U.S./World category, Page 208
Invasive ‘murder hornets’ wiped out in the U.S., officials say
SEATTLE — The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the United States, five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state...
Police investigating Baltimore County shooting, car crash that killed 1 and injured 9Video
TOWSON, Md. — Investigators in Baltimore County are looking into whether a shooting and related vehicle crash that left one person dead and nine injured Tuesday night are connected to a nearby homicide earlier this month. Officials said all 10 of the victims were found inside a flipped SUV that...
Judge: Pardoning Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes for Capitol riot plot would be ‘frightening’
WASHINGTON — The federal judge who presided over the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members said Wednesday that it would be “frightening” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020...
Gov. Gavin Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana
LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the H5N1 bird flu virus moves from the Central valley to Southern California herds and federal officials confirmed flu in a Louisiana patient hospitalized with severe illness. This is the first case of severe illness caused by bird...
The Federal Reserve expects to cut rates more slowly in 2025, here’s what that could mean for you
NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve’s third interest rate cut of the year will likely have consequences for debt, savings, auto loans, mortgages and other forms of borrowing by consumers and businesses. But with inflation pressures still elevated and with concern that President-elect Donald Trump’s policies could fuel inflation, the...
Stocks fall sharply, Dow tumbles 1,100 points after Fed hints at just 2 rate cuts for 2025
NEW YORK — Stocks tumbled to one of their worst days of the year after the Federal Reserve hinted Wednesday it may deliver fewer shots of adrenaline for the U.S. economy in 2025 than earlier thought. The S&P 500 fell 2.9%, just shy of its biggest loss for the year,...
New York man finds mastodon jaw while gardening in his backyard
SCOTCHTOWN, N.Y. — Scholars are hailing the discovery of a fossilized mastodon jaw discovered by a man who spotted two giant teeth while gardening at his upstate New York home this year. The mastodon jaw and some other bone fragments were found in late September in a backyard near Scotchtown,...
Florida pursues charge against suspect in Trump assassination attempt for a crash after his arrest
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida authorities announced Wednesday that they’re pursuing a criminal case against a man accused of trying to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump for a car crash that occurred after law enforcement stopped traffic to catch him. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said she obtained an arrest warrant for...
Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts, and 1 is likely to die
Two endangered whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off Massachusetts, and one is likely to die from its injuries, the federal government said. They are North Atlantic right whales, which number less than 400 and face existential threats from entanglement in gear and collisions with ships. An aerial...
Supreme Court to hear arguments over law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. if it’s not sold
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it. The justices will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts...
1 dead, 9 injured in Baltimore County shooting and fiery car crash
TOWSON, Md. — A shooting and related fiery car crash Tuesday night in a suburban area north of Baltimore killed one person and injured nine, police said. Gunshots were reported throughout a neighborhood near where the car ultimately crashed outside a funeral home that appeared to be closed at the...
Shooting in Madison is the latest carnage at a U.S. school or college over the past 25 years
Hundreds of people in the U.S. have died in shootings over the past 25 years in places like offices, stores and theaters, but the carnage perhaps hits hardest when it happens in schools and colleges. In those cases, the victims are children who still have some of their baby teeth,...
Police chief says motive for Wisconsin school shooting was a ‘combination of factors’
MADISON, Wis. — The motive for a shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded others at a Wisconsin school appears to be a “combination of factors,” a police chief said Tuesday as he appealed to the public to share what they might know about the 15-year-old girl...
Congress unveils funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters. The measure would prevent a...
Emotional reunion awaits anti-whaling activist Paul Watson after his sudden release in GreenlandVideo
LONDON — Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson was freed from prison in Greenland on Tuesday after five months in custody, and will not be extradited to Japan where he is wanted on charges of obstructing a whaling ship. Watson is planning to return home to be reunited with his family during...
Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings charged in the death of 7th womanVideo
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged on Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman. Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in...
Damaged Russian ships spilled an estimated 3,700 tons of oil in Kerch Strait, state media saysVideo
MOSCOW — An estimated 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil had spilled into the Kerch Strait after two Russian ships were seriously damaged by stormy weather, Russian state media reported. The two ships, the Volgoneft 239 and the Volgoneft 212, were transporting roughly 9,200 tons of mazut, a heavy, low-quality...
Digital authorization required for Americans to travel to U.K. in 2025
Planning a trip to the United Kingdom in 2025? If so, you’ll need more than just a passport. Starting Jan. 8, American citizens will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization in order to enter the U.K., Time Magazine reported. “U.S. citizens transiting through or traveling to the United...
Prosecutors charge suspect with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorismVideo
NEW YORK — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring him to a New York court from from a Pennsylvania jail. Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4...
The winter solstice is almost here, the Northern Hemisphere’s darkest day
The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets. For those who would rather have more sunlight, you can try to make your way to the Southern Hemisphere, where it is...
About 3 dozen high-rise buildings in South Florida are sinking
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. — Almost three dozen high-rise condos and luxury hotels along the beach in South Florida are sinking or settling in unexpected ways, in some cases because of nearby construction, according to a new study. The 35 buildings surveyed along an almost 12-mile stretch from Miami Beach...
Lawsuit accuses State Dept. of creating loopholes for Israel on military aid and human rights
WASHINGTON — The State Department has carved out loopholes for Israel that give the close American ally a pass on U.S. law that restricts aid to foreign militaries over human rights abuses, a lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives asserts Tuesday. Former State Department officials...
Judge allows testing of tissue samples from George Floyd as officer who killed him seeks new trial
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge has granted permission to lawyers for Derek Chauvin to have samples from George Floyd examined as part of the former Minneapolis police officer’s efforts to challenge his conviction on a federal civil rights charge stemming from Floyd’s death in 2020. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson agreed...
Israel’s Netanyahu tours buffer zone inside Syria
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered Syrian territory on Tuesday during a security tour of the buffer zone seized by Israel in the days since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad. It was apparently the first time a sitting Israeli leader entered Syrian territory. Israel seized a...
Most U.S. teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana, survey says
NEW YORK — Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the covid-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday. About two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous...
