Danish military to lease electric training planes as a trialVideo
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Danish defense ministry said Thursday that it will lease two electric trainer airplanes as a test, adding that it is the first country in the world to do so. The single-engine, two-seater Pipistrel Velis Electro is an electric-powered Slovenian light aircraft intended primarily for training use....
Report: Inmate’s death at Ohio prison ruled a homicide
ORIENT, Ohio — The death of an inmate who died in his cell at an Ohio prison earlier this year has been ruled a homicide. Michael McDaniel, 55, died Feb. 6 after he became combative and injured two guards who had tried to remove him from his cell at the...
3 Pa. lawmakers visit Arizona GOP election audit
PHOENIX — Three Pennsylvania lawmakers were in Arizona on Wednesday to check out the state Senate GOP’s partisan audit of the 2020 election. They’re the latest Republicans to make a pilgrimage to Phoenix, ground zero in the “stop the steal” movement’s push to find support for conspiracy theories suggesting the...
‘Stand your ground’ defense rejected in iguana killing by Florida man
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A judge has rejected the “stand your ground” defense of a Florida man who said he beat an iguana to death only after it attacked him, biting him on the arm. PJ Nilaja Patterson, 43, must stand trial on a felony animal cruelty charge, Palm...
NASA chief announces 2 new Venus missions after agency’s $25 billion budget requestVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — New NASA Administrator Bill Nelson gave his first State of NASA address on Wednesday plotting out the agency’s plans to continue the Artemis program to return humans to the moon as well as new Earth-centric missions as part of the largest science budget ask ever for the...
State seeks 30 years for Derek Chauvin; defense wants time served
MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year sentence for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in George Floyd’s death, but a defense attorney is asking that Derek Chauvin be sentenced to probation and time already served, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Chauvin is scheduled to be sentenced...
Pair flees Florida juvenile home, engages in gunbattle with deputiesVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — A 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy fled from a Florida juvenile home and broke into a house, where they found a small arsenal — a shotgun, an AK-47 and plenty of ammunition. When confronted by sheriff’s deputies, the pair opened fire, sparking a gunbattle. The gunfire...
New York transit officials confirm cyberattack; say harm limited
NEW YORK — Hackers infiltrated computer systems for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, setting off a scramble to counter a potentially crippling cyberattack against North America’s largest transit system, MTA officials confirmed on Wednesday. The officials said in a statement that that agency received an alert from the...
Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PM
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents announced Wednesday that they have reached a deal to form a new governing coalition, paving the way for the ouster of the longtime Israeli leader. The dramatic announcement by opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, came shortly before...
Ohio teen says coaches forced him to eat pork despite beliefs
CANTON, Ohio — An attorney for an Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs for missing a voluntary workout has announced plans to sue the school district. Canton McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and seven assistant coaches...
Prosecutors drop case against New York man charged in Capitol riot
Federal prosecutors have dropped the criminal case against a New York man who was accused of participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, in what appears to be the first such move by the Justice Department in its sprawling Jan. 6 prosecution. The dismissal of the case against Christopher...
Study: California fire killed 10% of world’s redwood trees
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — At least a tenth of the world’s mature giant sequoias were destroyed by a single California wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada last year, according to a draft report prepared by scientists with the National Park Service. The Visalia Times-Delta newspaper obtained a...
Trump shuts down blog after less than a month
Former President Donald Trump is going to have to find a new way to reach his MAGA supporters. The exiled tweeter in chief scrapped his personal blog after less than a month amid poor readership numbers and his indefinite ban from social media. Once hosted on donaldjtrump.com, the “From the...
Biden pushes for U.S. voting rights law as restrictions mount
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used the 100th anniversary of Tulsa’s race massacre to make a plea for sweeping legislation in Congress to protect the right to vote as Republican-led governments in Texas and other states pass new restrictions making it tougher to cast ballots. Biden, marking the centennial in...
U.S. soldiers mistakenly raid Bulgarian sunflower oil factory
The owner of a small sunflower oil factory in Bulgaria has accused U.S. soldiers of illegally storming his facility during a NATO military exercise last month. Marin Dimitrov told reporters Wednesday that he had filed a lawsuit against those responsible for the May 11 incident. Swift Response 2021 was a...
Iran’s largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman
The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, the latest calamity to strike one of the country’s vessels in recent years amid tensions with the West. The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain...
Motive unclear as Calif. firefighter kills colleague at station
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — A firefighter killed a coworker and wounded another at their small fire station before setting his own home ablaze and apparently killing himself in California’s second deadly workplace shooting in days. The gunman, a firefighter specialist and engineer, was off-duty when he apparently drove the 10...
U.S. urging Central America to tackle poverty, corruption
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to entice Central American nations to tackle the corruption and poverty that have helped drive a surge of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border and presented an early challenge for the Biden administration. In his first visit to...
Even after Bernie Madoff’s death, work to unwind epic fraud goes on
NEW YORK — Epic Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff is dead. But the effort to untangle his web of deceit lives on. More than 12 years after Madoff confessed to running one of the biggest financial fraud in Wall Street history, a team of lawyers is still at work on...
Beer is latest vaccine incentive for Biden ‘month of action’
WASHINGTON — Free beer is the latest White House-backed incentive for Americans to get vaccinated for covid-19, as President Joe Biden is announcing a “month of action” Wednesday to get more shots into arms before the July 4 holiday. Speaking from the White House, Biden is set to update the...
EU eyes revamp of ID check-free zone to improve travel flow
BRUSSELS — The European Union unveiled plans Wednesday to revamp Europe’s ID check-free travel area after national coronavirus restrictions placed new strains on tourism, travel and business throughout the bloc over the last year. The travel zone, known as the “Schengen area,” is made up of 26 countries: 22 EU...
Russian opposition activists set for court amid crackdown
MOSCOW — A Russian court on Wednesday sent a prominent opposition activist to jail pending a probe, as authorities continue to crack down on dissent ahead of September’s parliamentary election. In the southern city of Krasnodar, a court ordered Andrei Pivovarov, the head of the Open Russia movement that has...
Hacking outfit linked to Russia is behind JBS cyberattack, sources sayVideo
A notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the cyberattack against JBS SA, according to four people familiar with the assault who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The cyber gang goes by the name REvil or Sodinokibi. While it’s unclear if all of REvil’s hackers operate in...
Democrat Melanie Stansbury wins U.S. House race in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE — Democrat Melanie Stansbury has won election to Congress for New Mexico to fill a vacant seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Stanbury prevailed Tuesday in a four-way race after campaigning in support of major initiatives of the Biden administration. Her victory shores up the Democratic majority...
Netanyahu: Israel would risk ‘friction’ with U.S. over Iran
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he’s prepared to risk tension with the United States if that is what it takes to neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The embattled premier, whose political future is in question just 11 days out from a bruising war, said Israel’s...
