U.S./World category, Page 603
Pentagon denies D.C. request for National Guard migrant help
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon rejected a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in what the mayor has called a “growing humanitarian crisis” prompted by thousands of migrants being bused to the city from two southern states. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to provide Guard personnel and...
John Rensenbrink, U.S. Green Party co-founder, dies at 93
PORTLAND, Maine — John Rensenbrink, a Maine political scientist and conservationist who co-founded the Green Party of the United States, has died. He was 93. Rensenbrink, of Topsham, died in hospice, surrounded by his family, the national Green Party said. An obituary in the Bangor Daily News stated that Rensenbrink...
China halts climate, military ties over Pelosi Taiwan visit
WASHINGTON — China announced Friday it was ending all contact with the United States on major issues — including crucial climate cooperation that led to the international 2015 Paris accord — as tensions and public rebukes ratcheted higher over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. China’s move to freeze...
Sinema gives her nod, and influence, to Democrats’ big bill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin sealed the deal reviving President Joe Biden’s big economic, health care and climate bill. But it was another Democratic senator, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who intently, quietly and deliberately shaped the final product. Democrats pushed ahead Friday on an estimated $730 billion package that in...
Indiana Legislature 1st to approve abortion bans post Roe
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Legislature became the first in the nation Friday to pass new legislation restricting access to abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has not indicated whether he will sign it. Indiana was among the...
Elon Musk countersuit accuses Twitter of fraud over ‘bot’ count
Elon Musk accused Twitter of fraud in a countersuit over his aborted $44 billion deal for the social media company, which he claimed held back necessary information and misled his team about the true size of its user base. The countersuit by the billionaire and Tesla CEO alleges that Twitter...
How Alex Jones’ bombastic behavior impacts him in court
AUSTIN, Texas — Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones bulled through the first of several trials against him that could decimate his personal fortune and media empire in his usual way: Loud, aggressive and talking about conspiracies both in and out the courtroom. It’s business as usual for the gravelly voiced,...
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 10, including senior militant
Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, killing at least 10 people, including a senior militant, and wounding dozens, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to an “imminent threat” following the arrest of another senior militant in...
Kremlin says Griner swap must be discussed without publicity
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said Friday that it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue. Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and an eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia...
4 critically injured in lightning strike near White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — Four people have been critically injured after a lightning strike outside the White House, fire officials said Thursday. The four victims — two men and two women — were injured in Lafayette Park, located directly outside the White House complex, according to the District of Columbia Fire and...
Man who threatened Dr. Fauci, other official, gets 3 years
GREENBELT, Md. — A West Virginia man was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison after he sent emails threatening Dr. Anthony Fauci and another federal health official for talking about the coronavirus and efforts to prevent its spread. Using an anonymous email account based in Switzerland, Thomas Patrick...
Alex Jones ordered to pay Sandy Hook parents more than $4M
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas jury on Thursday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, marking the first time the Infowars host has been held financially...
Trump White House lawyers subpoenaed by Jan. 6 probe grand jury
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election has subpoenaed the White House counsel under then-President Donald Trump and his top deputy, according to a person familiar with the matter. The subpoenas to Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin suggest an intensifying...
U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox outbreak
WASHINGTON — The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 6,600 Americans. The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps...
Judge: Tulsa Race Massacre victims’ descendants can’t sue
An Oklahoma judge said six descendants of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre cannot sue for reparations, while allowing three known survivors of the attack in which a white mob descended on a predominantly Black neighborhood to move forward with the lawsuit. The order, signed Tuesday by Tulsa County...
Feds charge 4 police officers in fatal Breonna Taylor raidVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The federal government filed civil rights charges Thursday against four Louisville police officers over the drug raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman whose fatal shooting helped fuel the racial justice protests that rocked the nation in 2020. The charges are another...
Forecasters trim hurricane season outlook a bit, still busy
This hurricane season may be a tad quieter than forecasters initially thought, but it is still likely to be busier than normal, government forecasters and others say. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday trimmed their hurricane season outlook from a 65% chance for above normal activity to 60%...
Sandy Hook lawyer: Jan. 6 panel asked for Alex Jones’ texts
AUSTIN, Texas — An attorney for the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre who are suing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claims about the attack said Thursday that the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee has requested two years’ worth of records from...
7 years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen
BISBEE, Ariz. — MJ was a tiny, black-haired girl, just 5 years old, when her father admitted to his bishop that he was sexually abusing her. The father, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an admitted pornography addict, was in counseling with his bishop...
Taliban claim they were unaware of al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban said Thursday they are investigating what they described as “claims” that al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital. However, the group insisted in a statement that it “has no knowledge of the arrival and residence” of al-Zawahri in...
Climate migration: California fire pushes family to Vermont
PROCTOR, Vt. — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new home. The family of seven couldn’t find anything nearby to replace their house reduced to ashes in the 2018 Paradise fire. It proved too daunting to...
Ukrainian cities shelled, including one near nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Powerful explosions rattled the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Thursday and a city close to the country’s biggest nuclear power plant sustained a barrage of shelling, part of a series of new Russian attacks in several regions, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian authorities said shelling of a...
WNBA’s Brittney Griner convicted at drug trial, sentenced to 9 years in Russian prisonVideo
KHIMKI, Russia — U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison following a politically charged trial that came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine and could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the two...
U.S. proposes to increase refund protections for air travelers
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department is proposing to require airlines to offer passengers a refund if their flight schedule is changed significantly or the airline makes major changes to their itinerary. The proposed rule announced Wednesday would require airlines to give refunds if their departure or arrival time changes by...
New York man who sent threats to LGBTQ groups gets 30 months
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A 74-year-old retired schoolteacher from a New York City suburb was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday for mailing dozens of violent threats to LGBTQ affiliated individuals, groups and businesses over several years. According to prosecutors, Robert Fehring threatened to blow up the Stonewall Inn,...
