U.S./World category, Page 365
Donald Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial
NEW YORK — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump wrested an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the judge. In an extraordinary move...
1 dead, 1 injured following avalanche at California ski resort, official says
OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — A person was killed and another was injured Wednesday when an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe, authorities said. The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened and search crews combed the...
Snow in the West and flooding in the East. Here’s how the U.S. is coping with the massive storm
CONCORD, N.H. — A major storm drenched the Northeast and slammed it with fierce winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands following a bout of violent weather that struck most of the U.S. The storm, which started Tuesday night and was moving out Wednesday, washed out roads and took...
Judge: Lawsuit against Parkland school deputy over 2018 massacre can go to trial
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A lawsuit filed by families of the 17 people killed and other victims of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre against a former sheriff’s deputy who failed to intervene can go forward, a judge ruled, rejecting his motion to dismiss the case before trial. Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa...
Bills fan killed outside of Dolphins’ stadium after last weekend’s game, police say
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Police in South Florida say a man fatally shot a 30-year-old Buffalo Bills fan during an altercation outside Hard Rock Stadium after the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins in the final regular season game. As Dylan Brody Isaacs and his friends were returning to their vehicle...
Republicans push ahead with Hunter Biden contempt charge after his surprise visit to Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena. They advanced the charge to a full House vote just hours after the president’s son sparked a momentary political frenzy by appearing in the front row for part...
Police investigation finds Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert didn’t punch ex-husband as he claimed
DENVER — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has been cleared of domestic violence allegations made by her ex-husband during an altercation at a Colorado restaurant, police said Wednesday. Jayson Boebert had accused the congresswoman of punching him in the face but he later recanted, Silt police said in a statement. The...
Judge rescinds permission for Trump to give his own closing argument at his civil fraud trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump won’t make his own closing argument after all in his New York civil business fraud trial after his lawyers objected to the judge’s insistence that the former president stick to “relevant” matters. Judge Arthur Engoron rescinded his conditional permission for the unusual plan on Wednesday,...
Video appears to show the Israeli army shot 3 Palestinians, killing 1, without provocation
BEIT RIMA, West Bank — Security camera video from a West Bank village shows a young man standing in a central square when he is suddenly shot and drops to the ground. Two others rushing to his aid are also hit, leaving a 17-year-old dead, moments before Israeli military jeeps...
USDA estimates 21 million kids will get summer food benefits through new program in 2024
Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Russia can be stopped but Kyiv badly needs more air defense systems
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Ukraine has shown the world that Russia’s military can be stopped, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday as he began a visit to the Baltic nations in search of more help for his country against the Kremlin’s larger and better-supplied forces in the 22-month-old invasion. Speaking in the...
Ecuador’s escalating gang violence is broadcast live to the nation as masked gunmen storm TV studio
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — It was a day like any other at the TC Television studio in Ecuador, with its mid-afternoon newscast underway, when masked gunmen burst in, unleashing at least 15 minutes of threats and fear — all broadcast live. First, a man with a pistol appeared in the middle...
New Mexico man pleads guilty in drive-by shootings on homes of Democratic lawmakers
SANTA FE, N.M. — One of three defendants has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque after the 2022 election, according to federal court filings made public Tuesday. Jose Louise Trujillo pleaded guilty at...
Ray Epps, a target of Jan. 6 conspiracy theories, gets a year of probation for his Capitol riot role
WASHINGTON — A man targeted by right-wing conspiracy theories about the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Tuesday to a year of probation for joining the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of fellow Donald Trump supporters. Ray Epps, a former Arizona resident who was driven into hiding by...
Defense Secretary Austin treated for prostate cancer, urinary tract infection, doctors sayVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer, and his recent secretive hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation, his doctors said Tuesday. The cancer revelation answers the main question about Austin’s hospitalization, which has now lasted eight days. But...
Sprawling storm wallops U.S. with tornado reports, damage and heavy snow, closing roads and schoolsVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — A sprawling storm hit the South with tornado warnings and strong wind that blew roofs off homes, flipped over campers and tossed about furniture in Florida on Tuesday. Another storm brought cities across the Midwest to a standstill with more than half a foot of snow,...
White House orders Cabinet secretaries to notify when they can’t perform duties after Austin illness
WASHINGTON — The White House chief of staff on Tuesday ordered Cabinet members or secretaries to notify his office if they ever can’t perform their duties, as the Biden administration, reeling from learning of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s surprise illness last week, mounts a policy review. Jeff Zients, in a...
Return of bullfighting to Mexico’s capital excites fans, upsets animal rights groups
MEXICO CITY — In the center of a desolate and cold Plaza Mexico stadium, a young matador raises a red cape and leaps to the right as he gets charged — not by a bull, but by a bull’s head on a cart. A bellowing colleague is pushing the wheeled...
Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers deal prompts California controller to ask Congress to cap deferred payments
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Controller Malia M. Cohen wants Congress to change the tax code to cap deferred payments, a change that could ensure the state is owed more money from Shohei Ohtani. Cohen made the request four weeks after the two-way star and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to...
Former gang leader charged in killing of Tupac Shakur is allowed $750K bail and house arrest
LAS VEGAS — A judge set bail Tuesday at $750,000 for a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in 1996 and said he can serve house arrest with electronic monitoring ahead of his trial in June. Court-appointed attorneys for Duane “Keffe...
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say their drivers won’t be affectedVideo
The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce. Major app-based platforms including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash expressed confidence that the new rule...
Aid group says 6,618 migrants died trying to reach Spain by boat in 2023, more than double 2022
MADRID — More than 6,600 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by boat last year, a Spanish non-profit organization said Tuesday. The figure is more than double the number in the previous year, when the organization, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), said 2,390 died. The organization said 2023 was the...
Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child
ROME — Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity. In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy...
Intensified Russian airstrikes are stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s recent escalation of missile and drone attacks is stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, a Ukrainian air force official said Tuesday, leaving the country vulnerable in the 22-month war unless it can secure further weapons supplies. “Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount...
South Korea’s parliament passes landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday passed a landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat, as public calls for a prohibition have grown sharply over concerns about animal rights and the country’s international image. Some angry dog farmers said they plan to challenge the bill’s...
