U.S./World category, Page 1149
Trump administration moves to end limits on child detention
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to end a longstanding federal agreement that limits how long immigrant children can be kept in detention. A court fight will almost certainly follow over the government’s desire to hold migrant families until their cases are decided. The current court agreement now requires...
Cable snaps seconds before Florida slingshot ride launches
An amusement park ride turned out to be more frightening than expected for a pair of Florida tourists. The ride operator was preparing to launch two men on a slingshot-style ride Saturday night at Cobra Adventure Park in Panama City Beach when one of the cables breaks, reported FOX-13. An...
Police: Cars go airborne over collapsed bridge span, 2 hurt
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Authorities say two motorists have been injured when their cars went airborne over a collapsed bridge span near the Florida-Georgia Line. Officials closed a short stretch of Hutchinson Ferry Road northwest of Tallahassee on Wednesday morning because of the gap that opened up when the two-lane bridge...
Trump to sign student debt forgiveness for disabled veterans
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday is expected to direct his administration to permanently forgive student loan debt held by disabled veterans. Trump was to sign the order after he addresses the AMVETS convention in Louisville, the White House said. In prepared remarks, Trump said his order would...
Spacewalking astronauts add parking spot to space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts added another parking spot to the International Space Station on Wednesday. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan successfully installed a docking port delivered by SpaceX last month. It will be used by SpaceX and Boeing once they start launching astronauts to the orbiting...
NATO force says 2 US service members killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — The NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan says two U.S. service members have been killed. A brief statement says the two were killed Wednesday and their names are being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, in accordance with Pentagon policy. The statement...
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills bring drug charge for Florida man
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ecstasy pills shaped like President Donald Trump have led to charges against a Florida man. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year-old Brendan Dolan-King of Clearwater was charged Friday with felony drug possession after police confirmed five Trump-themed orange tablets seized during a June search of his...
WWII vets honored in Texas following D-Day events in France
SAN ANTONIO — More than 50 World War II veterans who were not able to attend overseas events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day have been honored in Texas. A ceremony was held Tuesday at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Officials say several veterans at the event, sponsored by...
Iran-backed forces blame U.S. for attacks on bases in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iraqi paramilitary forces backed by Iran said Wednesday they hold the United States ultimately responsible for a series of attacks targeting their bases in the country, pledging to defend themselves against any future attack. The rare statement issued by the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization...
TSA says traveler forgot snake at Newark security checkpoint
NEWARK, N.J. — A young girl discovered something slithery at a New Jersey airport security checkpoint: a 15-inch-long snake. Transportation Security Administration officials at Newark Liberty International Airport said in a release that it appears the thin, black snake with a yellow ring around its neck was forgotten by a...
Omaha zoo euthanizes white rhino that arrived in 1999
OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha zoo has euthanized one of its white rhinos. Officials at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium said Tuesday that the 21-year-old rhino, Marina, was euthanized Monday after surgeons discovered an inoperable colonic obstruction. She was being treated for symptoms similar to colic when staffers noticed that...
Vandalized robot may solve mystery of its own attack
HAYWARD, Calif. — A 400-pound security robot that was knocked over by a vandal last month in Northern California may help bring its attacker to justice. The Hayward Police Department on Tuesday released images of the suspect that the Knightscope K5 robot captured before it was damaged. The 5-foot-tall robot,...
U.S. has 501,000 fewer jobs than first reported
WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market isn’t quite as strong as originally believed — with revised figures showing that the economy had 501,000 fewer total jobs this March than initially reported. The Labor Department says that nearly two-thirds of the downward revision came from the retail and leisure and hospitality...
German city offers $1.1M to whoever proves it doesn’t exist
A German city that’s been the subject of a long-running online light-hearted conspiracy theory claiming it doesn’t really exist is offering big bucks to whoever proves that’s true. Officials in Bielefeld said Wednesday they’ll give 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to the person who delivers solid proof of its non-existence....
Trial starts in case of fatal shooting over parking spot
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that a white Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a dispute over a parking space had initiated a similar confrontation just months before, while his defense attorney said the shooting was in self-defense. Prosecutor Fred Schaub said during...
U.S. home sales rose 2.5% in July, aided by low mortgage rates
WASHINGTON — U.S. home sales increased 2.5% in July, a sign that lower mortgage rates have produced a spurt of home-buying. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday homes sold last month at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5.42 million units, up from 5.29 million in June. Average interest...
State TV: Iran to unveil air defense missile system
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country will unveil an Iran-made air-defense missile system. The Wednesday report says the Bavar-373 is a long-range surface-to-air missile system able to recognize up to 100 targets at a same time and confront them with six different weapons. It was...
Report: U.S. surpasses Russia, Saudi Arabia in petroleum, natural gas production
The United States set a new record in 2018 for petroleum and natural gas production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record, EIA said. The country surpassed...
South African court restricts displays of apartheid-era flag
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s Equality Court on Wednesday restricted the display of the country’s old apartheid-era flag, ruling that its gratuitous use amounts to hate speech and racial discrimination. Judge Phineas Mojapelo said the ruling was not a complete ban, saying use of the flag is protected by law for...
4 students shot at block party near Clark Atlanta University
ATLANTA — A shooting at a block party near Clark Atlanta University has left four female college students injured with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds as a crowd scrambled for cover. A news release from Atlanta police says the four females were shot late Tuesday night outside a library that serves Clark...
‘We are dropping like flies.’ Ex-fighter pilots push for earlier cancer screenings
WASHINGTON — Former Air Force and Navy fighter pilots are calling on the military to begin cancer screenings for aviators as young as 30 because of an increase in deaths from the disease that they suspect may be tied to radiation emitted in the cockpit. “We are dropping like flies...
Maryland man jailed for threats against Florida Hispanics
MIAMI — A Maryland man is jailed in Seattle after the FBI said he made a series of social media threats against Hispanics in the Miami area. Court records show 35-year-old Eric Lin had an initial court hearing Monday in Seattle federal court on a charge of interstate transmission of...
Search ramps up for 2 missing firefighters in FloridaVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Authorities say they are ramping up the search for two missing firefighters who set out by boat last week from the state’s Atlantic coast. Jacksonville Interim Fire Chief Keith Powers said the agency was calling for as “many boats” as could be mustered Tuesday in the ongoing...
Time capsule from 50 years ago has nothing inside
Officials in a New Hampshire town are trying to figure out how a recently opened time capsule from 50 years ago has nothing in it. Library director Cara Potter in Derry tells WMUR-TV that since she started there five years ago, the safe has been sitting on a shelf. Before...
New York woman gets 23 years in prison for killing aunt with a meat cleaver
NEW YORK — A woman who killed her aunt with a meat cleaver in the New York City home they shared has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan says 32-year-old Elizabeth Sanchez was sentenced Tuesday. She’s also known as Digna Sanchez-Ortiz. A Queens...
