U.S./World category, Page 184
Trump wants to undo diversity programs and some agencies react by scrubbing U.S. history and culture
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — The tails of the Alabama Air National Guard’s F-35 Lightnings are painted red, like those of the Guard’s F-16s before them. It’s an homage to the famed Alabama-based unit of the Tuskegee Airmen, who flew red-tailed P-51 Mustangs during World War II. The squadron, which trained in...
Trump imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, raising prospect of higher costs for US consumers
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China — fulfilling one of his post-campaign commitments to voters that also carries the risk of sparking higher inflation and disrupting businesses across North America. Trump declared an...
Democrats elect Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as their national chair
OXON HILL, Md. — Democrats on Saturday elected Ken Martin, the party leader in Minnesota, as the national chair, turning to a low-profile Midwestern political operative to coordinate their resistance to Donald Trump’s presidency. Martin succeeds Jaime Harrison of South Carolina atop the Democratic National Committee. Harrison did not seek...
U.S. military conducts airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Donald Trump’s second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by Trump and coordinated with Somalia’s government. An...
Colleges around the U.S. cautiously navigate Trump’s DEI crackdown
PHILADELPHIA — In Boston, Northeastern University renamed a program for underrepresented students, emphasizing “belonging” for all. In New Jersey, a session at Rutgers University catering to students from historically Black colleges had to be abruptly canceled. And around the U.S., colleges are assessing program names and titles that could run...
Move over, Punxsutawney Phil: Woodstock Willie brings Groundhog Day spirit to Illinois
Western Pennsylvania has its beloved Punxsutawney Phil, but in Illinois, there’s a lesser-known contender for the groundhog throne: Woodstock Willie. Home of the popular “Groundhog Day” movie starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, Woodstock, Ill., attracts a bustling crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of Willie’s weather prediction every Feb....
Boy, 5, dies in hyperbaric chamber explosion at Michigan medical facility
TROY, Mich. — A pressurized oxygen chamber exploded Friday, killing a 5-year-old patient and injuring his mother at a suburban Detroit medical facility. The hyperbaric chamber explosion occurred about 8 a.m. at the Oxford Center in Troy, north of Detroit. The child, from Royal Oak, Michigan, had been inside the...
What can the black box tell us about plane crashes?
It’s one of the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash: The so-called “black box.” There are actually two of these remarkably sturdy devices: the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. And they’re typically orange, not black. Federal investigators on Friday recovered the black boxes...
Thousands of Costco workers prepare to strike with midnight contract deadline looming
Thousands of Costco workers prepared to strike with a midnight deadline drawing closer Friday while the worker’s union and the company negotiated. The Teamsters union represents 18,000 Costco workers in six states: California, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. It’s unclear if the strikes would close stores. Costco...
New York doctor indicted for prescribing abortion pill in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. — A New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday for allegedly prescribing an abortion pill online in the Deep South state, which has one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the country. Grand jurors at the District Court for the Parish...
Senior Trump official travels to Venezuela for talks on migrants
CARACAS, Venezuela — A senior Trump administration official has traveled to Venezuela to urge President Nicolás Maduro’s government to take back deported migrants who’ve committed crimes in the U.S. and release a handful of imprisoned Americans, a U.S. official said Friday. The visit by Richard Grenell, who U.S. President Donald...
The convicted mother of a Michigan school shooter is seeking a new trial over witness deals
PONTIAC, Mich. — The first U.S. parent to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by a child asked a Michigan judge to throw out her conviction Friday, arguing that her trial was spoiled by the prosecutor’s failure to disclose key details about two major witnesses. Nick...
Black History Month explained: Its origins, celebrations and myths
WASHINGTON — Beginning Feb. 1, schools, museums and communities across the nation will mark the start of Black History Month —- a celebration of Black history, culture and education. The history of the month dates back almost a century, and the way it is celebrated and evolved has created history...
U.S. inflation ticked higher last month, in latest sign of persistent price pressures
WASHINGTON — An inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve rose slightly last month, the latest sign that some consumer prices remain stubbornly elevated, even as inflation is cooling in fits and starts. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.6% in December from a...
From avocados to autos, Trump tariffs on Canada and Mexico could hit close to home
WASHINGTON — The 25% tax that President Donald Trump plans to slap on imports from Canada and Mexico as soon as Saturday could drive up the price of everything from gasoline and pickup trucks to Super Bowl party guacamole dip. The tariffs would also invite retaliation. Doug Ford, the premier...
Boats return to the Potomac River for D.C. plane crash recovery and investigation
ARLINGTON, Va. — Police boats combed the banks of the Potomac River on Friday, moving slowly under rainy skies and scanning the shoreline as investigators sought clues into the midair collision that killed 67 people and raised questions about air traffic safety around the nation’s capital. No one survived the...
FireAid combines music’s biggest acts and stories of loss to raise money for L.A. wildfire relief
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Pop stars, first responders, rock stars and those who’ve lost everything in the devastating LA-area wildfires came together for FireAid, a massive benefit concert Thursday that combined spectacular performances with moving storytelling from survivors and reminders of the destruction. In a night full of surprises, a reunion...
Officials search river where a passenger jet and Army chopper crashed, and probe the cause
American Airlines Flight 5342 with 60 passengers and four crew hit an Army helicopter near Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Wednesday night, sending the two aircraft into the Potomac River and killing all aboard in the deadliest U.S. air crash in more than two decades. The crash around 9 p.m. threw...
White House says Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China will come Saturday. No word on exemptions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will put in place 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on goods from China effective on Saturday, the White House said, but it provided no word on whether there would be any exemptions to the measures that could result in...
A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being. Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name —...
FDA approves painkiller designed to eliminate the risk of addiction associated with opioids
WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Thursday approved a new type of pain pill designed to eliminate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Journavx for short-term pain that often follows surgery or...
FireAid, a benefit for LA wildfire relief, is almost here. Here’s how to watch and donate
LOS ANGELES — Some of the biggest names in music will come together Thursday for the FireAid benefit concert that is raising money for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief efforts. FireAid will take over two Inglewood, California, venues — the Kia Forum, starting at 6 p.m. Pacific, and the Intuit Dome...
2 aircraft that collided over Washington are both workhorses in use around world
The Army helicopter and regional American Airlines jet that collided over Washington are both workhorse aircraft that operate around the world on a daily basis. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ-700, officials said. Three service members were on a training flight on...
Video appears to show American Airlines flight’s collision with a U.S. Army helicopter near D.C.Video
A grainy snippet of video footage taken in the dark of night, seemingly by an airport CCTV camera, appears to show the fatal mid-air collision of an American Airlines passenger plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter. American Airlines Flight 5342 was on approach at Ronald Reagan National Airport near...
Russian drone strikes apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 6
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone blasted a hole in an apartment building in northeastern Ukraine during a nighttime attack, killing at least six people and wounding nine others, officials said Thursday. The Shahed drone blew out a wall and surrounding windows in the building in Sumy, a major city,...
