U.S./World category, Page 400
Most of Justice Thomas’ $267,000 loan for an RV seems to have been forgiven, Senate Democrats say
WASHINGTON — All or most of a $267,000 loan obtained by Supreme CourtJustice Clarence Thomas to buy a high-end motorcoach appears to have been forgiven, raising tax and ethics questions, according to a new report by Senate Democrats. Anthony “Tony” Welters, a longtime friend of Thomas who made the loan...
1st major storm of the season drops up to a foot of snow in MontanaVideo
HELENA, Mont. — The first major snowstorm of the season dropped up to a foot of snow in the Helena, Montana, area by Wednesday, sending an army of snowplows and sand trucks out onto the roads. Residents woke up to swirling snow and the sound of shovels on sidewalks just...
Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York charged with misdemeanor, to pay fine after triggering House fire alarm
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman was charged Wednesday with a misdemeanor for triggering a fire alarm as lawmakers scrambled to pass a funding bill before a government shutdown deadline in September. He is expected to plead guilty, formally apologize and pay a $1,000 fine. The alarm prompted an evacuation...
A teacher was shot by her 6-year-old student. Is workers’ compensation enough?
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A heated debate has emerged about the once-unimaginable shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student: How should the school district take care of the teacher? Should she only get workers’ compensation for her serious physical injuries? Or does she deserve the chance to sue the...
USPS touts crackdown on postal crime, carrier robberies, with hundreds of arrests
With mail theft and postal carrier robberies up, law enforcement officials have made more than 600 arrests since May in a crackdown launched to address crime that includes carriers being accosted at gunpoint for their antiquated universal keys, the Postal Service announced Wednesday. Criminals are both stealing mail and targeting...
Amy Schumer’s memoir, ‘The Art of War’ and many other books are banned in U.S. prisons. Here’s why
NEW YORK — Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. The list includes everything from self-help books to an Elmore Leonard novel. “The common concept underpinning the censorship we’re seeing is that certain ideas and information...
California Gov. Newsom has surprise meeting with China’s leader Xi amid warm welcome in Beijing
BANGKOK — California Gov. Gavin Newsom had a surprise meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday after being warmly welcomed by other senior leaders in a display of friendliness that stands in sharp contrast to the dialogue between the U.S. and China in recent years. The governor...
City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub property to build memorial to massacre victims
ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago. City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said they plan...
2nd Baltimore firefighter has died after battling rowhouse fire
BALTIMORE — A second Baltimore firefighter has died from injuries sustained while battling a rapidly intensifying blaze that engulfed multiple rowhouses in northwest Baltimore last week, a city official said. Lt. Dillon Rinaldo was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after the fire Thursday afternoon. He later succumbed to his...
Trump fined $10,000 over a comment he made outside court in his New York civil fraud trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump was called to the witness stand and then fined $10,000 on Wednesday after a judge concluded that the former president had violated a limited gag order in his civil fraud trial. It was the second time in less than a week that Trump was penalized...
Battle of wreaths erupts in the Arctic when Russian envoy puts his garland over Norway’s wreath
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A battle of wreaths erupted Wednesday when a Russian diplomat in the Arctic town of Kirkenes in northern Norway reportedly put his garland on top of Norway’s at a monument for the 1944 liberation of the region by Soviet troops. Magnus Mæland, the municipality mayor, then angrily...
States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
Dozens of states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for allegedly harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. A lawsuit filed by 33 states claims Meta...
Now freed, an Israeli hostage describes the ‘hell’ of harrowing Hamas attack and terrifying capture
JERUSALEM — Eighty-five-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz spoke of a “hell that we never knew before and never thought we would experience” as she described the harrowing Oct. 7 assault on her kibbutz by Hamas militants and the terror of being taken hostage into the Gaza Strip. Lifshitz was the first of...
UN warns Gaza blockade could force it to sharply cut relief operations as bombings rise
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The U.N. warned Wednesday that it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory blockaded and devastated by Israeli airstrikes since Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel more than two...
Parents like private school vouchers so much that demand is exceeding budgets in some states
In some states, higher-income families can now use taxpayer money to cover private school tuition — and more people than projected are taking the offer, which might force scrambles to shore up state budgets. It’s especially an issue in states like Arizona and Iowa, where at least some families whose...
First major snowstorm of season hitting the northern Rockies after warm fall
HELENA, Mont. — The first major snowstorm of the season is expected to hit the northern Cascades, Rockies and North Dakota this week, sending residents searching for their winter coats, gloves and boots and facing much different driving conditions after a warm fall in many places. The National Weather Service...
Biden, Saudi crown prince discuss efforts to contain Israeli-Hamas conflict
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed efforts to prevent the conflict between Hamas and Israel from escalating during a phone call Tuesday, the White House said in a statement. The two spoke about “ongoing diplomatic and military efforts to deter state and non-state...
Toll rises to 8 dead, 63 hurt in Louisiana pileup blamed on dense fog, smoke
NEW ORLEANS — The toll from a series of crashes on a Louisiana interstate rose to eight dead and 63 injured Tuesday evening, a day after a “super fog” of marsh fire smoke and dense fog snared more than 160 vehicles in the fiery pileup, authorities said. Lance Scott was...
U.S. developing contingency plans to evacuate Americans from Mideast in case Israel-Hamas war spreads
WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday “prudent contingency planning” is underway to evacuate Americans from the Middle East in case the Israel-Hamas war spreads into a broad regional conflict. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed there are no “active efforts” to evacuate Americans from the region...
Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows gets immunity in D.C. election-interference probe
WASHINGTON — Mark Meadows, the final chief of staff to Donald Trump, has been given immunity from prosecution in the election-interference probe against the former president in Washington and has testified before a grand jury hearing evidence in the case, according to a person familiar with the events. In his...
Off-duty pilot accused of trying to cut jet engines pleads not guilty to attempted murder charges
PORTLAND, Ore. — An off-duty airline pilot riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight said “I’m not OK” just before trying to cut the engines midflight and later told police he had recently taken psychedelic mushrooms as his mental health worsened, according to charging documents made...
Tropical Storm Otis strengthens to hurricane ahead of expected landfall near Mexico’s AcapulcoVideo
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Otis strengthened to a hurricane Tuesday as it approached Mexico’s southern Pacific coast where it was forecast to make landfall near the resort of Acapulco late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Otis was about 145 miles south-southeast of Acapulco...
Republicans nominate Mike Johnson for House speaker after Emmer’s withdrawal, desperate to end chaos
WASHINGTON — Republicans chose Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest nominee for House speaker late Tuesday, hours after an earlier pick, Rep. Tom Emmer, abruptly withdrew in the face of opposition from Donald Trump and hardline GOP lawmakers. Johnson of Louisiana, a lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team,...
Israel’s increased strikes across Gaza kill more than 700 people in the past day, Palestinians sayVideo
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Rapidly expanding Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed more than 700 people in the past day as medical facilities across the territory were forced to close because of bombing damage and a lack of power, health officials said Tuesday. The soaring death toll from Israel’s...
Strikes trim profit at GM in an otherwise strong quarter; more losses likely if picketing spreads
DETROIT — A strike by auto workers against General Motors is expected to cut pretax earnings by $800 million this year, and another $200 million per week after that, the company’s chief financial officer said. And those figures include only factories that are on strike now with less than a...
