Soviet-era monument’s iconic obelisk comes down in Latvia
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A concrete obelisk with Soviet stars at the top that was the centerpiece of a monument commemorating the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany was taken down Thursday in Latvia’s capital. Heavy machinery was spotted behind a green privacy screen fence at the foot of the nearly...
Ukrainian nuke plant near fighting cut off from power grid
NIKOPOL, Ukraine — Ukrainians are once again anxious about the fate of a nuclear power plant in a land that was home to the world’s worst atomic accident in 1986 at Chernobyl — and alarm only increased Thursday when the plant operator said the facility has been cut off from...
WHO says monkeypox cases down 21%, reversing month-long increase
GENEVA — The number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections and signaling that Europe’s outbreak may be starting to decline, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The U.N. health agency reported 5,907 new weekly cases and said two...
FBI: 5 militia members charged with storming Capitol
Five Florida men affiliated with a militia group called “B Squad” have been arrested on charges that they joined a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, disrupting Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, federal authorities said Wednesday. “B Squad” members stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,...
Uvalde school board fires police chief after mass shooting
UVALDE, Texas — The Uvalde school district’s embattled police chief was fired Wednesday following allegations that he made several critical mistakes during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. In a unanimous vote, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s board of trustees...
Kobe Bryant widow awarded $16M in trial over crash photos
LOS ANGELES — A federal jury found Wednesday that Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow $16 million for emotional distress caused by deputies and firefighters sharing photos of the bodies of the NBA star and his daughter taken at the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed...
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers sue for over $878K in fees
DENVER — A law firm that helped defend Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite convicted of helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, is suing her, her brother and husband, saying it was never paid for more than $878,000 for its work. Denver-based Haddon, Morgan and Foreman alleged in a...
Ex-Alabama legislator accused of groping restaurant hostess
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A former Alabama legislator who campaigned in the state for former President Donald Trump is accused of grabbing a restaurant hostess from behind and groping her before she was able to break free. Perry Hooper Jr., 67, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Aug. 16 incident...
Study: Pfizer covid pill showed no benefit in younger adults
WASHINGTON — Pfizer’s covid-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. The results from a 109,000-patient Israeli study are likely to renew questions about the U.S. government’s...
Panel: Trump staffers pushed unproven covid treatment at FDA
WASHINGTON — Officials in the Trump White House tried to pressure U.S. health experts into reauthorizing a discredited covid-19 treatment, according to a congressional investigation that provides new evidence of that administration’s efforts to override Food and Drug Administration decisions early in the pandemic. The report Wednesday by the Democratic-led...
Memo sheds light on decision to clear Trump in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials who evaluated then-President Donald Trump’s actions during the Russia investigation concluded that nothing he did, including firing the FBI director, rose to the level of obstruction of justice and that there was no precedent for a prosecution, according to a memo released Wednesday. The nine-page...
2 dead, 3 hurt in shooting in front of D.C. senior residenceVideo
WASHINGTON — Police said two people were killed and three others injured Wednesday in a shooting in front of a senior citizens center and near several schools in the nation’s capital. The Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday’s shooting happened in the Truxton Circle neighborhood of Washington in front of a...
Pennsylvania’s poll worker recruitment effort drew 1,100 last week
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania elections officials said Wednesday that a push last week to recruit new poll workers produced more than 1,100 applicants, including at least one in 58 of 67 counties. The effort tied to Help America Vote Day, organized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, brought in the most...
22 reported killed in Independence Day attack in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces Wednesday launched a rocket attack on a Ukrainian train station on the embattled country’s Independence Day, killing 22 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after warning for days that Moscow might attempt “something particularly cruel” this week. The lethal attack took place in Chaplyne, a town...
UPMC profits, investment income drop in 1st half of the year
Hospitals across the country, including local health care giant UPMC, reported massive earnings in 2021, but those large profits appear to be slowing down significantly in 2022 thanks to increased operating costs and losses from investment activities. UPMC reported $82 million in operating income — revenue minus operating expenses —...
Jill Biden has ‘rebound’ covid case, president negative
WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for covid-19 again in an apparent “rebound” case, after she initially tested negative for the virus over the weekend. President Joe Biden, three days with his wife at their Rehoboth Beach, Del. vacation home, continues to test negative, the White House...
‘Magic mushroom’ psychedelic may help heavy drinkers quit
The compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely in the most rigorous test of psilocybin for alcoholism. More research is needed to see if the effect lasts and whether it works in a larger study. Many who took a dummy drug instead of psilocybin also...
Biden’s student loan plan: What we know — and don’t
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that many Americans can have up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiven. That amount increases to $20,000 if they qualified for Pell grants. Here’s what we know so far and what it means for people with outstanding student loans: Who...
17-year-old pilot sets record for solo flight around world
A 17-year-old pilot became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small aircraft after he landed on Wednesday in Bulgaria, where his journey kicked off five months ago. Mack Rutherford, a Belgian-British dual national, landed on an airstrip west of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, to complete his...
Biden announces big student loan forgiveness planVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment...
U.S. says airstrikes in Syria intended to send message to Iran
WASHINGTON — U.S. military airstrikes in eastern Syria were a message to Iran and Tehran-backed militias that targeted American troops this month and several other times over the past year, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters that the U.S. airstrikes overnight on...
Uvalde school board to consider firing district police chief
AUSTIN, Texas — Uvalde’s embattled school police chief on Wednesday could become the first officer to lose his job over the hesitant response by hundreds of heavily armed law enforcement personnel during the May massacre at Robb Elementary School. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District was set to make a...
Finland’s leader apologizes for party photo at summer home
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Finland’s prime minister apologized after the publication of a photo that showed two women kissing and posing topless at the official summer residence of the country’s leader. The photo came out after a video that showed Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing and singing with friends prompted a...
Nadler defeats Maloney in battle of top House Democrats
NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, who twice led fights to impeach former President Donald Trump, defeated U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney in a Democratic primary Tuesday after a court forced the two veteran lawmakers into the same New York City congressional district. Nadler’s victory ends a 30-year run in...
U.S. to send $3 billion in aid to Ukraine as war hits 6 months
WASHINGTON — As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, U.S. security assistance is shifting to a longer-term campaign that will likely keep more American military troops in Europe into the future, including imminent plans to announce an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces to...
