U.S./World category, Page 1187
Court tosses black man’s murder conviction over racial bias
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is throwing out the murder conviction and death sentence for a black man in Mississippi because of a prosecutor’s efforts to keep African Americans off the jury. The defendant already has been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial. The court’s 7-2...
New York lawmakers OK pot decriminalization
ALBANY, N.Y. — Lawmakers in New York state have voted to eliminate criminal penalties for public possession and use of marijuana after efforts to legalize pot stalled. The measure would reduce low-level criminal charges for unlawful possession of marijuana to a violation, which comes with a fine similar to a...
U.S. prepped for strikes on Iran before approval was withdrawn
WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said the military made preparations Thursday night for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but approval was abruptly withdrawn before the attacks were launched. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke...
NRA sidelines its top lobbyist in latest sign of internal turmoil
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association has sidelined its top lobbyist, Chris Cox, after accusing him in court documents of participating in what it called a failed extortion scheme to rid the organization of its top executive. Cox, the NRA’s second-in-command and leader of its powerful political arm, was placed...
Witness at Navy SEAL trial admits killing teenage prisoner
SAN DIEGO — A Navy SEAL called by prosecutors to testify at the murder trial of a decorated comrade dropped a bombshell Thursday when he acknowledged killing a wounded militant in what he described as an act of mercy. Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, who got an immunity deal...
Florida police find prosthetic ear owner after Facebook post
HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — Police in Florida trying to find the rightful owner of a prosthetic ear that washed up on their beach got a happy phone call from South Carolina on Thursday. Holmes Beach Police Sgt. Brian Hall said a woman called saying the rubber ear they posted on...
19 pacifiers removed from stomach of dog that swallowed them
A Boston veterinary hospital got quite a surprise recently when a family brought in their bulldog after he stopped eating. The Angell Animal Medical Center found 19 baby pacifiers in the dog’s stomach. It started in April when the Wellesley family noticed that their 3-year-old dog, Mortimer, started getting nauseous...
Slain Sacramento officer had been on force just 6 months
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A rookie Sacramento police offer was fatally shot during a domestic violence call and laid wounded for about 45 minutes as the gunman kept officers at bay with volleys of bullets, authorities said Thursday. Officer Tara O’Sullivan, 26, was shot shortly Wednesday while helping a woman collect...
Lion kills beloved peacock that flew into its zoo enclosure
UTICA, N.Y. — A peacock at an upstate New York zoo was killed by a lion after it flew over a fence into the African Lion enclosure. Utica Zoo officials say the white peacock named Merlin was captured by a lion Wednesday morning after being unable to fly back out...
Animated videos: Boy Scouts’ new tactic to fight sex abuse
NEW YORK — Under financial pressure from sex-abuse litigation, the Boy Scouts of America are seeking to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts with a new awareness program featuring cartoon-style videos that will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts across the nation. Targeted at children from kindergarten to sixth...
Poll: Asteroid watch more urgent than Mars trip
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts, scientific research and using robots to explore the cosmos over sending humans back to the moon or on to Mars, a poll shows. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ,...
72 officers off streets amid probe into social media posts
PHILADELPHIA — Police Commissioner Richard Ross says 72 Philadelphia police officers have been placed on administrative duty amid an initial investigation into a national group’s accusation of officers in at least five states posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media. Ross said he believed at least “several dozen” people...
Sacramento police officer killed during domestic call
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento police on Thursday were trying to negotiate the surrender of a gunman suspected of killing a police officer during a domestic dispute. Tara O’Sullivan, 26, died at UC Davis Medical Center hours after the gunman opened fire on her Wednesday, Deputy Chief Dave Peletta said during...
Iran Revolutionary Guard shoots down U.S. drone amid tensions
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident. The Guard said it shot down the drone over...
Census Bureau data shows U.S. median age has risen by a year
ORLANDO, Fla. — America is aging. Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday showed the median age in the U.S. increased by a year to 38.2 years from 2010 to 2018. If there’s someone to blame, it’s the baby boomers. Many in that group of Americans born between...
Poll: Tracking asteroids a favored focus for space programVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts, scientific research and using robots to explore the cosmos over sending humans back to the moon or on to Mars, a poll shows. The poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public...
Animated videos: Boy Scouts’ new tactic to fight sex abuse
NEW YORK — Under financial pressure from sex-abuse litigation, the Boy Scouts of America are seeking to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts with a new awareness program featuring cartoon-style videos that will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts across the nation. Targeted at children from kindergarten to sixth...
4 more crew members arrested in record-breaking cocaine seizure at Philly port
PHILADELPHIA — Four additional crew members were charged Wednesday in connection with a record-breaking 16-ton cocaine seizure aboard a cargo ship docked in the Port of Philadelphia, sources with knowledge of the investigation said. But details surrounding the arrests, including the names of the defendants, what role they are alleged...
Man arrested for slapping reporter’s hand at Trump’s Florida rallyVideo
ORLANDO — Authorities in Florida say a man was arrested outside the arena where President Trump made his reelection announcement for trying to slap a cellphone out of a journalist’s hand. The Orlando Police Department said Wednesday that 51-year-old Daniel Kestner is facing a battery charge for trying to slap...
Florida city pays $600,000 ransom to save computer records
A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to pay the hackers’ demands, believing the Palm Beach...
Alabama man denies feeding meth to ‘attack squirrel’Video
BIRMINGHAM — An Alabama man wanted on drug and weapons charges has posted a video denying he fed methamphetamine to a so-called “attack squirrel” that he considers a pet. Mickey Paulk posted the video on his Facebook page Tuesday night as authorities continued searching for him. It shows him stroking...
St. Louis prosecutor adds 22 cops to list banned from presenting cases
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis’ top prosecutor has added 22 more names to a list of city police officers who are not allowed to bring cases to her office, after a national group accused the officers of posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media. The 22 new names brings...
Scientists record singing by 1 of rarest whales
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal marine biologists have recorded singing by one of the rarest whales on the planet. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers used moored acoustic recorders to capture repeated patterns of calls made by male North Pacific right whales, the first time any right whale songs in any...
Thief takes Marilyn Monroe statue from Hollywood gazebo
LOS ANGELES — Goodbye, Norma Jean? Officials say someone climbed a more than two-story tall Hollywood public art piece and stole a statue of Marilyn Monroe. The statue depicting Monroe in her iconic pose from the 1955 film “The Seven Year Itch” went missing early Monday from the “Four Ladies...
Survey: Owners having problems with driver-assist systems
As auto companies continue to fix buggy touch-screen infotainment systems, a survey of new-vehicle buyers has found there’s a different technology posing problems: driver assist systems such as automatic emergency braking. The annual survey by J.D. Power found that as the electronic safety systems find their way into more mainstream...
