U.S./World category, Page 421
Hurricane Idalia hits Florida with 125 mph winds, flooding streets, snapping trees and cutting powerVideo
PERRY, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground. “All hell...
Millions more workers would be entitled to overtime pay under a proposed Biden administration rule
NEW YORK — The Biden administration will propose a new rule Wednesday that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, reviving an Obama-era policy effort that was ultimately scuttled in court. The new rule, shared with The Associated Press ahead of the announcement, would require employers...
As Trump and Republicans target Georgia’s Fani Willis for retribution, the state’s governor opts out
ATLANTA — Some Republicans in Washington and Georgia began attacking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis immediately after she announced the Aug. 14 indictment of former President Donald Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. But others, including Gov. Brian Kemp, have been conspicuous in their unwillingness...
Dentist accused of killing wife by poisoning her protein shakes expected to plead not guilty
DENVER — A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison is expected to plead not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in October, his defense attorneys said Tuesday. Police said James Craig, who began an affair before his wife’s death on March 18,...
Lawyers indicted with Trump say they were doing their jobs. But that may be a tough argument to make
WASHINGTON — As John Eastman prepared to surrender to Georgia authorities last week for an indictment related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, he issued a statement denouncing the criminal case as targeting attorneys “for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients.” Another defendant, Rudy Giuliani, struck...
5 people hospitalized in E. coli outbreak at the University of Arkansas
Health officials are investigating an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning among students at the University of Arkansas, with dozens reporting symptoms and five people needing treatment in the hospital. Among those affected are two 19-year-old sorority members who developed a serious complication that can lead to kidney failure after...
University of North Carolina graduate student left building right after killing adviser, police sayVideo
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A University of North Carolina graduate student charged with killing his faculty adviser walked into a classroom building, shot the victim and then left, authorities said Tuesday, shedding light on an attack that led to a campuswide lockdown as police searched for the gunman. Tailei Qi,...
A new Titanic expedition is planned. The U.S. is fighting it, says wreck is a grave site
NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. government is trying to stop a planned expedition to recover items of historical interest from the sunken Titanic, citing a federal law and an international agreement that treat the shipwreck as a hallowed gravesite. The expedition is being organized by RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia-based...
Officials say gas explosion destroyed NFL player Caleb Farley’s home, killing his dad
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Fire investigators have determined that a natural gas explosion destroyed Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley’s North Carolina home, killing the NFL player’s father and injuring a family friend, officials announced Tuesday. It wasn’t clear where the gas leak originated, and the remaining structure is so unstable that...
Chicago TV news crew robbed at gunpoint while reporting on a string of robberies
CHICAGO — A Chicago television news crew reporting on a string of robberies ended up robbed themselves after they were accosted at gunpoint by three armed men wearing ski masks. Spanish-language station Univision Chicago said a reporter and photographer were filming just before 5 a.m. Monday in Chicago’s West Town...
127-year-old water main gives way under NYC’s Times Square, flooding streets, subwaysVideo
NEW YORK — A 127-year-old water main under New York’s Times Square gave way early Tuesday, flooding midtown streets and the city’s busiest subway station. The 20-inch water main gave way under 40th Street and Seventh Avenue at 3 a.m., said Rohit Aggarwala, commissioner of New York City’s Department of...
After Supreme Court curtails federal power, Biden administration weakens water protections
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands Tuesday, saying it had no choice after the Supreme Court sharply limited the federal government’s jurisdiction over them. The rule would require that wetlands be more clearly connected to other waters like oceans and rivers, a policy...
No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise diagnosed with blood cancer, undergoing treatment
WASHINGTON — Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2-ranking House Republican, said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment. Scalise, 57, said he will continue to serve in the House. He described the cancer as “very treatable” and said...
3M agrees to pay $6 billion to settle earplug lawsuits from U.S. service members
NEW YORK — Chemical and consumer product manufacturer 3M has agreed to pay $6 billion to settle numerous lawsuits from U.S. service members who say they experienced hearing loss or other serious injuries after using faulty earplugs made by the company. The settlement, consisting of $5 billion in cash and...
The math problem: Kids are still behind. How can schools catch them up?
On a breezy July morning in South Seattle, a dozen elementary-aged students ran math relays behind an elementary school. One by one, they raced to a table, where they scribbled answers to multiplication questions before sprinting back to high-five their teammate. These students are part of a summer program run...
Massive wildfire in northeastern Greece persists for 11th day despite European firefighting efforts
ATHENS, Greece — A massive wildfire was burning unabated in northeastern Greece for the 11th day Tuesday despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft from Greece and several of its European Union partners. After burning across vast tracts of land, the blaze in the...
See which drugs President Biden is targeting for Medicare price-lowering talks
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is targeting the blood thinner Eliquis, diabetes treatment Jardiance and eight other medications for Medicare’s first-ever drug price negotiations as it seeks to lower medical costs for Americans. The administration on Tuesday released a list of the 10 drugs for which prices will be negotiated...
Another alligator on the loose — this time in New Jersey
Less than a month after an alligator was pulled out of the Kiski River, authorities in New Jersey are searching waterways there after confirmed reports of an alligator of their own. Police in Middlesex, about 40 miles southwest of New York City, reported Monday that an officer shot at the...
UNC Chapel Hill shooting suspect’s motive in the killing of a faculty member is unclear, police say
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Police were searching for both the weapon and the motive in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that left one faculty member dead and prompted an hourslong lockdown amid a search for the suspect. The assailant in Monday afternoon’s shooting at...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faces Black leaders’ anger after racist killings in Jacksonville
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis scoffed when the NAACP issued a travel advisory this spring warning Black people to use “extreme care” if traveling to Florida. The leading civil rights group argued that the state’s loose gun laws and the Republican governor’s “anti-woke” campaign to deny the existence of systemic...
HBCU president lauds students, officer for stopping Jacksonville killer before racist store attack
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A campus security officer tipped off by observant students likely stopped the killer who fatally shot three people at a nearby Dollar General Store from carrying out his racist attack at Edward Waters University, the president of the historically Black institution said Monday. Students reported seeing a...
Category 4 Hurricane Idalia projected to hit Florida with ‘catastrophic’ storm surgeVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning as it steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region and threatened to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Hurricane Idalia gained strength...
Trump chief of staff Meadows denies 2 allegations in Georgia indictment as he takes witness stand
ATLANTA — Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows took the witness stand at a hearing Monday to deny two of the allegations made against him in a Georgia indictment accusing him of participating in an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election. Meadows, who was charged this month...
Joe the Plumber, who questioned Obama’s tax proposals during the 2008 campaign, dies at 49
TOLEDO, Ohio — Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher, who was thrust into the political spotlight as “Joe the Plumber” after questioning Barack Obama about his economic proposals during the 2008 presidential campaign, and who later forayed into politics himself, has died, his son said Monday. He was 49. His oldest son, Joey...
Trump gets March 4 trial date in federal case over efforts to overturn 2020 electionVideo
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump will face trial on March 4, 2024, for four felony charges related to his alleged efforts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 election. That means jury selection would begin a day before Super Tuesday on March 5, when California, Texas and...
