U.S./World category, Page 396
Killer on the loose: Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive search, autopsy suggests
PORTLAND, Maine — The Army reservist who fatally shot 18 people at two locations in Lewiston before disappearing into the night was alive and possibly on the run during a good portion of the huge search that led to community-wide shelter-in-place orders, according to the Maine medical examiner’s office. Robert...
Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old can proceed with $40 million lawsuit, judge rules
NEWPORT NEWS — A teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can press forward with her $40 million lawsuit against a school system over claims of negligence by school administrators, a judge ruled Friday. The surprise decision by Newport News Circuit Court Judge Matthew Hoffman means Abby...
2nd worker trapped under collapsed Kentucky coal prep plant has died, governor says
The second of two workers trapped under a coal mine preparation plant that collapsed this week in eastern Kentucky has died, Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday. “This is a heartbreaking situation,” the Democratic governor wrote on social media, calling for prayers for the men’s loved ones. The two men —...
Defendant in the Georgia election interference case: Trump won 2020 election
One of the defendants in the Fulton elections interference case is pursuing a unique legal strategy: trying to prove that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election in Georgia. While other Trump allies, notably those who have reached plea deals with prosecutors, have backed away from election fraud claims,...
Supreme Court will rule on ban on rapid-fire gun bump stocks, used in the Las Vegas mass shooting
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether a Trump era-ban on bump stocks, the gun attachments that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns, violates federal law. The justices will hear arguments early next year over a regulation put in place by the Justice...
Ohio will vote on marijuana legalization. Advocates say there’s a lot at stake
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Voters in Ohio will decide next week whether to legalize recreational marijuana, but people on both sides of the issue say more hangs in the balance than simply decriminalizing the drug. Supporters of legalization say Ohio can reclaim tax revenue being lost to states such as Michigan,...
Tens of thousands of Las Vegas hotel workers at 18 casinos could go on strike this month
LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of Las Vegas hotel workers set a deadline Thursday for a sweeping strike, threatening major disruptions to the city’s economic backbone that could coincide with the Strip’s inaugural Formula 1 races later this month. The Culinary Workers Union said about 35,000 members whose contracts...
Gas explosion at building north of New York City injures 15, including 5 responders
WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. — A gas explosion collapsed part of a brick multifamily building north of New York City, trapping victims in the rubble and injuring 15 people, including five first responders, according to officials. There were no fatalities in the Thursday afternoon explosion and fire, which sent thick smoke...
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says ‘we need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians’
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more needs to be done to “protect Palestinian civilians” in Gaza and that, without that, there will be “no partners for peace.” Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, Blinken also said, “we need to substantially and...
Biden will host Americas summit that focuses on supply chains, migration and new investment
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is gathering leaders from 11 other countries across the Americas on Friday in the U.S. capital to discuss the tightening of supply chains and address migration issues. In a preview of the first Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit, White House National Security Council...
Amazon and Meta settle U.K. investigations with pledges to refrain from unfair practices
LONDON — Amazon and Meta settled separate U.K. antitrust investigations by agreeing to stop practices that give them an unfair advantage over merchants and customers using their platforms, the watchdog said Friday. The Competition and Markets Authority said it accepted the committments from the U.S. tech companies to close the...
Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah leader threatens escalation with Israel as its war with Hamas rages on
BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his powerful militia is already engaged in unprecedented cross-border fighting with Israel along the Lebanon-Israel border and threatened a further escalation as the Israel-Hamas war nears the one-month mark. In the televised remarks — Nasrallah’s first since the beginning of the...
Trump asks appeals court to lift gag order imposed on him in 2020 election interference case
Former President Donald Trump asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to lift a gag order restricting his speech about potential witnesses, prosecutors and court staff in the case that accuses him of scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump’s attorneys urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...
Indiana attorney general reprimanded for comments on doctor who provided rape victim’s abortion
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana’s attorney general violated professional conduct rules in statements he made about a doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio in the weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, according to a court opinion filed Thursday. The...
House approves $14.5 billion in assistance for Israel as Biden vows to veto the GOP’s approach
WASHINGTON — The House approved $14.5 billion in military aid Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden. In a departure from norms, Johnson’s package...
Prosecutor: Former Memphis officer pleads guilty to state and federal charges in Tyre Nichols’ death
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A former Memphis police officer changed his plea to guilty Thursday in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, becoming the first of five officers charged to reverse course, with prosecutors recommending up to 15 years in prison. Desmond Mills Jr. entered his plea during a hearing at...
Don’t pre-tip on delivery? Don’t expect your food quickly, DoorDash warns
Americans are tipping their delivery drivers less often than they did last year. DoorDash is seeking to reverse that trend with an automated nudge — one that carries a hint of a threat. The food delivery service is testing out a new in-app warning that encourages non-tipping customers to rethink...
Senate confirms 3 military officers as Sen. Tuberville holds up hundreds more
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed three top military officers on Thursday — including the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — as bipartisan frustration swirled around Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for blocking hundreds more nominees. Republican senators plan to hold a closed-door meeting next week to discuss...
American Ballet Theater returns to China after a decade, shows signs of improving U.S.-China ties
SHANGHAI, China— America’s national ballet company returned to China on Thursday for the first time in a decade in the latest sign that the strained U.S.-China relations are beginning to improve. The American Ballet Theater’s 85 dancers prepared for opening night at the Shanghai Grand Theater, where they were to...
The U.S. imposes new sanctions on people and firms alleged to boost Russia’s Ukraine war supplies
WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on 130 firms and people from Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates in an effort to choke off Russia’s access to tools and equipment that support its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions imposed by Treasury Department’s...
Uber and Lyft to pay $328M in New York wage theft settlement
ALBANY, N.Y. — Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will pay a combined $328 million to settle wage theft claims in New York, Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday. James said the settlements resolve investigations into the companies improperly charging drivers sales taxes and other fees when customers should have paid...
‘A curse to be a parent in Gaza’: More than 3,600 Palestinian children killed in just 3 weeks of war
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — More than 3,600 Palestinian children were killed in the first 25 days of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. They were hit by airstrikes, smashed by misfired rockets, burned by blasts and crushed by buildings, and among them were...
Minnesota justices appear skeptical that states should decide Trump’s eligibility for the ballot
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Thursday that states have the authority to block former President Donald Trump from the ballot, with some suggesting that Congress is best positioned to decide whether his role in the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack should prevent him from running. Justices...
Biden calls for humanitarian ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas war
MINNEAPOLIS — President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and...
Ornithological society to rename dozens of birds — and stop naming them after people
Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday. Next year, the organization will begin to rename around 80 species found in the U.S. and Canada. “There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past...
