Indonesia landslide death toll hits 30; dozens still missing
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rescue workers recovered more bodies buried under tons of mud following a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 30, officials said Thursday. The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills on Monday, burying 30...
Russian missile barrage slams into cities across Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed “a massive rocket attack” that hit critical infrastructure and residential buildings in 10 regions of Ukraine, the country’s president said Thursday, with officials reporting at least six deaths in the largest such nighttime attack in three weeks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the barrage that came...
Friend warned police Americans feared missing in Mexico
LAKE CITY, S.C. — The frantic effort to rescue four Americans taken captive in Mexico in a kidnapping that left two dead came after a woman traveling with the group contacted police when they did not return to the U.S. side as expected. Cheryl Orange, who did not cross into...
Norfolk Southern CEO ‘sorry,’ but avoids specifics at Senate hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern’s CEO earnestly apologized before Congress on Thursday for last month’s fiery hazardous materials train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and pledged millions of dollars to help the local town recover. But he stopped short of fully endorsing tougher safety regulations or specific commitments to pay for...
Jaded with education, more Americans are skipping college
JACKSON, Tenn. — When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability...
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized after tripping at a local hotel, a spokesman for the senator said. The Kentucky senator, who’s 81, was attending a private dinner in Washington on Wednesday when he tripped. He was admitted to a hospital for treatment, spokesman Doug Andres said....
A hearing on covid’s origins spurs call for rules to curb risky virus researchVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s top infectious disease official urged lawmakers during a hearing on the origins of the covid-19 pandemic to ban research that enhances a pathogen’s ability to spread or cause disease. Robert Redfield, who served as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at...
Attorneys deliver opening statements in sexual assault trial of suspended Somerset County DA
SOMERSET — Attorneys on both sides of suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas’ sexual assault case delivered opening statements Wednesday about the night of Sept. 19, 2021. Prosecutors said Thomas pursued a Windber woman for months with inappropriate texts before walking into her apartment in September 2021, biting her...
JPMorgan sues former executive over Jeffrey Epstein relationship
NEW YORK — JPMorgan Chase sued its former executive Jes Staley on Wednesday, alleging that he aided in hiding Jeffrey Epstein’s yearslong sex abuse and trafficking in order to keep the financier as a client. The New York bank seeks to hold Staley personally liable for any financial penalties that...
Oldest reference to Odin discovered in Danish treasure
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Scandinavian scientists say they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020. Lisbeth Imer, a runologist with the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represents solid evidence of Odin being worshipped as...
Report: 6-year-old won’t be charged after shooting Virginia teacher
RICHMOND — Authorities in the Virginia city where a 6-year-old shot and wounded his teacher will not seek criminal charges against the child, the local prosecutor told NBC News on Wednesday, in a decision that was anticipated by legal experts. But Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said his office...
Prescription weight loss drugs: What to know
WeightWatchers’ acquisition of a telehealth company is just the latest commercial push into the market for a new generation of medications that promise significant weight loss. WeightWatchers will introduce its 3.5 million members to drugs that have been touted on social media by celebrities. These injected medications mimic the action...
Jill Biden calls on men to support women fighting for rights
WASHINGTON — Jill Biden on Wednesday praised a group of women from around the world, including those who have been protesting against Iran’s leaders, for showing courage while fighting for their rights and called on men to “be partners” with women and support them in their cause. “As much as...
3 injured from fiery train derailment caused by rockslide in West Virginia
SANDSTONE, W.Va. — An empty coal train hit a rockslide along tracks Wednesday morning in West Virginia, causing a fiery derailment that injured three crewmembers, CSX Transportation said in a statement. Four locomotives and 22 empty cars derailed in Summers County near the New River, CSX said. The lead locomotive,...
Tucker Carlson’s scorn for Trump revealed in court papersVideo
NEW YORK — A defamation lawsuit is revealing scornful behind-the-scenes opinions by Fox News figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message declaring, “I hate him passionately.” Carlson’s private text comments were revealed in court papers at virtually the same time the former president was hailing the Fox...
After Breonna Taylor shooting, feds find police discriminationVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Wednesday. A Justice Department report found...
Advocacy group says higher ed funding in Shapiro’s proposed budget shows ‘appalling neglect’
A Pennsylvania group that advocates for public education says it is “deeply disappointed and concerned” by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed funding support for state-owned universities in his first proposed state budget. Shapiro’s 2% increase includes neither the funding that system leaders sought to freeze tuition for a fifth straight year...
Railroads propose safety reforms after fiery Ohio derailment
OMAHA, Neb. — The major freight railroads announced a number of steps Wednesday that they are taking to improve safety in the wake of last month’s fiery Ohio derailment, but it’s not clear if their actions will be enough to satisfy regulators and members of Congress who are pushing for...
Americans found quickly, but Mexico’s missing remain lost
MEXICO CITY — When four Americans were kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros, authorities rescued the survivors within days, but thousands of Mexicans remain missing in the state long associated with cartel violence — some in cases dating back more than a decade. Mexican authorities quickly blamed the local...
Pa. lawmaker Mike Zabel quits amid sex harassment allegations
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, a week after a union lobbyist accused him by name of having sexually harassed her four years ago. Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County said in the letter to Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton that his resignation will take...
Russian forces claim progress in Bakhmut but no end in sight
KYIV, Ukraine — The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, but it remained unclear how long the grinding fight might go on. Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr...
FTC probes Twitter data practices after Elon Musk’s layoffs
WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Elon Musk’s mass layoffs at Twitter and trying to obtain his internal communications as part of ongoing oversight into the social media company’s privacy and cybersecurity practices, according to documents described in a congressional report. The FTC has been watching the company...
Medical tourism: Traveling outside U.S. for care is common
The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico highlights a common practice for many people in the U.S.: traveling to other countries for medical care that either is not available at home or costs a lot less. The four were abducted — leading to the deaths of two — during...
Women’s Day events highlight gaps in gender equality
MADRID — Demonstrations, conferences and artistic events around the world Wednesday marked International Women’s Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet’s population. While activists in some parts of the planet noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran...
January U.S. job openings dip, but still high at 10.8 million
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers posted 10.8 million job openings in January, indicating the American job market continues to run too hot for the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve. Job openings fell from 11.2 million in December but remained high by historical standards, the Labor Department reported Wednesday, but layoffs...
