U.S./World category, Page 294
Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause
WASHINGTON — Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. A key reason for the delay in rate...
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The eruption began in the early afternoon following a series of...
Traveler carries measles through LAX as cases rise around the U.S.
LOS ANGELES — A traveler carrying measles flew from Munich, Germany, through Los Angeles on the way to Fresno Yosemite International Airport this month, exposing thousands of California travelers to the highly infectious disease, health officials have confirmed. Officials from the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed the case...
New Hampshire’s limits on teaching on race and gender are unconstitutional, judge says
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge has struck down New Hampshire’s nearly 3-year-old law limiting what teachers can say about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other topics in public schools as unconstitutionally vague. The ruling could revive the topic as an election year campaign issue. Republicans pitched the 2021...
Jurors in Trump hush money trial end 1st day of deliberations after asking to rehear testimony
NEW YORK — The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict Wednesday but asked to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case. The 12-person jury was sent home around 4 p.m....
3 Israeli soldiers killed in a booby trap explosion as Rafah offensive widens
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Rafah when a booby trap exploded, the military and media reported, as the Israeli national security adviser said that the war against Hamas militants would likely last through the end of the year. Three other soldiers were wounded in the explosion Tuesday, media...
1 dead, 7 injured in natural gas explosion in Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — One person was killed and seven injured following a natural gas explosion Tuesday afternoon that caused extensive damage to a building in downtown Youngtown, Ohio, authorities said. The Youngstown Police Department said a 27-year-old employee of Chase Bank, where the blast happened, was killed in the explosion....
Storms leave widespread outages across Texas, cleanup continues after deadly weekend across U.S.Video
Strong storms with damaging wind and baseball-sized hail pummeled Texas on Tuesday, leaving more than 1 million businesses and homes without power as much of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 25 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Widespread outages were reported in...
U.S.-built pier will be removed from Gaza coast and repaired after damage from rough seas
WASHINGTON — The U.S.-built temporary pier that has been taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas and weather, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Over the next two days, the pier...
Bette Nash, who was named the world’s longest-serving flight attendant, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Bette Nash, who was once named the world’s longest-serving flight attendant, has died. She was 88. American Airlines, Nash’s employer, announced her passing on social media Saturday. The carrier noted that Nash spent nearly 70 years warmly caring for customers in the air. “Bette was a legend...
Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis’ comments, which were delivered behind closed...
U.S. consumer confidence rises in May after 3 months of declines
WASHINGTON — Consumer confidence in the U.S. rose in May after three straight months of declines, though Americans are still anxious about inflation and interest rates. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose in May to 102 from 97.5 in April. Analysts...
Hong Kong police arrest 6 people accused of violating the city’s new national security law
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested six people, including a former organizer of the city’s decades-long annual vigil that commemorated China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown, for allegedly publishing seditious social media posts, in what were the first publicly known arrests under the city’s new national security law. Secretary...
Judge nixes bid to restrict Trump statements that could endanger officers in classified records case
WASHINGTON — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida on Tuesday denied prosecutors’ request to bar the former president from making public statements that could endanger law enforcement agents participating in the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said in her order that prosecutors on special counsel...
U.S. vows more returns of looted antiquities as Italy celebrates latest haul of 600 artifacts
ROME — Italy on Tuesday celebrated the return of around 600 antiquities from the U.S., including ancient bronze statues, gold coins, mosaics and manuscripts valued at $65 million, that were looted years ago, sold to U.S. museums, galleries and collectors and recovered as a result of criminal investigations. U.S. Ambassador...
‘We have nothing’: As Israel attacks Rafah, Palestinians are living in tents and searching for food
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The tent camps stretch for more than 10 miles along Gaza’s coast, filling the beach and sprawling into empty lots, fields and town streets. Families dig trenches to use as toilets. Fathers search for food and water, while children dig through garbage and wrecked buildings...
‘Son of Sam’ killer Berkowitz denied parole in 12th attempt
ALBANY, N.Y. — “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz, who set New York City on edge with late-night shootings in the 1970s, was denied parole after his 12th board appearance. Berkowitz, 70, was rejected after a Board of Parole prison interview on May 14, according to information listed on a...
Israeli army says it used small munitions in Rafah airstrike, and fire was caused by secondary blast
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military said Tuesday that an initial investigation into a strike that sparked a deadly fire in the southern Gaza city of Rafah has found the blaze was caused by a secondary explosion. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, said the military...
Record set Friday for most airline travelers screened at U.S. airports
ATLANTA — A record was broken ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travelers screened at U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration said Saturday. More than 2.9 million travelers were screened Friday at U.S. airports, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after...
North Korean rocket carrying its 2nd spy satellite explodes in mid-air
SEOUL, South Korea — A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the country’s second spy satellite exploded shortly after liftoff Monday, state media reported, in a setback for leader Kim Jong Un’s hopes to field satellites to monitor the U.S. and South Korea. Monday’s failed launch came hours after...
Biden says each generation has to ‘earn’ freedom, in solemn Memorial Day remarks
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day with a pledge that the United States would continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward creating a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died for.” Delivering remarks at a solemn remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery,...
Iran further increases its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, watchdog says
VIENNA — Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report on Monday by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the latest in Tehran’s attempts to steadily exert pressure on the international community. Iran is seeking to have economic sanctions imposed over...
Netanyahu acknowledges ‘tragic mistake’ after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a “tragic mistake” had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people. The mistake...
Bus crashes into vehicles in southern Turkey, leaving 10 dead and 39 injured
ANKARA, Turkey — A passenger bus crashed into vehicles on a highway in southern Turkey, killing at least 10 people and leaving 39 others injured, officials said Monday. The accident occurred in the province of Mersin late on Sunday, when the bus veered into the opposite lane in heavy rain...
At least 2,000 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide. These are some challenges rescuers face
BANGKOK — The Papua New Guinea government said more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive in a landslide in the South Pacific island nation, after the side of a mountain came down in the early hours of Friday morning when the village of Yambali was asleep....
