Heat wave has U.S. South sweltering, from tornado-ravaged West Texas town to Florida beaches
Communities from Houston to New Orleans opened cooling centers to bring relief as steamy hot temperatures settled across a broad swath of the U.S. South on Saturday, and beachgoers fled a water spout that swept ashore on a Florida beach. Gov. Greg Abbott meanwhile visited Perryton in the Texas Panhandle,...
Collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to reopen within 2 weeks, governor says
PHILADELPHIA — The collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks, Pennsylvania’s governor said Saturday, after joining President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical stretch of highway closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend. “We are getting it done here in Philly,”...
Sudan officials say airstrike kills 17, including 5 children, in capital Khartoum
CAIRO — An airstrike in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday killed at least 17 people, including five children, health officials said, as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control the country. The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas of Khartoum and elsewhere in...
Biden urges tougher gun restrictions, 1 year after Uvalde, Texas, school massacre
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — President Joe Biden made a passionate call for tougher gun restrictions Friday, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the first significant piece of federal firearms legislation in nearly three decades but declaring it was only an “important first step.” He urged voters to defeat lawmakers who resist....
Ukrainian president urges African leaders to press Putin on release of political prisoners
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to a group of African leaders to ask his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to free political prisoners from Crimea and beyond — saying it could be an important part of their trip to Russia on Saturday. Seven African leaders — presidents of...
Greek coast guard defends actions as more than 500 migrants heading for Europe feared dead in wreck
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek coast guard on Friday defended its response to a ship that went down off the country’s south coast and left more than 500 migrants presumed drowned. Criticism mounted over Europe’s yearslong failure to prevent such tragedies. Patrol boats and a helicopter spent a third day...
Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked Pentagon Papers exposing Vietnam War secrets, dies at 92
NEW YORK — Daniel Ellsberg, the history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation, has died. He was 92. Ellsberg, who announced in February that...
In rare 3-3 decision, Iowa Supreme Court declines to reinstate law largely banning abortion
DES MOINES, Iowa — Abortion will remain legal in Iowa after the state’s high court declined Friday to reinstate a law that would have largely banned the procedure, rebuffing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and, for now, keeping the conservative state from joining others with strict abortion limits. In a rare...
After George Floyd’s killing, DOJ probe finds Minneapolis police show pattern of violating rights
MINNEAPOLIS — The Justice Department has found that Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discriminating against Black and Native American people following an investigation prompted by the killing of George Floyd. The sweeping two-year civil rights investigation concluded that systemic problems in the Minneapolis Police...
Pope Francis leaves Rome hospital 9 days after operation; surgeon says ‘he’s better than before’
ROME — Pope Francis was discharged Friday from the Rome hospital where he underwent abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and remove scarring from previous operations, with his surgeon saying the pontiff was “better than before” his nine-day hospitalization. Francis, 86, left through Gemelli Polyclinic’s main exit in a wheelchair,...
German police seek images in attack of Americans pushed down steep slope
BERLIN — Police in southern Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two women down a steep slope, killing one of them. A suspect was arrested following the attack. German news agency dpa quoted...
Cleanup begins after tornadoes hit in Texas and Florida, killing 4 and destroying homes
PERRYTON, Texas — Cleanup efforts were beginning Friday morning after severe storms spawned tornadoes that left at least four dead, three in the Texas Panhandle and one in the Florida Panhandle as another series of fierce storms carved its way through Southern states. In Perryton, Texas, Ochiltree County Sheriff Terry...
Las Vegas police arrest man they say threatened mass shooting at Stanley Cup game
LAS VEGAS — Less than four hours before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was set to begin Tuesday on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities in Nevada arrested a man they say threatened to carry out a mass shooting at the arena where the Golden Knights would capture their...
Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates
With roughly a year and a half until the 2024 presidential contest, the field of candidates is largely set. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the early Republican race as the other candidates look for an opening to take them on. President Joe Biden faces...
Guardsman indicted on charges of disclosing classified national defense information
WASHINGTON — The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents has been indicted on federal felony charges, the Justice Department said Thursday. Jack Teixeira faces six counts in the indictment of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. He was arrested in April on charges...
Florida deputy didn’t follow extensive training during Parkland school massacre, supervisor says
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former Florida sheriff’s deputy didn’t follow his extensive training on how to stop an active shooter when he didn’t confront the killer who murdered 17 people at a Parkland high school, a former training commander testified Thursday. Former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson had undergone...
Biden hosts Live Nation, SeatGeek and Airbnb execs to showcase push to end hidden ‘junk fees’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden highlighted progress in chipping away at so-called junk fees as a “win for consumers” Thursday, as he met at the White House with executives from Live Nation, Airbnb and other companies that have taken steps to embrace more transparent pricing. Biden prioritized the effort to...
Suspect in mass shooting at Colorado gay nightclub expected to take plea deal
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The suspect in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is expected to strike a plea deal to state murder and hate charges that would ensure at least a life sentence for the attack that killed five people and wounded 17, several survivors told...
Report: Boris Johnson deliberately misled U.K. Parliament over ‘partygate’
LONDON — A committee of U.K. lawmakers harshly rebuked former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday, saying he lied to Parliament about lockdown-flouting parties and was complicit in a campaign to intimidate those investigating his conduct during the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Commons Privileges Committee found Johnson’s actions...
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Native American child welfare law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved the system that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children, rejecting a broad attack from Republican-led states and white families who argued it is based on race. The court left in place the 1978...
Confidence in science fell in 2022 while political divides persisted, poll shows
NEW YORK — Confidence in the scientific community declined among U.S. adults in 2022, a major survey shows, driven by a partisan divide in views of both science and medicine that emerged during the covid-19 pandemic. Overall, 39% of U.S. adults said they had “a great deal of confidence” in...
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announces GOP presidential bid days after Trump’s indictment
MIAMI — Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, jumping into the crowded race just days after GOP front-runner Donald Trump appeared in court on federal charges in Suarez’s city. The 45-year-old mayor, the only Hispanic candidate in the race, declared his candidacy...
Retail sales rose 0.3% in May despite pressure from higher inflation, interest rates
NEW YORK — Americans increased their spending at retailers last month despite pressure from still-high inflation and rising borrowing costs. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that retail sales rose 0.3% from April to May, boosted by stronger sales of auto and parts dealers. Economists had been expecting a...
Man accused of sexual acts with dog in state park was Penn State professor
A State College man charged with indecent acts involving his dog in a state park was a professor at Penn State University, according to news sources. Themis Matsoukas, 64, faces charges of open lewdness, indecent exposure, sexual intercourse with an animal and animal cruelty after law enforcement officials said he...
North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles toward sea in protest of U.S.-South Korea military drills
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Thursday, the South Korean military said, in a resumption of its weapons testing activities to protest just-ended South Korean-U.S. live-fire drills, which it views as an invasion rehearsal. The North Korean launch is its...
