U.S./World category, Page 745
Pat Robertson steps down as host of long-running ‘700 Club’
NORFOLK, Va. — Pat Robertson, who turned a tiny Virginia television station into a global religious broadcasting network, is stepping down after a half-century running the “700 Club” on daily TV, the Christian Broadcasting Network announced on Friday. Robertson, 91, said in a statement that he hosted the network’s flagship...
Turkish man reported missing joins search party seeking him
ANKARA, Turkey — In a scene worthy of a comedy sketch, a Turkish man joined a search party for a missing person not realizing the individual being pursued was him. Beyhan Mutlu, 51, went drinking with a friend in a forest in the town of Inegol, northwest Turkey, late Tuesday....
Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for covid, has no symptoms
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for covid-19. The high court said in a press release Friday that Kavanaugh has no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated since January. Kavanaugh and all the other justices had a routine coronavirus test ahead of Friday’s ceremonial...
Dubai’s Expo opens, bringing 1st World Fair to the Mideast
After eight years of planning and billions of dollars in spending, the Middle East’s first ever World Fair opened on Friday in Dubai, with hopes the months-long extravaganza draws both visitors and global attention to this desert-turned-dreamscape. Named Expo 2020, the event was postponed by a year due to the...
N. Korea says it fired anti-aircraft missile, 4th recent test
North Korea said Friday it test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile, the fourth weapons launch in recent weeks that experts say is part of a strategy to win relief from sanctions and other concessions. South Korea, Japan and the United States typically publicly confirm North Korean ballistic missile launches, which are...
Despite setback, Democrats try to save Biden $3.5T plan
Despite a long night of frantic negotiations, Democrats were unable to reach an immediate deal to salvage President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government overhaul, forcing leaders to call off promised votes on a related public works bill. Action is to resume Friday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had pushed the House into...
Nation’s most restrictive abortion law back in Texas court
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge on Friday will consider whether Texas can leave in place the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., which since September has banned most abortions and sent women racing to get care beyond the borders of the nation’s second-most populous state. A lawsuit filed...
Merck says experimental pill cuts covid hospitalizations, deaths by half
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental covid-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. If cleared, the drug would be the...
Illinois man dies of rabies after apparent bat bite
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A northern Illinois man has died of rabies after apparently being bitten by a bat — the first human case of rabies in the state since 1954, health officials reported this week. The diagnosis has been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the...
Flag-wearing man throws Molotov cocktail into Austin Dems headquartersVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — An arson investigation was underway after a man wearing an American flag bandanna threw a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters of the county Democratic Party in Austin. The incendiary device did not ignite when it was thrown at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters at about 2...
Gunman who killed 1, injured 3 at San Diego-area synagogue gets life in prison
SAN DIEGO — With victims and their families watching in a crowded San Diego courtroom, the gunman who opened fire at a Poway synagogue in 2019, killing one worshipper and injuring three others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole. It was the expected sentence for John T....
Military suicides rise 15% as senior leaders call for action
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. military suicides jumped by 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling. They urged more effort to reverse the trend. According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared with 504...
Man stuck in Arizona storm drain saved after he waves arm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A man who got stuck inside a metro Phoenix storm drain was rescued on Thursday after people passing by saw the man waving his arm from the drain, officials said. The people stopped to see if the man needed help, Glendale Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Losch said,...
United says some workers facing termination got vaccinated
DALLAS — United Airlines says the number of employees facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated against covid-19 has dropped nearly by half, to 320, as more workers provide evidence of vaccination. An airline spokeswoman said Thursday that the declining number of potential firings shows that the company’s policy of...
Baltimore argues Catholic group’s rally could bring violence
A conservative Roman Catholic media outlet seeking to stage a rally during a U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore claims city officials canceled the event because they disapprove of its religious message. The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who...
Boy shot, wounded at Tennessee school; juvenile sought
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A boy was shot and wounded Thursday at a school in Memphis, Tenn., authorities said. The shooting was reported at Cummings School, Memphis police said in a statement. The school includes grades kindergarten through eighth, according to its website. The boy was taken to a hospital in...
Taliban order fighters out of Afghan homes they took over
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Thursday ordered their fighters to leave private homes they had taken over during last month’s blitz when the group seized control of Afghanistan, an apparent effort to impose order among Taliban ranks. Meanwhile, in the capital of Kabul, the Taliban fired shots to disperse...
Powerball jackpot rises to $620 million, 6th largest largest ever
DES MOINES, Iowa — After nearly four months without a big winner, the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $620 million, making it the sixth largest ever for the lottery game ahead of Saturday night’s drawing. There have been 39 drawings in a row without a Powerball grand prize...
Woman who survived 1918 flu, world war succumbs to covid
She lived a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolini’s fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a far less enlightened time. She was,...
It’s flu vaccine time, even if you’ve had your covid shots
Amid all the focus on covid-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot. Flu cases have dropped to historically low levels during the pandemic. The U.S. and Europe experienced hardly any flu last winter, and the Southern Hemisphere just ended its second flu season of...
3 firefighters critical, 5 other people injured in explosion at Dallas apartment buildingVideo
DALLAS — An explosion tore apart an apartment building Wednesday morning in south Dallas, injuring at least eight people. Dallas Fire-Rescue was called about a gas leak at the Highland Hills Apartments in the Oak Cliff area about 10:20 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they could smell gas near one of...
House panel subpoenas organizers of Jan. 6 Trump rally
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed 11 officials who were involved in planning rallies in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of the violent attack, including one the day of the siege at which the president told his supporters to “fight like...
Postal Service changes may slow some deliveries, boost first-class prices for holidays
Folks dropping letters in the mail starting Friday may want to add a few extra days for transit if their missives are going cross-country. Likewise, anyone sending packages and cards around the holiday season will want to have a smidge of extra cash on hand to pay the postage piper....
Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to East Coast
MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top wind of 130 mph, it’s...
Friends from Ohio get 45 days in jail for Capitol riot
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Federal prosecutors assert that everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be evaluated individually when deciding whether a prison sentence is warranted. On Wednesday, a judge accepted the Justice Department’s assessment that two friends from Ohio fall into a category of rioters who...
