Mexico gas pipeline leak causes evacuation of 2,000
MEXICO CITY — A gas leak apparently caused by an illegal pipeline tap led authorities to evacuate about 2,000 people Friday in a rural community just north of Mexico City. The leak sent large plumes of gas billowing into the air and into the surrounding fields. The civil defense office...
3 arrested in killing of off-duty Los Angeles police officer
LOS ANGELES — Three suspects were arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer, officials said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti described those arrested as the “primary suspects responsible for the murder of Officer Juan Diaz” and said they were taken into custody in the...
FedEx to invest additional $450 million to modernize hub
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — FedEx Corp. is investing an additional $450 million to improve operations at its busy hub in Memphis, Tenn. The shipping giant’s announcement Friday at Memphis International Airport increases its investment toward modernizing its Memphis hub to about $1.5 billion. The company announced in March 2018 a $1.1...
2 Florida panthers killed by vehicles last week
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Two female Florida panthers, including one pregnant with two babies, have died after being hit by cars. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says an 11-month-old panther died last week in Lee County and 5-year-old panther died just a few days before that in Collier...
Freedom sought for U.S. teen jailed in Rome police slaying
ROME — A lawyer for one of two American teens jailed in the investigation of an Italian police officer’s slaying has petitioned for his client’s release. Francesco Petrelli said Friday he didn’t know when a tribunal would hear the appeal, filed a day earlier, on behalf of Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth,...
R. Kelly pleads not guilty to sexually abusing women, girls
NEW YORK — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges he sexually abused women and girls who attended his concerts. The 52-year-old Kelly was denied bail in a New York City courtroom packed with his supporters. He appeared sullen as prosecutors told Magistrate Judge Steven Tiscione...
Illinois state senator indicted on embezzlement charges
CHICAGO — An Illinois state senator has been indicted on federal charges that he took more than $250,000 in salary and benefits over a three-year period from the Teamsters while doing little or no work, prosecutors announced Friday. In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said Thomas...
Police investigating reported burglary of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’-owned business
EDGEWATER, Colo. — Police in Colorado are investigating a reported burglary of a business owned by “Dog the Bounty Hunter” reality TV star Duane “Dog” Chapman. Police in the Denver suburb of Edgewater say a passer-by early Tuesday discovered a broken glass door of a business that stocks merchandise that’s...
Video: Shark sinks teeth into charter captain aboard boat in Outer BanksVideo
A charter boat captain was helping an angler land a blacktip shark on the deck when the fish bit into his leg and wouldn’t let go. Rick Caton’s group was having great luck with Spanish mackerel and bluefish on Tuesday when they headed toward a school of blacktip and sharpnose...
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings says he scared away home intruder; Trump tweets ‘Too bad!’
BALTIMORE — U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings provided details Friday of a break-in at his Baltimore home last weekend, saying he scared the intruder away by yelling. President Donald Trump alluded to the incident with a new tweet Friday morning: “Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed....
China threatens retaliation for Trump’s planned tariff hike
BEIJING — China on Friday threatened retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned tariff hikes go ahead, while the renewed acrimony between the two biggest global economies sent stock markets tumbling. China’s government accused Trump of violating his June agreement with President Xi Jinping to revive negotiations aimed at ending...
Endangered list sought for firefly with double-green flash
BETHANY BEACH, Del. — Peering through the darkness under the faint light of a peach-colored moon, wildlife biologist Jason Davis spots a telltale green flash in the bushes. Quick as a flash himself, Davis arcs a long-handled mesh net through the humid coastal air, ensnaring his tiny target. Ignoring the...
Robert F. Kennedy’s granddaughter Saoirse Hill dies at 22
A granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 while running for president, has died. Saoirse Kennedy Hill was 22. The Kennedy family confirmed the death in a statement Thursday night following reports that a person had been found unresponsive that day at the storied Kennedy compound in...
Police: Electric scooter rider fatally hit by car in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Another electric scooter rider has been fatally hit by a vehicle in Atlanta, the third such death since the e-scooters arrived in the city last year. News outlets report Atlanta police say 34-year-old Amber Ford died Thursday after being hit by a car over the weekend. A witness...
Trump declares he will rid U.S. of AIDS and cure pediatric cancer ‘very shortly’
President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will put an end to two deadly diseases for Americans. “The things we’re doing in our country today, there’s never been anything like it. We will be ending the AIDS epidemic shortly in America and curing childhood cancer very shortly,” he said...
Eddie Bauer, Disney infant sleepers recalled
Two more models of inclined infant sleepers have been recalled because of safety concerns. Dorel Juvenile Group USA has recalled about 24,000 0f its Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Bassinet and its Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet sleepers in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While no injuries...
Texas Rep. Will Hurd, lone black House Republican, won’t run again
SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, an ex-CIA undercover officer and the lone black Republican in the House of Representatives, says he won’t seek a third term next year. The San Antonio Republican’s announcement came in a statement Thursday posted on his House web page. He’s the third Texas...
Philadelphia officials declare health emergency over Hepatitis A outbreak
Philadelphia health officials have declared an emergency over an outbreak of Hepatitis A in the city that has affected 154 people since January, and are calling for health providers to increase vaccinations to combat the liver disease. Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that spreads through oral contact with...
California honeybees are still declining. Trump administration says it can’t afford to study it
WASHINGTON — It’s the last federal report on honeybee populations we’ll see — at least for a while — and the numbers for California show the number of colonies are still decreasing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in July that it would no longer be funding a nationwide annual...
Senate panel advances asylum bill over Democratic objectionsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved Sen. Lindsey Graham’s asylum overhaul bill, which aims to stanch the flow of migrants to the southwest border. But the 12-10 vote came amid loud protests from Democrats that the legislation was hastily pushed through. Democrats said Graham, the committee chairman,...
Justice Department declines to prosecute James Comey over memosVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has declined to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey over his handling of a series of memos he wrote that documented personal interactions with President Trump, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. The memos, some of which Justice Department officials later determined contained...
Al-Qaida is as strong as ever after rebuilding itself, U.S. says
WASHINGTON — Al-Qaida and its affiliates remain as much of a threat to the U.S. as “it has ever been” after the terrorist group rebuilt itself while the U.S. and other nations focused on destroying Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a State Department official said Thursday. “Al-Qaida has been...
Delay in grand jury action in death of twins left in car
NEW YORK — Prosecutors need more time to investigate the heatstroke deaths of twin 1-year-olds left in a parked car before deciding whether to proceed with charges against the children’s father, a New York City judge was told on Thursday. An assistant Bronx district attorney said at a court hearing...
Senate approves two-year, $2.7 trillion government spending bill
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved a $2.7 trillion spending agreement negotiated between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House, sending the deal to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. The bill passed 67-28. It was approved with more Democratic votes than Republican, a potential embarrassment for the...
Vexed with minority status and rancor, GOP lawmakers retire
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are suffering an early exodus ahead of next year’s elections, hampering their uphill prospects for recapturing control from Democrats as lawmakers chafe under life in the minority, today’s razor-edged partisanship and the tweets and tantrums of President Trump. Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, this week became the...
