Desperate search for survivors in Cuba hotel blast; 26 dead
Relatives of the missing in Cuba’s capital desperately searched Saturday for victims of an explosion at one of Havana’s most luxurious hotels that killed at least 26 people. They checked the morgue, hospitals and if unsuccessful, they returned to the partially collapsed Hotel Saratoga, where rescuers used dogs to hunt...
Tesla covers travel costs for workers seeking abortions
Tesla is covering travel costs for employees seeking out-of-state abortions, joining the ranks of major companies who’ve introduced a similar policy to benefit workers affected by new restrictions in the past few months. The company said in its 2021 ” Impact Report ” released Friday that it expanded its Safety...
New effort races to rescue civilians from Mariupol plant
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — A new international effort raced Friday to rescue more civilians from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol and the city at large, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow’s complete takeover of the strategic port....
Russia says it has no nuclear intentions for Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, a day after Moscow’s top diplomat in the U.S. chided Western officials for targeting it with “baseless” accusations. “Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors...
Jill Biden to meet Ukrainian refugees during border visit
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania — For weeks, first lady Jill Biden has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of “parents weeping over their children’s broken bodies in the streets,” as she said in a recent speech. Now Biden is using her...
Pelosi sets $45,000 minimum yearly salary for House aides
WASHINGTON — Addressing concerns about the working conditions for some Capitol Hill aides, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Friday a $45,000 minimum annual salary for House staff and teed up for a vote next week a resolution that would pave the way for aides to join a union. While jobs...
U.S. added 428,000 jobs in April despite surging inflation
WASHINGTON — America’s employers added 428,000 jobs in April, extending a streak of solid hiring that has defied punishing inflation, chronic supply shortages, the Russian war against Ukraine and much higher borrowing costs. Friday’s jobs report from the Labor Department showed that last month’s hiring kept the unemployment rate at...
Daunte Wright’s mother detained after recording traffic stop
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — The mother of Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by a suburban Minneapolis police officer, said she was injured while she was briefly detained by one of the same department’s officers after she stopped to record an arrest of a person during a traffic stop. Katie...
Morning jolt? Swiss find cocaine stash amid coffee bean bags
GENEVA — Swiss police say an investigation is underway after workers at a Nespresso factory in western Switzerland found over 1,100 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of $50 million, as they unloaded coffee beans that had arrived by train. Regional police in Fribourg said late Thursday they were...
FDA limits use of Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine over blood clot risks, agency says
The use of Johnson and Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine, also known as Janssen, has been limited to “certain individuals” over rare blood clot risks, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. It’s now limited to those 18 and older “for whom other authorized or approved covid-19 vaccines are not accessible or...
Florida deputy runs over beachgoer lying on sand
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A sheriff deputy ran over a beachgoer who was lying on the sand in a Florida beach as he was trying to drive away to check on a 911 hangup call. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says the call came as Deputy Todd Brien was...
Central Indiana man charged with murder wins primary election
LEBANON, Ind. — A central Indiana man charged with murder in connection with the March death of his wife won his township board primary election this week. Andrew Wilhoite, 40, of Lebanon received 60 of the 276 total votes for Republicans for three positions on the Clinton Township Board, Boone...
Postmaster general: Get used to ‘uncomfortable’ rate hikes
WASHINGTON — Americans should get used to “uncomfortable” postage rate increases in coming years as the U.S. Postal Service seeks to become self-sufficient, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Thursday. The Postal Service Board of Governors sets postage rates, but DeJoy said he’ll advocate for raising prices until “we have accomplished...
Louisiana lawyer: Abortion bill could subject women to homicide charge
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana House committee voted to make abortion a crime of homicide for which a woman ending her pregnancy could be charged, along with anyone helping her. The bill also declares that any federal law, regulation or court ruling that allows abortion is void and that any...
Karine Jean-Pierre to be next White House press secretaryVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, with incumbent Jen Psaki set to leave the role next week. Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White...
Bird flu takes unheard-of toll on bald eagles, other birds
OMAHA, Neb. — Bird flu is killing an alarming number of bald eagles and other wild birds, with many sick birds arriving at rehabilitation centers unsteady on their talons and unable to fly. “It’s quite a sight to see an eagle with a six-foot wingspan having uncontrollable seizures because of...
Pa. not short on proposed laws concerning abortion
HARRISBURG — At least 18 bills directly relating to abortion are pending in either the Pennsylvania House or Senate, including two proposed constitutional amendments that could strengthen potential bans. Most remain dormant in committee since being introduced in the 2021-22 legislative session, however, the outcome of the Mississippi abortion case...
Senate to vote next week on protecting abortion rights
WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote next week on legislation that would codify abortion rights into federal law as Democrats mount their response to the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. The procedural vote, scheduled for Wednesday, will mostly be symbolic and...
Once conflicted, Biden embraces role as abortion defender
WASHINGTON — Soon after being elected to the U.S. Senate, Joe Biden was pulled aside by a Democratic colleague who wanted to know how he was going to vote on abortion. Biden explained that while he was personally opposed to abortion and would resist federal funding for the procedure, he...
Death toll rises to 26 in central China building collapse
BEIJING — The death toll jumped Thursday to 26 from the collapse last week of a residential and commercial building in central China, state media reported. Ten other people have been rescued from the wreckage in the city of Changsha, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The 10th survivor, an...
Walgreens, Florida settle opioid costs lawsuit for $683M
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Walgreens pharmacy chain has reached a $683 million settlement with the state of Florida in a lawsuit accusing the company of improperly dispensing millions of painkillers that contributed to the opioid crisis, state officials said Thursday. State Attorney General Ashley Moody said the deal was...
Next battle over access to abortion will focus on pills
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — It took two trips over state lines, navigating icy roads and a patchwork of state laws, for a 32-year-old South Dakota woman to get abortion pills last year. For abortion-seekers like her, such journeys, along with pills sent through the mail, will grow in importance if...
President declares disaster in New Mexico wildfire zone
LAS VEGAS — Firefighters slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the U.S. as heavy winds relented Wednesday, while President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of New Mexico devastated by fire since early April. U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez announced...
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
More than 2,200 dams built upstream from homes or communities are in poor condition across the U.S., likely endangering lives if they were to fail, according to an Associated Press analysis. The number of high-hazard dams in need of repairs is up substantially from a similar AP review conducted just...
WHO reports nearly 15M deaths associated with covid
LONDON — The World Health Organization is estimating that nearly 15 million people were killed either by the coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of 6 million. Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia,...
