Police investigate suspect’s motive in Atlanta-area killings
ATLANTA — A white gunman accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors was charged with murder Wednesday in an attack that sent terror through the Asian American community that’s increasingly been targeted during the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Aaron Long, 21,...
Iran’s final report on Ukraine jet crash blames human error
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — After a yearlong investigation, Iran’s civil aviation agency on Wednesday released its final report on the crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed 176 people last year, revealing no new details about the shootdown that has provoked outrage from affected countries and concerns from...
Millions across Southeast bracing for potential tornadoes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Hundreds of schools, covid-19 vaccination clinics, businesses and more shut down across the Deep South on Wednesday as forecasters warned of waves of severe weather including massive tornadoes, downpours and hail the size of tennis balls. While nearly 16 million people in the Southeast could see powerful...
Experts: Virus surge in Europe a cautionary tale for U.S.
Optimism is spreading in the U.S. as covid-19 deaths plummet and states ease restrictions and open vaccinations to younger adults. But across Europe, dread is setting in with another wave of infections that is closing schools and cafes and bringing new lockdowns. The pandemic’s diverging paths on the two continents...
2 jurors dropped from Derek Chauvin trial after $27M settlement
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Wednesday dismissed two jurors who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in George Floyd’s death over concerns they had been tainted by the city’s announcement of a $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill...
Indiana attorney general defends governor’s mask order power
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s attorney general’s office vigorously defended Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency powers in response to a restaurant’s lawsuit challenging his order that masks must be worn inside restaurants to stem the spread of the coronavirus. That defense of Holcomb’s action comes even though Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, who...
Senate confirms Katherine Tai as Biden’s top trade envoy
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai as the top U.S. trade envoy in an overwhelming bipartisan vote on Wednesday . She will be the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold the position. Tai is considered a problem-solving pragmatist, and her nomination by President Joe Biden...
St. Patrick’s Day to be largely virtual in NYC for 2nd year
NEW YORK — A largely virtual St. Patrick’s Day was planned for New York City on Wednesday, one year after the annual parade celebrating Irish heritage was canceled because of the pandemic. Although the city’s usual huge parade with floats and marching bands was canceled, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined...
Child border crossings are surging, straining U.S. facilities
WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive, with the head of Homeland Security acknowledging the depth of the problem but insisting it’s under control and saying he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. The...
The Washington Post publishes correction on Trump call with Georgia investigatorVideo
The Washington Post published a correction of a story in December about a phone call with then President Donald Trump and Georgia elections official Frances Watson after a recording surfaced that proved he did not use the precise phrase “find the fraud.” The newspaper admitted it wrongly attributed multiple quotes...
CDC: Nearly everyone is returning for 2nd covid-19 shotVideo
More than 95% of the people who have received the first dose of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen have returned on time for their second, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The public health agency saw the statistics, which it compiled between Dec. 14 and Feb. 14,...
2 people dead in Southern California fireworks explosionVideo
ONTARIO, Calif. — Two people were killed when a large fireworks stash exploded Tuesday in inland Southern California, setting off a series of blasts that shattered windows across the residential neighborhood and sent up a huge plume of smoke, authorities said. Authorities — including the FBI — are investigating the...
Massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead, many of Asian descentVideo
ATLANTA — A series of shootings over nearly an hour at three Atlanta-area massage parlors left eight people dead and raised fears that the attack was yet another hate crime against Asian Americans. Police arrested a 21-year-old Georgia man and said the motive wasn’t immediately known, though many of the...
Virginia governor restores voting rights to 69,000 ex-felons
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he has restored voting rights to more than 69,000 former felons who have completed their prison sentences but are still on probation. Northam’s move mirrors a proposed constitutional amendment recently approved by the General Assembly that would automatically restore voting rights...
Utah campaign against porn marches on with phone filter plan
SALT LAKE CITY — Conservative lawmakers in Utah have fired another salvo in their longtime campaign against online porn with a new requirement that all cellphones and tablets sold in the state automatically block pornography in a plan that critics call a significant intrusion on free speech. Supporters and critics...
Moderna begins testing its covid-19 vaccine in children as young as 6 monthsVideo
Moderna Inc. said it has begun delivering experimental doses of its covid-19 vaccine to children as part of a study to determine whether it is safe and effective in those as young as 6 months. The trial aims to enroll about 6,750 volunteers in the United States and Canada. The...
Lobbyist named in $60M Ohio bribery investigation found dead
COLUMBUS — A powerful Ohio lobbyist who spent decades at the center of most of the state’s significant policy battles was found dead in Florida as he faced charges in a sweeping federal bribery investigation, authorities said Tuesday. Neil Clark, 67, was found dead Monday by a bicyclist in an...
U.S.: Putin approved operations to help Trump against Biden
WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes...
Man suspected of killing 4 in fight over stimulus check
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man suspected of killing three adults and a child told police he fatally shot the four victims after he and his girlfriend argued because he wanted a share of her federal covid-19 relief money, according to a court document and one of the girlfriend’s relatives. Malik...
Alaska GOP wants Sen. Murkowski to stop identifying as Republican
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Republican Party has censured U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for voting to convict former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial and now doesn’t want her to identity as a GOP candidate in next year’s election, a member of the party’s State Central Committee said Tuesday....
In Pennsylvania, Biden to highlight aid to small businesses
WASHINGTON — After opening his presidency by playing down expectations for combating the pandemic, President Joe Biden and his top messengers are touring the country to raise hopes over his $1.9 trillion relief package. The president — as well as his vice president and his wife — is promising that...
FBI says Pennsylvania woman filmed inside Capitol on Jan. 6
SCRANTON — A Pennsylvania woman allegedly cheered on rioters as they stormed into the U.S. Capitol in early January and was photographed in a trashed conference room inside the building, the FBI said in a newly unsealed affidavit. Annie C. Howell of Swoyersville was charged earlier this month with trespassing,...
Schools weighing whether to seat students closer together
BOSTON — U.S. guidelines that say students should be kept 6 feet apart in schools are receiving new scrutiny from federal health experts, state governments and education officials working to return as many children as possible to the classroom. Even as more teachers receive vaccinations, the distancing guidelines have remained...
Russia threatens to block Twitter in a month
MOSCOW — Russian authorities said Tuesday they would block Twitter in a month if it doesn’t take steps to remove banned content, a move that escalates the Russian government’s drawn-out standoff with social media platforms that have played a major role in amplifying dissent in Russia. Russia’s state communications watchdog,...
Assistant principal accused in Florida homecoming court vote fraud
An assistant principal at an elementary school is accused of accessing the school district’s internal system to cast fraudulent votes for her daughter who was elected homecoming queen at her high school, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. On Monday, agents arrested Laura Rose Carroll, 50, and her 17-year-old...
