Stocks jump, oil drops in latest dizzying swing for markets
NEW YORK — Stocks rallied and oil prices fell sharply Wednesday as the big swings shaking global markets go in both directions amid uncertainty about the war in Ukraine. The S&P 500 was 2.9% higher in afternoon trading, following a four-day losing streak that had pulled it 13% below its...
SPLC report: Hate groups in decline as views hit mainstream
The number of white nationalist, neo-Nazi and anti-government extremist groups across the U.S. fell for a third straight year in 2021, even as some groups were reinvigorated by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year and by the ongoing culture wars over the pandemic and school curriculums....
Texas loses appeal over investigation of trans teen’s family
A Texas court on Wednesday tossed out the state’s appeal of an order preventing child welfare officials from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager over gender-confirming care the youth received. The Texas Court of Appeals dismissed Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s appeal of the temporary order a judge issued...
Colorado elections clerk indicted in voting system breach
DENVER — A grand jury in Colorado has indicted a county election clerk who sowed doubt about the 2020 presidential election, alleging she was part of a “deceptive scheme” to breach voting system technology that is used across the country. Tina Peters, a Republican elected in 2018 to oversee elections...
U.S. man who got 1st pig heart transplant dies after 2 months
The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, two months after the groundbreaking experiment, the Maryland hospital that performed the surgery announced Wednesday. David Bennett, 57, died Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors didn’t give an exact cause of death, saying only...
Cowboys for Trump co-founder won’t seek reelection
SANTA FE, N.M. — Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin said Tuesday that he won’t run for reelection to southern New Mexico’s Otero County commission or seek other public office in the 2022 election cycle. As a crucial registration deadline passed, Griffin said he has lost faith in the political...
Prosecutor: Men planned to ‘hog-tie’ Michigan Gov. Whitmer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that the four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 recruited a militia and planned to break into the Democrat’s home, tie her up and take her away. The men also planned to blow up a...
4 dead when SUV hits freight train in suburban Chicago
HARVEY, Ill. — Four people died early Wednesday in a south Chicago suburb when an SUV hit a moving freight train at a crossing and caught fire, an official said. The Dodge Durango struck the CSX train about 2 a.m. at a crossing on the east side of Harvey, a...
White House: Venezuela has freed 2 detained Americans
WASHINGTON — The Venezuelan government has freed two jailed Americans, including an oil executive imprisoned alongside colleagues for more than four years, as it seeks to improve relations with the Biden administration amid Russia’s war with Ukraine, the White House announced Tuesday night. Gustavo Cardenas was released following a secret...
BMW recalls vehicles for 3rd time due to engine fire risk
DETROIT — BMW is recalling more than 917,000 older cars and SUVs in the U.S. — most for a third time — to fix a problem that can cause engine compartment fires. The recall covers many 3 Series, 5 Series, 1 Series, X5, X3, and Z4 vehicles from the 2006...
VP Harris heads to Poland amid turbulence over jets for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Warsaw to thank Poland for taking in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion took an unexpected turn before she even left Washington. She’ll be parachuting into the middle of unexpected diplomatic turbulence over fighter jets. The Polish government on Tuesday...
Antarctic explorer Shackleton’s ship found after a century
LONDON — Scientists say they have found the sunken wreck of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, more than a century after it was lost to the Antarctic ice. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust says the vessel lies 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) below the surface of the Weddell Sea, about...
Philippines to proceed with deal to buy Russian helicopters
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government will proceed with a deal to purchase 17 military transport helicopters from Russia that was signed and partially paid for before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the defense chief said Wednesday. The $249 million contract to acquire Mi-17 helicopters was signed in November and...
Israel’s president travels to Turkey as countries heal rift
ANKARA, Turkey — Israeli President Isaac Herzog travels to Turkey on Wednesday, becoming the first leader from Israel to visit in 14 years as the two countries move to turn a new page in their troubled relationship. Herzog is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in...
Airstrike hits Ukraine maternity hospital, 17 reported hurt
MARIUPOL, Ukraine — A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow’s invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn. Ukrainian officials said the attack wounded at least 17 people. The ground shook...
Congress passes bill to shore up Postal Service, delivery
WASHINGTON — Congress on Tuesday passed legislation that would shore up the U.S. Postal Service and ensure six-day-a-week mail delivery, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The long-fought postal overhaul has been years in the making and comes amid widespread complaints about mail service slowdowns....
Hawaii to lift last U.S. state mask mandate by March 26
HONOLULU — The last statewide mask mandate in the U.S. will be lifted by March 26, Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday. No states will require masks indoors after 11:59 p.m. March 25. Hawaii is the last to drop the pandemic safety measure, with Oregon’s and Washington state’s indoor mask...
Ukraine war highlights internal divides in Mideast nations
BAGHDAD — In a neighborhood of Iraq’s capital, a gigantic poster of Vladimir Putin with the words, “We support Russia,” was up for few hours before a security force arrived and hurriedly took it down. Then came the security directive: All public displays of Putin’s pictures shall be banned. In...
Photo gallery: Tulips, hugs for Ukrainian refugees on women’s holiday
The mouth of a harried woman who has just fled war-battered Ukraine curves up in a tentative smile when a Romanian immigrations officer hands her a purple tulip he has plucked from a bouquet. A glimmer of hope and gratitude appear on the face of another woman as she clutches...
Jury picked for Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A jury was selected Tuesday for the trial of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, extraordinary allegations of violence planned against an elected official that led the presiding judge to advise: “This isn’t your average criminal case.” Opening statements...
As war in Ukraine intensifies, U.S. gasoline hits record $4.17
The average price of gasoline in the U.S. hit a record $4.17 per gallon Tuesday as the country banned Russian oil imports after its invasion of Ukraine. The national average rose by 10 cents per gallon in one day, and it’s up 55 cents since last week, according to AAA...
Proud Boys leader charged with conspiracy in Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — The leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Proud Boys former chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio wasn’t there...
Octopus ancestors lived before era of dinosaurs, study shows
WASHINGTON — Scientists have found the oldest known ancestor of octopuses — an approximately 330 million-year-old fossil unearthed in Montana. The researchers concluded the ancient creature lived millions of years earlier than previously believed, meaning that octopuses originated before the era of dinosaurs. The 4.7-inch (12-centimeter) fossil has 10 limbs...
U.S. banning Russian oil imports as Biden warns of ‘costs’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, but he acknowledged it will bring costs to Americans, particularly at the gas pump. The action follows pleas by Ukrainian President...
Biden executive order on cryptocurrency expected this week
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on cryptocurrency this week that will mark the first step toward regulating how digital currency is traded. The move comes as administration officials have raised concerns in recent weeks about Russia’s use of cryptocurrency to evade the impact...
