Worker who survived New Orleans hotel collapse deported
NEW ORLEANS — A construction worker hurt in last month’s collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans has been deported to his native Honduras. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox said Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma, 38, was flown to Honduras from Alexandria International...
Dutch police: 3 people wounded in Hague stabbing
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An assailant stabbed three people Friday night in a busy shopping district in the Netherlands, and police were searching for the suspect, authorities said. The attack came just hours after a man wearing a fake explosive vest stabbed several people in London, killing two, before he...
Powerful storm threatens to disrupt busiest travel weekend
A powerful storm stretching from California to New England is threatening major disruptions during the year’s busiest travel weekend. Forecasters have warned that snow and ice could thwart millions of people hoping to get home after Thanksgiving. The storm has already shut down highways, stranding drivers in California and prompting...
Patients sue Indiana hospital over possible disease exposure
GOSHEN, Ind. — More than 1,000 surgical patients are suing a northern Indiana hospital after being notified that a sterilization failure could have exposed them to deadly infections. The Elkhart Truth reports the class-action suit was filed last week in Elkhart County Court against Goshen Hospital on behalf of patient...
Evacuation order lifted as huge Texas plant fire ‘contained’
AUSTIN, Texas — Officials lifted evacuation orders Friday for around 50,000 people on the Texas Gulf Coast, determining a massive fire was finally under control at a chemical plant rocked by two major explosions three days earlier. “We are in a position to say it’s contained. We feel comfortable with...
4 children killed in Thanksgiving Day crash in Kansas
BELLEVILLE, Kan. — Authorities say four children have been killed in a Thanksgiving Day crash. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said in a tweet that the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. when a vehicle went off the side of a road and into a pond in Republic County, near...
Chicago officer investigated for body-slamming man to ground
CHICAGO — Chicago police say an officer is being investigated for body-slamming a man who spat in his face. Police say the 29-year-old man was hospitalized following the incident Thursday afternoon. The 32-year-old officer also went to a hospital for evaluation. Police say the officer approached the man for drinking...
10 animals killed in barn fire at Ohio wildlife parkVideo
PORT CLINTON, Ohio — At least 10 animals were killed in a barn fire that erupted at an Ohio wildlife park, officials said. The blaze began about 6:15 p.m. Thursday at the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton. Three bongos, three giraffes, three red river hogs and a springbok...
Police: Woman arrested for firing gun into KFC drive-thru
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Police say a Georgia woman fired a gun into a KFC after learning her order lacked napkins and a fork. News outlets report 33-year-old Jonelle Jade Dare was arrested Tuesday in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on an outstanding warrant from Shelbyville, Kent., where’s she’s accused of shooting...
Global climate protests ahead of Madrid meeting
BERLIN — Protesters in cities across the world staged rallies Friday demanding leaders take tougher action against climate change, days before the latest global conference, which this year takes place in Madrid. The rallies kicked off in Australia, where people affected by recent devastating wildfires joined young environmentalists protesting against...
Hong Kong protesters seek British support; campus siege endsVideo
HONG KONG — Hundreds of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists rallied Friday outside the British Consulate, urging the city’s former colonial ruler to emulate the United States and take concrete actions to support their cause, as police ended a blockade of a university campus after 12 days. Waving British flags, the...
2 killed in London stabbings; police fatally shoot suspect
LONDON — A man wearing a fake explosive vest stabbed several people Friday in London, killing two in what police are treating as a terrorist attack before being tackled by members of the public and then fatally shot by officers on London Bridge, officials said. Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick...
Iraq’s PM announces he’ll resign amid worsening crisisVideo
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister said Friday he would submit his resignation to parliament, a day after more than 40 people were killed by security forces and following calls by Iraq’s top Shiite cleric for lawmakers to withdraw support. The move by Adel Abdul-Mahdi 13 months after he took over...
Liberal group’s ads assail Federalist Society over Trump’s court picks
WASHINGTON — A liberal activist group is launching a digital ad campaign targeting the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization that has championed judges appointed by President Trump, such as Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. The ads, to appear on LinkedIn and Facebook, assail major law firms...
Trump in Afghanistan for surprise Thanksgiving visit
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — President Donald Trump paid a surprise Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, where he announced the United States and Taliban have been engaged in ongoing peace talks and said he believes the Taliban wants a ceasefire. In his first trip to the site of America’s longest war,...
New Mexico utility stands by plan to close coal-fired plant
FARMINGTON, N.M. — New Mexico’s largest electric provider says continued operation of a coal-fired power plant using carbon-capture technology wouldn’t be in the best interest of utility customers. Public Service Co. of New Mexico made the declaration in testimony filed with state regulators who are weighing the pending closure of...
Dutch prosecutors charge isolated farm father with sex abuse
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch father accused of holding six of his children against their will on an isolated farm for nine years is now also suspected of sexually abusing two of his other children, prosecutors said Thursday. The abuse allegations add a grim new element to a case...
27 Iraqi protesters shot dead in 24 hours, violence spiralsVideo
BAGHDAD — Security forces in Iraq shot dead 27 anti-government protesters in a 24-hour period, amid spiraling violence in the capital and the country’s south, as Iran condemned the burning of its consulate. Security forces Thursday fired live ammunition, killing four protesters and wounding 22 on the strategic Ahrar Bridge...
Fired Navy Secretary Spencer criticizes Trump in SEAL caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Richard Spencer, who was fired as Navy secretary for his handling of a SEAL war crimes case championed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the commander in chief “has very little understanding” of how the American military works. The extraordinary accusation came in an opinion piece published on...
Man pleads guilty to scam that cost victims more than $550K
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — A northwest Iowa man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting that his scheme caused about 30 people to lose more than $550,000. Authorities say 61-year-old Lon Friedrichsen entered the plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. His sentencing has not been scheduled. Court...
U.S. to pay less into NATO budget as Macron urges deep talks
PARIS — NATO leaders must stop bickering over defense spending and have a deep discussion about the future of the military alliance and how ties with Russia can be improved at a summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday. Macron’s call for intensive talks on how to shore up security...
Facebook, Instagram go down on Thanksgiving morning
Facebook and Instagram went down for several hours Thursday morning. Service to both appeared to have been restored just before noon. As of noon, there was no word on the company’s Twitter feed as to what the issue might have been. According to Down Detector, the social media platforms’ blackout...
Balloons fly as a breezy Macy’s Thanksgiving parade startsVideo
NEW YORK — The beloved balloons were flying, if lower than usual, as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began after an anxious weather watch Thursday morning. Astronaut Snoopy, a new version of a longtime parade favorite, was among the giant inflated characters leading the lineup. Parade officials and the New...
Winter storm threatens to scramble Thanksgiving travel plansVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — A day after bringing havoc to the Rocky Mountains, a powerful winter storm rolled across the Midwest on Wednesday, threatening to scramble Thanksgiving plans for millions of people during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm, which was blamed for one death and hundreds...
Evacuation orders ended as rain douses California wildfire
GOLETA, Calif. — A strong storm moved into Southern California on Wednesday, almost completely dousing a wildfire that had threatened thousands of homes but briefly raising the threat of debris flows from barren slopes. Residents in and below the fire area on the south Santa Barbara County coast were issued...
