U.S./World category, Page 461
Powerball jackpot elusive again; Saturday prize rises to $725M
Another Powerball drawing, another night without a big winner. The winning numbers were 16-27-59-62-63 with a Powerball of 23. Up for grabs was $672 million, $320 million for all cash. No entries matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing Wednesday night, pushing the jackpot to $725 million ($345.7 million...
Man executed for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed an inmate Thursday for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student, in a case that went unsolved for years until DNA from the crime scene was matched to a man serving prison time for burglary. Anthony Sanchez, 44, was pronounced dead at...
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes — the first time he’s admitted blame to a judge
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh did something Thursday he hasn’t done in the two years since his life of privilege and power started to unravel — plead guilty to a crime. Murdaugh admitted in federal court to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering. Murdaugh, 55, is...
Zelenskyy delivers upbeat message to U.S. lawmakers on war progress as some Republican support softens
WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy worked to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine on a whirlwind visit to Washington on Thursday, delivering an upbeat message on the war’s progress while facing new questions about the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the...
Outdated headline sparks vicious online hate campaign directed at Las Vegas newspaper
NEW YORK — A Las Vegas newspaper is being viciously attacked online for its coverage of an alleged murder of a retired police chief, either because of a misunderstanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead. The “firehose of hatred” has led the Las Vegas Review-Journal to sift through email directed...
‘Game of Thrones’ creator and other authors sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for copyright infringement
NEW YORK — John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George R.R. Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for “systematic theft on a mass scale,” the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission. In papers filed Tuesday...
Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country — quickly making them eligible to work — as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to...
Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson says Rudy Giuliani groped her on Jan. 6, 2021
Rudy Giuliani allegedly molested White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson shortly before the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, Hutchinson writes in a new book. The book, titled “Enough,” describes Giuliani as acting “like a wolf closing in on its prey,” according to the Guardian, which obtained an advance copy....
UN chief warns of ‘gates of hell’ in climate summit, but carbon polluting nations stay silent
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the United Nations warned Wednesday that the “gates of hell” are at hand as climate change intensifies, and top international officials said the world’s leaders still aren’t doing nearly enough to curb pollution of heat-trapping gases. They pleaded with major emitting nations to do...
Man who shot Black teen who mistakenly went to his door enters not guilty plea; trial scheduled
LIBERTY, Mo. — A white 84-year-old homeowner who is accused of shooting a Black teenager after the high-schooler mistakenly came to his Kansas City home entered a not guilty plea Wednesday, and the judge scheduled his trial for next year. Andrew Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic, is charged with first-degree...
Woman rescued from outhouse toilet in northern Michigan after dropping Apple Watch, police say
BAGLEY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A woman was rescued Tuesday from an outhouse toilet in northern Michigan while trying to retrieve her Apple Watch. The woman, whose name was not released, lowered herself inside the toilet after dropping the watch at the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at Dixon Lake...
Alabama school band director says he was ‘just doing my job’ before police arrested him
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama high school band director said Wednesday that he was just “doing my job” when police officers arrested him and shocked him with a stun gun after he refused to immediately stop the band as it played in the bleachers following a football game. Johnny Mims,...
This simple log structure may be the oldest example of early humans building with wood
NEW YORK — Researchers have uncovered a simple structure from the Stone Age that may be the oldest evidence yet of early humans building with wood. The construction is basic a pair of overlapping logs, fitted together with a notch. It’s nearly half a million years old and provides a...
Rough surf batters Bermuda as Hurricane Nigel charges through open waters
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Forecasters in Bermuda warned Wednesday of dangerous swells and rip currents as Hurricane Nigel spun through open waters in the northern Atlantic. The Category 1 hurricane was located about 650 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and was moving...
Kraft Heinz recalls some American cheese slices because wrappers could pose choking hazard
Kraft Heinz said Tuesday it’s recalling more than 83,000 cases of individually-wrapped Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices because part of the wrapper could stick to the slice and become a choking hazard. The company, which is based in Chicago and Pittsburgh, said one of its wrapping machines developed a...
Challenges to library books continue at record pace in 2023, American Library Association reports
NEW YORK — Book bans and attempted bans continue to hit record highs, according to the American Library Association. And the efforts now extend as much to public libraries as school-based libraries. Through the first eights months of 2023, the ALA tracked 695 challenges to library materials and services, compared...
Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to firearms charges
Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to federal firearms charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal in a long-running federal investigation, his lawyers said Tuesday in court documents. Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, during a period...
Overhaul of Ohio’s K-12 education system is unconstitutional, new lawsuit contends
COLUMBUS — Seven Ohio school board members are alleging that a Republican-backed overhaul of how the state oversees K-12 education — including decisions on academic standards and school curricula — violates the state’s constitution, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Through changes included in the latest state budget, oversight of...
New York day care operator tried to cover up fentanyl operation before 1-year-old’s death, feds allege
NEW YORK — The owner of a New York City day care center where a 1-year-old child died after being exposed to fentanyl took steps to cover up her involvement in a sprawling drug operation, even as medics rushed to treat several children in her care who were poisoned by...
Biden exhorts world leaders at the UN to stand up to Russia, not let Ukraine ‘be carved up’
UNITED NATIONS — President Joe Biden made a robust case before the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that the world must remain united in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression, warning that no nation can be secure if “we allow Ukraine to be carved up” as he tries to rally support...
Family says 14-year-old daughter found iPhone taped to back of toilet seat on Boston flight
BOSTON — The family of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly discovered an iPhone taped to the back of a toilet seat on a recent flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston said they believe she was targeted by a member of the crew. During the Sept. 2 American Airlines flight 1441,...
U.S. issues more sanctions over Iran drone program after nation’s president denies supplying Russia
WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven people and four companies in China, Russia and Turkey who officials allege are connected with the development of Iran’s drone program. The U.S. accuses Iran of supplying Russia with drones used to bomb Ukrainian civilians as the Kremlin continues its...
3 former Columbus Zoo executives indicted in $2.2M corruption scheme
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executives engaged in a pattern of corrupt activity that cost the facility more than $2.2 million, according to an indictment. Tom Stalf, who was the zoo’s president and chief executive officer; ex-Chief Financial Officer Gregory Bell and Peter Fingerhut, its former...
UAW gives deadline for progress in talks, dismisses Trump plans to speak with workers
The leader of the United Auto Workers said that a limited strike targeting plants in Missouri, Michigan and Ohio may be expanded if “serious progress” toward an new contract agreement isn’t made by Friday at noon. The UAW for the first time in its history is striking at all three...
London police force says it will take years to remove officers accused of corruption and misconduct
LONDON — Hundreds of London police officers are facing dismissal as the department steps up efforts “to root out those who are corrupt” after a series of scandals eroded public trust and a scathing report found it was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic. The Metropolitan Police Service said Tuesday that...
