Both systems were expected to bring heavy rain and flooding. Fred, which was once a tropical storm,...
Virus claims more young victims as deaths climb yet againVideo
MIAMI — A young mother had just celebrated her first wedding anniversary and was one of six members of a Jacksonville church to die over a 10-day span. Another Florida woman had just given birth to her first child, but was only able to hold the newborn girl for a...
Millions stolen from health fund spent at adult website
TAMPA, Fla. — A former accounts manager for a nonprofit affiliated with the University of South Florida’s medical school has pleaded guilty to embezzling almost $13 million, spending most of it at an adult website with some of it coming back to him. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Ralph...
As Taliban tighten their grip, Kabul airport only way out
KABUL, Afghanistan — As a Taliban offensive encircles the Afghan capital, there’s increasingly only one way out for those fleeing the war, and only one way in for U.S. troops sent to protect American diplomats still on the ground: Kabul’s international airport. A steady stream of people makes its way...
Russian firefighting plane crashes in Turkey; 8 killed
ISTANBUL, Turkey — A firefighting plane from Russia crashed Saturday in a mountainous area in southern Turkey, killing the eight crew members and emergency workers aboard, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The Russian ministry said five Russian and three Turkish citizens were on the amphibious Beriev BE-200, which crashed while trying...
At least 304 dead, 1,800 hurt as powerful quake slams Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients....
U.S. Senate bill calls for beefing up federal regulations on nursing homes
Nearly 18 months after covid-19 began to cut a broad swath through the nation’s nursing homes — killing 184,000 elderly and disabled residents and care workers — the U.S. Senate is weighing a bill to update federal policies and oversight of such facilities. The bill, dubbed the Nursing Home Improvement...
1 dies in New Mexico school shooting; student detained
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — One student was killed and another was taken into custody Friday after a shooting at a middle school near downtown Albuquerque during the lunch hour, police said. The gunfire at Washington Middle School marked the second shooting in New Mexico’s largest city in less than 24 hours....
2 Seattle cops who were at U.S. Capitol in January are fired
SEATTLE — Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz on Friday fired two police officers who authorities have said violated the law while attending events in Washington D.C. during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Married officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett were fired because “they crossed the outdoor barriers established by the Capitol Police and...
