U.S./World category, Page 1151
US tells Congress of plans to sell F-16 fighters to Taiwan
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has informed Congress it plans to sell F-16 fighters worth $8 billion to Taiwan in a move that will inflame already high tensions with China. Two U.S. officials and a congressional aide say the administration informally notified lawmakers of the proposed sale late on Thursday....
Man sells ‘funky, old’ Nike shoes for $50,000Video
There’s a new hotel in Oregon that’s proud to have an old pair of shoes sitting in the lobby. A Nike-themed property in Eugene paid a Sacramento, Calif., man $50,000 for his rare sneakers last month, reports Fox40. Dave Russell was 25 years old when he was vying for a...
Claim: Migrant children molested in US-funded foster care
WASHINGTON — Dozens of families separated at the border as part of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy are preparing to sue the federal government, including several who say their young children were sexually, physically or emotionally abused in federally funded foster care. A review of 38 legal claims obtained...
Brain implant could zap obese people for thinking about food
Science might just have come up with a way to stop overeaters from indulging too much. A team at Stanford University is testing a new brain chip implant — the responsive neurostimulation system (RNS) — that proved effective in halting binge eating in mice. So, why not humans? The chip...
Trooper finds parked driver playing Pokemon Go on 8 phones
BURIEN, Wash. — A Washington state trooper who pulled over to help what he thought was a disabled vehicle found something else instead: The driver had eight phones simultaneously playing the video game Pokemon Go. The driver was stopped on the shoulder of Highway 518 in Burien, south of Seattle,...
Officers stake out 2 airports, nab accused turtle trafficker
ATLANTA — An investigation involving two of the world’s biggest airports and hundreds of turtles has led to federal charges that a man illegally shipped the reptiles to China. Nathan Horton is charged with violating the Lacey Act, which forbids illegal wildlife trafficking. Prosecutors took a slow-wins-the-race approach to filing...
South Carolina man sues Walmart after gas can explosion
AIKEN, S.C. — A South Carolina man is suing Walmart, saying a gas can that exploded and set him on fire was defective and should never have been sold to him at a Walmart store in Barnwell. In a federal lawsuit filed this month, Jamie Grubbs says he was using...
U.S. home construction fell 4% in July
WASHINGTON — U.S. housing starts fell 4.0% in July, driven by a decline in the construction of apartment buildings. The Commerce Department says that housing starts slipped last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units. So far this year, housing starts have declined 3.1%. While there...
Elvis admirers remember his death 42 years ago with vigil
Elvis Presley fans carrying lit candles in the Tennessee night are visiting the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s grave at Graceland during the annual vigil commemorating his death 42 years ago. Presley admirers from all over the world descend on Memphis every year to honor his life and career during Elvis...
Russian pilot says landing in corn field was his only chance
MOSCOW — A Russian pilot who managed to smoothly land his disabled plane in a corn field after birds hit both engines said Friday that a quick landing was his only chance and he was not afraid of handling it. The experienced captain, 41-year-old Damir Yusupov, said when one of...
U.K. police officer slain investigating robbery, 10 arrested
LONDON — British police say a police officer investigating a reported burglary in southeast England has been killed, and they have arrested and detained 10 males in the case, including a 13-year-old. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is “deeply shocked and appalled” by the death of Thames Valley police...
Maine finds homes for several hundred African asylum seekers
PORTLAND, Maine — Most African asylum seekers who made the perilous journey through Central America to the southern U.S. border and flooded shelters in Maine’s largest city have new homes. Thursday marked the closing of an emergency shelter set up in a basketball arena in Portland after several hundred African...
Tennessee inmate executed in electric chair for killings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee executed its third inmate in the electric chair since November, killing a man Thursday who maintained that he didn’t stab a mother and her 15-year-old daughter to death in 1986. State officials pronounced 56-year-old Stephen West dead at 7:27 p.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in...
Lawsuit challenges California’s assault weapons ban
SAN DIEGO — A gun-rights group sued Thursday to block California from enforcing its assault weapons ban, contending it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The lawsuit was the latest among gun advocacy and lobbying groups to challenge California’s firearms laws, which are among the strictest in the...
4 children saved from St. Louis fire; apparently left aloneVideo
ST. LOUIS — Four children under the age of 5 who fire officials believe were left without adult supervision were pulled from a burning home by St. Louis firefighters on Thursday. One child is in critical condition. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer captured an image of a firefighter working to...
Emails show Washington state lawmaker tied to group training for holy war
SPOKANE, Wash. — Newly leaked emails show that conservative state Rep. Matt Shea, a Republican from Spokane Valley, has had close ties with a group that trained children and young men for religious combat. The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported that the emails were first revealed in The Guardian on Wednesday, while...
Panel upholds ruling that kids held at border have adequate food, sanitation
SAN FRANCISCO — A panel of judges on Thursday dismissed an appeal by the U.S. government that contended detained immigrant children might not require soap during shorter stints in custody under a longstanding settlement agreement. A three-judge panel for the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dismissed...
Virgin Galactic reveals futuristic outpost for space tourism
UPHAM, N.M. — Spaceport America is no longer just a shiny shell of hope that space tourism would one day launch from this remote spot in the New Mexico desert. The once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility has been transformed into a custom-tailored headquarters where Virgin...
Metallica donates to Romanian pediatric cancer hospital
BUCHAREST, Romania — Metallica says it has donated $277,600 to support the construction of Romania’s first pediatric oncology hospital. The American heavy metal band, which is very popular in Romania, made the donation ahead of their sold-out show Wednesday in Romania’s National Arena, according to the band’s All Within My...
Gov’t wants a new 911-like number just for suicide hotline
NEW YORK — With suicides on the rise , the U.S. government wants to make the national crisis hotline easier to reach. Once implemented, people will just need to dial 988 to seek help. Currently, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline uses a 10-digit number, 800-273-TALK (8255). Callers are routed to...
U.K. judge sentences David Schwimmer lookalike to 9 months in jail
LONDON — A British judge has sentenced a lookalike of “Friends” actor David Schwimmer to nine months in prison for theft and fraud. Judge Sara Dodd sentenced Abdulah Husseni on Thursday for using a stolen bank card to make or attempt to make fraudulent purchases at four shops in Blackpool,...
Scientists confirm July was hottest month record
BERLIN — July was the hottest month measured on Earth since records began in 1880, the latest in a long line of peaks that scientists say backs up predictions for man-made climate change. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that July was 1.71 degrees warmer than the...
Gibraltar releases Iran supertanker that US sought to seize
MADRID — Gibraltar on Thursday allowed a detained Iranian supertanker to leave the British overseas territory despite a last-minute U.S. attempt to seize the vessel, potentially defusing tensions between London and Tehran as a British-flagged tanker remains held by the Islamic Republic. The release of the Grace 1 comes amid...
Trump nominates law professor for judicial vacancy
RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump has nominated a law professor who previously worked as a prosecutor, defense attorney and journalist to fill the nation’s longest federal judiciary vacancy. Trump nominated Richard E. Myers on Wednesday to be a federal judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Raleigh lawyer...
Michael Avenatti blames arrest on ‘vindictive’ prosecutors
NEW YORK — Lawyer Michael Avenatti wants a judge to dismiss criminal charges alleging he extorted Nike, and he’s blaming his arrest on what he calls “vindictive” prosecutors. Avenatti’s attorneys filed papers Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to charges he tried to extort up to...
