U.S./World category, Page 659
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
It’s April 20. Here’s why everyone associates 420 with marijuana.
Whether you know a lot about marijuana or very little, chances are you’ve heard that the numbers 420 are particularly significant in weed culture. But what does it mean? And why do weed aficionados hold April 20 and 4:20 p.m. so sacred? According to Time Magazine, 420 can be traced...
Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. The order by the state Supreme Court puts on hold at least temporarily the planned April 29 execution of Richard Bernard Moore, who drew...
Explainer: Why Mideast tensions are soaring yet again
JERUSALEM — Everyone worried this might happen. In the weeks before a rare confluence of major Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays, with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Jerusalem for the first time since the pandemic, Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders discussed how to calm tensions. Israel took steps...
Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say
Every year, one of the world’s leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. But behind the bright lights and pulsing music, some dancers say they were sexually assaulted,...
Can Texas declare a border ‘invasion’ and return migrants to Mexico?
HOUSTON — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing mounting pressure from far-right and former Trump administration officials to immediately declare a migrant “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border, under a constitutional provision that would allow local law enforcement and National Guard troops to stop migrants at the border and send them...
Climate change, big agriculture combine to threaten insects
Climate change and habitat loss from big agriculture are combining to swat down global insect populations, with each problem making the other worse, a new study finds. While insects may bug people at times, they also are key in pollinating plants to feed people, making soil more fertile and they...
Birth of endangered Hawaiian monk seal caught on camera
Images of a Hawaiian monk seal being born on an Oahu beach have been captured on camera. An employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources shot video and photos of the pup emerging from the mother onto white sands last week. “As soon as its (amniotic) sac...
Poll: Majority of Americans want masks for travelers
A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government’s transportation mask mandate on hold. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds...
Photo gallery: Eyes of Ukraine refugees reflect war and welcome
The United Nations’ refugee agency says more than 5 million people have left Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country almost eight weeks ago. The Geneva-based U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday that data from official border crossing points put the total number of war refugees at 5.03 million....
Southwest wildfires force evacuations, tighten resourcesVideo
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An Arizona wildfire more than tripled in size as relentless wind pushed the flames through neighborhoods on the outskirts of a college and tourist town, keeping hundreds of residents away from their homes and destroying more than two dozen structures. The blaze continued its run Wednesday through...
Relentless attacks pound last defenders holed up in Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Relentless Russian attacks pounded the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol as a fighter apparently on the inside issued a video plea for help, saying defenders holed up in a giant steel plant “may have only a few days or hours left.” Another attempt...
One month on, cause of China Eastern crash still a mystery
BEIJING — One month after a China Eastern passenger jet crashed mid-flight, killing all 132 people on board, investigators say they have not determined a cause. A report issued Wednesday by the Civil Aviation Administration of China said no abnormalities had been found in the plane, its crew or external...
Florida man pleads guilty to threatening Rep. Ilhan Omar
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar nearly three years ago. David Hannon, 67, of Sarasota, pleaded guilty in Tampa federal court to one count of threatening a federal official, according to court records. The charge carries a penalty of up to...
Ohio doctor found not guilty in 14 hospital patient deaths
An Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive amounts of painkillers that led to multiple patient deaths at a Columbus-area hospital was acquitted of 14 counts of murder Wednesday following a weekslong trial. Dr. William Husel, 46, was accused of ordering the drugs for patients in the Mount Carmel Health System....
Late-season storm dumps heavy snow on New York, New EnglandVideo
A late-season storm dumped six inches or more of heavy, wet snow on parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northern New England on Tuesday, snapping tree limbs and interrupting power to more than 250,000 customers. In the hard-hit area around Binghamton, N.Y., a travel ban was lifted in the...
South Africa launches relief for Durban flooding; 443 dead
JOHANNESBURG — Declaring a national state of disaster, South Africa has allocated $67 million to help those hit by floods that have killed at least 443 people in the eastern city of Durban and the surrounding KwaZulu-Natal province. Nearly 4,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 40,000 people displaced...
Expert: Gun pressed to Patrick Lyoya’s head when Michigan cop firedVideo
A Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop pressed the gun against his head when firing the fatal shot, an expert who performed an independent autopsy for the Black man’s family said Tuesday. Dr. Werner Spitz confirmed what was seen last week on video: Lyoya was...
Russia pours in more troops and presses attack in eastern Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia assaulted cities and towns along a boomerang-shaped front hundreds of miles long and poured more troops into Ukraine on Tuesday in a potentially pivotal battle for control of the country’s eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories. If successful, the Russian offensive in what is...
Blasts near Kabul schools kill at least 6 civilians, hurt 17
KABUL, Afghanstan — Explosions targeting educational institutions killed at least six people, including students, and injured 17 Tuesday in a mostly Shiite neighborhood of Afghanistan’s capital city, police said. The blasts, which occurred in rapid succession, were being investigated and more casualties were feared, according to Kabul police spokesman Khalid...
J&J’s Janssen settles with West Virginia for $99M in opioid lawsuit
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized Monday with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. over the drugmaker’s role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the state that has long led the nation in drug overdose deaths. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said...
AP source: Kimberly Guilfoyle meets with Jan. 6 committee
WASHINGTON — Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of former President Donald Trump’s eldest son, met with the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection Monday — more than a month after she abruptly ended a voluntary interview with lawmakers — according to a person familiar with the matter. Guilfoyle, 53, arrived...
Sensors were adjusted on ride where teen fell to death in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sensors on a Florida amusement park ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in a 14-year-old boy not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death, according to an initial report released...
Florida judge voids U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travelVideo
A federal judge in Florida on Monday voided the national mask mandate covering airlines and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in their response to the coronavirus pandemic. The mandate, recently extended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covered a vast array...
Abortion training under threat for med students, residents
Browse any medical dictionary, and before hitting appendectomy and anesthesia, you’ll find abortion. The first two procedures are part of standard physician education. But for many U.S. medical school students and residents who want to learn about abortions, options are scarce. And new restrictions are piling up: Within the past...
