U.S./World category, Page 297
Ship owner cut corners on repairs before deadly Baltimore bridge collapse, U.S. says in $100M lawsuit
BALTIMORE — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse recklessly cut corners and ignored known electrical problems on the vessel, the Justice Department alleged Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the...
Teamsters union declines to endorse Trump or Harris for president
WASHINGTON — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate by sizable half-point, signaling end to its inflation fightVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than...
North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles in latest military display, neighbors say
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Wednesday test-fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern seas, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, adding to its military demonstrations as tensions with Washington and neighbors escalate. The launches come days after North Korea offered a rare view into a secretive facility...
Lebanon rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a ‘new phase’ of war
Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 14 people were killed and more than...
Sheriff in Ohio calls on residents to write down addresses of Kamala Harris supportersVideo
An Ohio sheriff used his public Facebook accounts to attack Vice President Kamala Harris, urging residents to write down the addresses of her supporters. Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski made the request on two separate Facebook accounts Sept. 13. Using insulting language toward the Democratic presidential candidate, Zuchowski’s comments were...
A Southern California man pleads not guilty to setting a fire that exploded into a massive wildfire
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — A California man has pleaded not guilty to starting a fire that authorities said ballooned into a massive wildfire and forced the evacuation of thousands of homes. Online court records show Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, entered the plea from jail in a video arraignment Tuesday in...
Florida will launch criminal probe into apparent assassination attempt of Trump, Gov. DeSantis says
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida law enforcement officials will launch their own criminal investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that will run parallel to the federal probe, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday. The governor said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges available...
Arizona tribe fights to stop lithium drilling on culturally significant lands
PHOENIX — Members of an Arizona tribe are trying to persuade a federal judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project near lands they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Leaders of the Hualapai Tribe and supporters appeared Tuesday in U.S. District...
Senate Republicans again block legislation to guarantee women’s rights to IVFVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive...
Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy’s mugshot to social mediaVideo
TALLAHASSEE — A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mugshot of any offender on social media. Law enforcement officials in Florida and across the country have seen...
Report: Railroads, regulators must address the dangers of long trains
OMAHA, Neb. — As freight trains have grown ever longer, the number of derailments related to the forces created when railcars push and pull against each other also increased, so the National Academies of Sciences said Tuesday in a long-awaited report that regulators, Congress and the industry should reexamine the...
Casualties in Myanmar push Southeast Asia’s death toll from Typhoon Yagi past 500
BANGKOK — Floods and landslides in Myanmar triggered by last week’s Typhoon Yagi and seasonal monsoon rains have claimed at least 226 lives, with 77 people missing, state-run media reported Tuesday. The new figures push the total number of dead in Southeast Asia from the storm past 500. The accounting...
Instagram teen accounts to be made private
Accounts for any Instagram users under 16 will now be made private, Meta announced Tuesday. Users will now need a parent’s approval to change the restricted settings, called “Teen Accounts” — which filter out offensive words and limit who can contact the account, NPR reported. The changes are being made...
Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers and blames Israel. At least 9 dead, thousands injuredVideo
BEIRUT — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people — including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to...
Man charged with murder over crossbow attack near London that killed 3 women
LONDON — A man appeared in a London court on Tuesday charged with killing three women in a knife and crossbow attack near London in July. Kyle Clifford, 26, faces three murder charges over the deaths of 61-year-old Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25....
Facebook owner Meta bans Russia state media outlets over ‘foreign interference’
LONDON — Meta said it’s banning Russia state media organization from its social media platforms, alleging that the outlets used deceptive tactics to amplify Moscow’s propaganda. The announcement drew a rebuke from the Kremlin on Tuesday. The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said late Monday that it will...
Bill Gates calls for more aid to go to Africa and for debt relief for burdened countries
NEW YORK — The billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates thinks the richest governments should increase their support for African countries that have been overshadowed by development funding increasingly going toward the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine as well as support for refugees around the world in...
Instagram makes teen accounts private as pressure mounts on the app to protect children
Instagram is introducing separate teen accounts for those under 18 as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people’s lives. Beginning Tuesday in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, anyone under under 18 who signs up for Instagram...
U.S. retail sales ticked up last month in sign of ongoing consumer resilience
WASHINGTON — Americans spent a bit more at retailers last month, providing a small boost to the economy just as the Federal Reserve considers how much to cut its key interest rate. Retail sales ticked up 0.1% from July to August, after jumping the most in 18 months the previous...
Not-so-great expectations: Students are reading fewer books in English class
Chris Stanislawski didn’t read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary. Students were given detailed chapter summaries for every novel they discussed, and teachers played audio of the books during class. Much of the reading material at Garden City Middle School in Long Island was...
Sen. Josh Hawley releases whistleblower info showing ‘pattern of negligence’ by Secret Service
The second assassination attempt on Donald Trump sparked calls from President Joe Biden and lawmakers to bolster the Secret Service protection for the former president with either more resources, strategic changes or more agency oversight. On Monday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., issued a report based on information he says he’s...
Postal Service insists it’s ready for a flood of mail-in ballots
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy assured state election officials in a letter released Monday that he’ll work with them to handle their warnings of problems with election mail delivery during the primary season, while insisting that the Postal Service will be ready for the flood of mail-in ballots ahead of...
Ohio state police to protect schools after furor over Haitian immigrants in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Ohio state police will help protect schools in a city at the center of a political furor over Haitian migrants, the governor announced Monday, while local officials canceled an annual celebration of cultural diversity in the fallout over former President Donald Trump’s false claims about pet-eating. Ohio...
Judge rejects former Trump aide Mark Meadows’ bid to move Arizona election case to federal court
PHOENIX — A judge has rejected a bid by Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, to move his charges in Arizona’s fake elector case to federal court, marking the second time he has failed in trying to get his charges out of state court. In...
