U.S./World category, Page 714
Rain, snow fall as California braces for brunt of stormVideo
The Western United States is bracing for the brunt of a major winter storm expected to hit Monday, bringing travel headaches, the threat of localized flooding and some relief in an abnormally warm fall. Light rain and snow fell in Northern California on Sunday, giving residents a taste of what’s...
Officials halt search for woman who went overboard on cruiseVideo
LONG BEACH, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard authorities have halted the search for a woman who reportedly went overboard on a cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico. Authorities searched more than 31 hours for the woman before pausing the search on Sunday pending additional information, Petty Officer First Class Adam Stanton...
Fox anchor Chris Wallace leaving network for CNN
NEW YORK — Veteran anchor Chris Wallace signed off his “Fox News Sunday” show after 18 years to join CNN’s new streaming service, dealing a blow to Fox’s news operation at a time its opinion side has become preeminent. CNN’s announcement that Wallace will join CNN+ as an anchor came...
Cries and candle scents: Over 100 feared dead after twisters
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the heart of the holiday rush, turning out Christmas candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out to “duck and cover.” Autumn Kirks pulled down her safety googles and took...
San Francisco’s vaunted tolerance dims amid brazen crimes
Politically liberal San Franciscans are used to living cheek by jowl with open drug use, feces-infested streets and petty crime. But a surge in home break-ins and brazen shoplifting has some residents feeling that the city they fell in love with is in decline. Caitlin Foster is among San Francisco...
Banksy creates T-shirt to help statue-toppling defendants
Hundreds of people lined up Saturday in the English city of Bristol to get the latest work by elusive street artist Banksy — a T-shirt created to help four defendants charged over the toppling of a local statue of a slave trader. The gray shirt features the word Bristol above...
Twin panda cubs in French zoo take 1st steps in public
First, a steady crawl. Then a short clumsy slide across the slick stone floor at their home at the Beauval Zoo near Paris. Then finally the big show as the twin giant panda cubs took their first steps in public on Saturday. The female twins were born in August. Their...
Man killed in shooting involving police near UK royal palace
British police say a man was shot dead during a confrontation with firearms officers on Saturday near the Kensington Palace royal residence in London. The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called to reports that a man with a firearm had entered a bank and bookmakers in the Kensington area...
Watchdog: Federal anti-terror unit investigated journalists
A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter, according to a federal watchdog. Yahoo News, which published an extensive report on the investigation, also found that the unit,...
Kentucky governor: Storms may have killed at least 70 people
MAYFIELD, Ky. — A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll was climbing Saturday after severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upwards of 70 may have died when a twister touched down for more than 200...
‘The internet’s on fire’ as techs race to fix software flaw
A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool — one quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft — is rapidly emerging as a major threat to organizations around the world. “The internet’s on fire right now,” said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike....
FAA: No more commercial astronaut wings, too many launching
Heads up, future space travelers: No more commercial astronaut wings will be awarded from the Federal Aviation Administration after this year. The FAA said Friday it’s clipping its astronaut wings because too many people are now launching into space and it’s getting out of the astronaut designation business entirely. The...
Italy bishop tells children Santa doesn’t exist
A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily publicly apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. In a Facebook post and subsequent comments Friday, the diocese of Noto insisted that Bishop Antonio Stagliano didn’t mean to dash the dreams of the youngsters...
Explainer: Why U.S. inflation is so high, and when it may ease
WASHINGTON — Inflation is starting to look like that unexpected — and unwanted — houseguest who just won’t leave. For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn’t stay long....
U.K. opens door to Assange extradition to U.S. on spying charges
LONDON — A British appellate court opened the door Friday for Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States on spying charges by overturning a lower court decision that the WikiLeaks founder’s mental health was too fragile to withstand incarceration in America. The High Court in London ruled that...
Rastafari want more legal marijuana for freedom of worship
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mosiyah Tafari banged on drums and chanted psalms with other Rastafari in a ballroom where the smoke of frankincense mixed with the fragrant smell of marijuana — which his faith deems sacred. The ceremony in Columbus, Ohio, marked the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late...
Court won’t stop Texas abortion ban, but lets clinics sue
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday left in place Texas’ ban on most abortions, but ruled that clinics can sue over the state’s most restrictive abortion law in the nation. The court acted more than a month after hearing arguments over the law that makes abortion illegal after cardiac...
Uber helping detectives solve Florida ‘grandparent scams’
TAMPA, Fla. — Detectives in Tampa are asking Uber to help solve a “grandparent scam” that conned $10,000 from a 75-year-old man who was told his granddaughter needed the money to get out of jail. Uber also is helping the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office find suspects in a long-running con that...
Report: Trump slammed Netanyahu for congratulating Biden
JERUSALEM — Former President Donald Trump earlier this year lashed out with profanity at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. election, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. Trump accused the former Israeli leader of disloyalty, saying he had helped Netanyahu in his own elections...
UN: Afghanistan’s economy is collapsing ‘before our eyes’
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that Afghanistan’s economic collapse “is happening before our eyes” and urged the international community to take action to stop “the freefall” before it leads to more deaths. Martin Griffiths said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday that donor nations...
California adopts tough standards for trucks, lawn equipment
SACRAMENTO — Forget speeding tickets — California truck drivers will soon have to watch out for pollution tickets. State regulators on Thursday voted to crack down on heavy duty trucks weighing more than 14,000 pounds — those big semi-trailers that make up just 3% of all vehicles in California but...
Biden calls on leaders to end ‘backward slide’ of democracy
WASHINGTON — President Biden expressed alarm at a “backward slide” of democracy around the globe on Thursday, calling on fellow world leaders to work with him to bolster democratic institutions as his administration grows increasingly concerned about China’s and Russia’s push for global influence. Biden’s comments to more than 100...
AP-NORC Poll: Income is up, but Americans focus on inflation
WASHINGTON — Americans’ overall income has accelerated since the pandemic, but so has inflation — and a new poll finds that far more people are noticing the higher prices than the pay gains. Two-thirds say their household costs have risen since the pandemic, compared with only about a quarter who...
55 dead after truck smuggling migrants crashes in Mexico
TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico — Rescue workers arriving at a road accident in southern Mexico found a horrific scene: A tractor trailer jammed with as many as 200 migrants crashed into the base of a steel pedestrian bridge, killing 55 and injuring dozens. The migrants inside the tipped-over trailer were tossed...
Judge: Texas abortion law’s enforcement mechanism not valid
AUSTIN — A Texas judge said Thursday the enforcement mechanism behind the nation’s strictest abortion law— which rewards lawsuits against violators by awarding judgments of $10,000 — is unconstitutional in a narrow ruling that still leaves a near-total ban on abortions in place. State District Judge David Peeples of Austin...
