U.S./World category, Page 274
Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Yotam Vilk says the image of Israeli soldiers killing an unarmed Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip is seared in his mind. An officer in the armored corps, Vilk said the instructions were to shoot any unauthorized person who entered an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in Gaza. He saw...
Supreme Court declines to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an appeal from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The order allows the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies...
Millions have had student loans canceled under Biden — despite the collapse of his forgiveness plan
WASHINGTON — Despite failing to deliver his promise for broad student loan forgiveness, President Joe Biden has now overseen the cancellation of student loans for more than 5 million Americans — more than any other president in U.S. history. In a last-minute action on Monday, the Education Department canceled loans...
Melania Trump says she’s packed and ready for the move back into the White House
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Incoming first lady Melania Trump says she’s packed and ready to move back into the White House, where son Barron will have a bedroom, and she plans to revive her Be Best children’s initiative. Trump also said in a taped interview broadcast Monday on Fox...
Magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattles southwestern Japan as tsunami threat declared over
TOKYO — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 hit southwestern Japan on Monday, triggering public warnings to stay away from coastal areas because of a tsunami advisory, which was later called off. There were no immediate reports of damage. Residents in some coastal areas were told to...
Stronger wind threatens to spread wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES — A growing force of firefighters battled massive infernos across the Los Angeles area on Monday as more powerful wind moved in and threatened recent progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people. Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink...
Jeff Bezos’ space company calls off debut launch of massive new rocket in final minutes of countdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin called off the debut launch of its massive new rocket early Monday because of technical trouble. The 320-foot New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn with a prototype satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. But launch controllers had to...
Biden’s administration proposes new rules on exporting AI chips, provoking an industry pushback
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is proposing a new framework for the exporting of the advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. But the framework proposed Monday also raised concerns...
California man says 2 of his cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu
A California man whose two cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu risk says he meant to keep his beloved pets healthy, but his efforts tragically backfired. “It’s horrible when you realize that you’re the one that actually gave them the milk that killed them,” said Joseph...
Biden, Netanyahu discuss the latest in the effort to reach an Israel-Hamas war ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of the intensifying push to reach a deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. Talks mediated over...
Officials investigating whether Southern California Edison equipment ignited Hurst fire
Fire agencies are investigating whether downed Southern California Edison utility equipment played a role in igniting the Hurst fire near Sylmar, company officials said. The company issued a report Friday saying that a downed conductor was discovered at a tower in the vicinity of the fire, but that it “does...
Southern areas hit by winter storm thaw, power slowly returnsVideo
After a freezing winter storm shut schools, cut power and cancelled or delayed flights, the South was slowly thawing Sunday. Crews worked furiously and by Sunday morning power had been restored to parts of North Carolina and South Carolina where tens of thousands of customers lost electricity over the last...
Canada’s Justin Trudeau urges U.S. consumers to consider the harm of Trump’s tariff threats
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday suggested that President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming America’s “51st state” has distracted attention from the harm that steep tariffs would inflict on U.S. consumers. Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports. “The...
States are preparing to help or thwart Trump’s second-term plans
Do you live in a red state, a blue state, or one where Republicans and Democrats share power? Your answer might provide the best indicator of what to expect from your governor and state lawmakers as President-elect Donald Trump takes office and legislatures convene. In many cases, political party identification...
24 dead as fire crews try to corral Los Angeles blazes before wind returns this week
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 24 people in the Los Angeles area as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. At least 16 people were missing, and authorities...
Los Angeles tree advocates wait and hope that fire damage won’t be too severe
LOS ANGELES — People across Los Angeles have worked for years to increase the number of trees that shade the pavement, provide a respite for people and even clean some air pollution. They’ve confronted increasing drought, bad tree-trimming and objections from some neighbors who resent the leaves and sap. Now...
Powerful winter storm that dumped snow in South maintains its icy grip
ATLANTA — Flight cancellations piled up and officials warned of continuing dangerous roads Saturday in the wake of a winter storm that brought biting cold and wet snow to the U.S. South, leading to school closures and disrupting travel. The storm was moving out to sea off the East Coast...
Israel’s Netanyahu sends Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in sign of progress
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza. It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would...
Firefighters race to contain Los Angeles wildfires with menacing winds forecast to return
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters raced Saturday to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge. A fierce battle against the...
Black boxes from South Korea plane crash failed to record final 4 minutes, officials say
SEOUL, South Korea — The black boxes of a Boeing jetliner that crashed in South Korea last month stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, South Korean officials said Saturday, possibly complicating investigations into the cause of the disaster that killed 179 people. After analyzing the devices, the U.S....
Ukraine says it captured 2 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s forces have captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, the first such claim by Kyiv since North Korea sent thousands of troops to shore up Moscow’s war effort on the other side of the...
Powerful winter storm dumps heavy snow, causing flight delays, slick roads and school closings
ATLANTA — A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and glazed roads with ice across much of Texas and Oklahoma lumbered eastward into Southern U.S. states Friday, making for dicey travel and a rare snow day for many students. Arkansas and North Carolina mobilized their National Guards for tasks...
Federal probe of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre says ‘no avenue’ for criminal case in connection to attack
OKLAHOMA CITY — The first-ever U.S. Justice Department review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre concluded Friday that while federal prosecution may have been possible a century ago there is no longer an avenue to bring a criminal case more than 100 years after one of the worst racial attacks...
Families in shock begin to visit their charred homes in Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES — Many watched their homes burn on television in a state of shock. Now four days since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, many residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation’s second- largest city...
FBI must be independent and above the partisan fray, outgoing director says in farewell address
WASHINGTON — The FBI must remain independent, above the partisan fray and “committed to upholding the rule of law,” outgoing Director Christopher Wray said in a farewell address just days before his expected retirement at the conclusion of the Biden administration following more than seven years on the job. “No...
