Royal family says Harry, Meghan racism charges ‘concerning’
LONDON — Buckingham Palace said Tuesday that allegations of racism made earlier this week by Prince Harry and Meghan were “concerning” and would be addressed privately by the royal family. The comments, made in a statement issued on behalf Queen Elizabeth II, are the first from the palace since a...
Nevada bill would bar offensive school mascots, place names
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada lawmakers are considering legislation that would require schools to get rid of racially discriminatory logos and mascots and require officials to push for the renaming of mountains, trails or any other geographic points with racially offensive names. The bill, which is scheduled to have its...
WHO study finds 1 in 3 women face physical, sexual violence
GENEVA — The U.N. health agency and its partners have found in a new study that nearly one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes, calling the results a “horrifying picture” that requires action by governments and communities alike. The report released Tuesday from...
Tennessee: Some inmates now qualify for covid vaccine
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After initially deeming that inoculating prisoners could be a “PR nightmare,” Tennessee officials on Tuesday said some inmates were receiving a covid-19 vaccine — but only those who qualify as part of other groups the state has prioritized. The Department of Correction has ordered 2,000 doses of...
World War II veteran receives medals 77 years after heroismVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nearly 80 years after a German mortar wounded him as he fought along the Mussolini Canal in Italy, U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Marvin Cornett stood proudly in a pristine uniform, this time adorned with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Cornett’s daughter, Jan Mendoza, proudly watched...
Wave of retirements signals battles ahead for Republicans
This is not the way Republicans wanted to begin the year. Missouri’s Roy Blunt on Monday became the fifth Republican senator to announce he will not seek reelection, a retirement wave that portends an ugly campaign season next year and gives Democrats fresh hope in preserving their razor-thin Senate majority....
Smithsonian obtains vial from 1st U.S. covid vaccine doseVideo
WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has acquired the vial that contained the first dose of covid-19 vaccine administered in the United States as part of its plans to document the global pandemic and “this extraordinary period we were going through.” The acquisition, along with other materials...
Trial for ex-cop charged in Floyd’s death forges on, for now
MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death is forging ahead with jury selection, even though a looming appellate ruling could halt the case and delay it for weeks or even months as the state tries to add a third-degree murder count. Prosecutors...
Maui residents evacuated after officials feared dam breach
HONOLULU — Heavy rains prompted evacuations over fears that a dam might breach on the Hawaiian island of Maui and officials asked people to not to return to their homes on Tuesday because flood advisories were still in effect. Officials initially thought that the Kaupakalua Dam in the community of...
California and Florida took vastly different approaches to covid. Here’s how it turned out.
A year into the pandemic, California and Florida have become common points of contrast as Americans grapple with the horrific human and economic tolls of trying to control covid-19. Though the states took wildly different approaches to the pandemic, their rates of death from covid-19 differ as much as one...
2 giraffes found dead after barn blaze at Virginia zoo
VIENNA, Va. — Two giraffes were found dead Monday evening after firefighters battled a blaze at a Virginia zoo, officials said. A two-story barn at Roer’s Zoofari caught fire around 5:30 p.m. Monday night, news outlets reported. The two giraffes were found after the fire was extinguished. Fairfax County Fire...
Happy campers: More overnight camps to reopen this summer
PORTLAND, Maine — There are going to be more happy campers this summer as more camps choose to reopen despite the pandemic, providing millions more kids an opportunity to gather around a campfire. Most camp directors sat out last summer as the virus raged across the country, either because of...
Oak trees to rebuild Notre Dame’s spire are felled in forest
JUPILLES, France — In a former royal forest in France, four 200-year-old oaks are being felled for wood to reconstruct Notre Dame cathedral’s fallen spire. Last July, French president Emmanuel Macron ended speculation over the reconstruction plans, announcing that the iconic spire of the Paris monument would be rebuilt exactly...
Twitter sues Texas AG Ken Paxton, claiming retaliation for Trump ban
DALLAS — Twitter has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming the Republican used his office to retaliate against it for banning the account of former President Donald Trump following the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Days after the deadly January insurrection, Paxton announced an investigation into...
Report: Aggressive incident results in Biden’s dogs being sent back to Delaware
Joe Biden’s dogs just got a time out. Approximately 110 miles away. According to a report from CNN, the president’s German shepherds were sent back last week to Wilmington, Del., because of an aggressive incident at the White House. Major, the 3-year-old that was adopted by the Biden family in...
Georgia DA overseeing Trump investigation hires top RICO expert
An Atlanta civil litigator widely considered to be the state’s leading authority on racketeering and conspiracy law has joined the Fulton County district attorney’s office in an advisory capacity. John Floyd, who played a pivotal role in two of the biggest local trials of the past 20 years, will serve...
Spring-break partying falls victim to covid-19 crisis
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Goodbye, sunshine. Hello, study sessions. Colleges around the country are scaling back spring break or canceling it entirely to discourage partying that could spread the virus and raise infection rates back on campus. Texas A&M University opted for a three-day weekend instead of a whole week...
RNC maintains right to use Trump’s name in fundraising
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee is defending its right to use former President Donald Trump’s name in fundraising appeals after he demanded they put an end to the practice. In a Monday letter to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, RNC chief counsel J. Justin Riemer said the committee “has every...
Heads up: Some sea slugs grow new bodies after decapitationVideo
TOKYO — Scientists have discovered the ultimate case of regeneration: Some decapitated sea slugs can regrow hearts and whole new bodies. This “wonder of nature,” reported in a biology journal on Monday, could eventually help scientists better understand and tackle regeneration of human tissue. Biology researcher Sayaka Mitoh said she...
Emails: FBI was looking for gold at Pennsylvania dig site
Go for the gold? The U.S. government went for it. FBI agents were looking for an extremely valuable cache of fabled Civil War-era gold — possibly tons of it — when they excavated a remote woodland site in Pennsylvania three years ago this month, according to government emails and other...
Police on foot, horseback and by helicopter search for missing York County woman who vanished near trail
Officers on foot, horseback and by helicopter searched an area Monday in southern York County where a 29-year-old missing woman was last seen Saturday near a hiking trail. It represented the third day of searching for Nicole Ebaugh, who was reported missing about 7:45 p.m. Saturday. She was last spotted...
Gov. Wolf nominates Meadville OB-GYN to serve as Pa. physician general
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday nominated a Meadville doctor to serve as the state’s physician general — a potential permanent replacement for Dr. Rachel Levine, who previously served in both that role and as the state’s secretary of health. Dr. Denise Johnson, most recently chief medical officer at Meadville Medical...
FBI arrests 2, including Roger Stone bodyguard, in Capitol riotVideo
NEW YORK — Two men wanted in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol were arrested over the weekend, including one who reportedly served as a bodyguard to former President Donald Trump’s longtime political confidant Roger Stone, federal authorities said Monday. Roberto Minuta breached the Capitol grounds and “aggressively berated...
GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri won’t seek reelection in 2022Video
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri said Monday he will not seek reelection, making him the fifth Republican in the Senate to bow out rather than seek another term in a party searching for direction after President Donald Trump. Blunt, who turned 71 in January, was widely expected...
Security review recommends more authority for Capitol Police chief, D.C. National GuardVideo
WASHINGTON — As part of the review of Capitol security after the Jan. 6 attack, retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré and his task force are recommending a boost to the Capitol Police chief’s authority in times of crisis, the deployment of a mobile fencing option and an upgrade...
