U.S./World category, Page 76
Pope thrills hundreds of thousands of young Catholics at Holy Year youth festival
ROME — Pope Leo XIV urged hundreds of thousands of young people on Saturday to have the courage to make radical choices to do good, as he presided over his first big encounter with the next generation of Catholics during the highlight of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year. Leo encountered...
Watchdog agency investigating ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged illegal political activity
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-candidate Donald Trump before his election to the White House last year. The...
Officials scour mountainous area of Montana for ex-U.S. soldier suspected of killing 4 in bar shooting
Authorities were scouring a mountainous area of western Montana on Saturday for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some...
Israeli fire again kills Gaza aid-seekers as U.S. envoy meets with hostages’ families
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces opened fire near two aid distribution sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as crowds of hungry Palestinians again sought food, killing at least 10 people, witnesses and health workers said Saturday — a day after U.S. officials visited a GHF site...
What to know if you’re at risk of having your wages garnished over student loan debt
NEW YORK — Millions of student borrowers could begin having their wages garnished as soon as this summer, according to estimates from credit bureau TransUnion. The company predicts that by August roughly 3 million borrowers could move into default, meaning they’re 270 days past due on payments. At that point,...
It’s Trump’s economy now. The latest financial numbers offer some warning signs
WASHINGTON — For all of President Donald Trump’s promises of an economic “golden age,” a spate of weak indicators this week told a potentially worrisome story as the impacts of his policies are coming into focus. Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared to last...
Trump’s treason claim further erodes political discourse, experts say
President Donald Trump doubled down this week on an accusation that former President Barack Obama and members of his administration committed treason by misleading the public about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. While even Trump acknowledged that such a prosecution is unlikely, political analysts say the president’s explosive rhetoric...
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down after being defunded by Congress, targeted by Trump
WASHINGTON — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cornerstone of American culture for three generations, announced Friday it would take steps toward its own closure after being defunded by Congress — marking the end of a nearly six-decade era in which it fueled the production of renowned educational programming, cultural...
The Smithsonian removes a Trump impeachment reference from an exhibit but says it’s temporary
NEW YORK — The Smithsonian Institution has removed from an exhibit a reference to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments, a decision that comes as the White House exerts pressure to offer a more positive — and selective — view of American history. A spokesperson said the exhibit eventually “will include...
Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $240 million in Autopilot crash case
MIAMI — A Miami jury decided that Elon Musk’s car company Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assist technology and must pay the victims more than $240 million in damages. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology...
Trump orders U.S. nuclear subs repositioned over statements from ex-Russian leader Medvedev
WASHINGTON — In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said Friday he’s ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines “based on the highly provocative statements” of the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who has raised the prospect of war online. Trump posted on his social media site that,...
Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is transferred to a prison camp in Texas
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas as her criminal case generates renewed public attention. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that Maxwell had been transferred to Bryan, Texas, but did not explain...
Astronauts launch to the space station after sidelined by Boeing’s troubled Starliner
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts sidelined for the past year by Boeing’s Starliner trouble blasted off to the International Space Station on Friday, getting a lift from SpaceX. The U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. They’ll replace colleagues who launched to the space station in March...
Brazil’s Supreme Court stands firm on Bolsonaro trial despite foreign pressure
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Friday that the country’s top court will not yield to sanctions or foreign pressure over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, which is expected to take place later this year. De Moraes, who is overseeing the criminal case...
U.S. employers added 73,000 jobs last month as labor market weakens in face of Trump trade wars
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs last month and Labor Department revisions showed that hiring was much weaker than previously reported in May and June. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%. The unexpectedly weak report raises questions about the health of the job market and the economy...
1 killed, 1 injured in Outer Banks pier shooting
One person was killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon at a popular tourist spot in the Outer Banks. According to news reports, the incident happened around 2:37 p.m. at the Avalon Fishing Pier in Kill Devil Hills. The Kill Devil Hills Police Department said a suspect...
Trump calls on the Federal Reserve board to take full control of the central bank from Powell
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the Federal Reserve’s board of governors to usurp the power of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, criticizing the head of the U.S. central bank for not cutting short-term interest rates. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Powell “stubborn.” The Fed...
Trump’s new tariffs give some countries a break, while shares and U.S. dollar sink
BANGKOK — U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff rates of up to 41% on U.S. imports from dozens of countries drew expressions of relief Friday from some countries that negotiated a deal or managed to whittle them down from rates announced in April. Others expressed disappointment or frustration over running...
Tropical Storm Gil expected to become a hurricane in eastern Pacific but won’t threaten land
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Gil was expected to become a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday but wasn’t expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm is about 870 miles southwest of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Gil had...
South Korea’s jailed ex-leader Yoon resists questioning by taking off prison uniform
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s jailed ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol again refused to attend questioning by investigators Friday, using a new method to resist: He took off his prison uniform and lay down on the floor at his detention room. Yoon, removed from office in April over his ill-fated...
U.S. envoy visits distribution site in Gaza as humanitarian crisis worsens
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff visited southern Gaza on Friday during international outrage over starvation, shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites. Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured one of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites in Rafah, Gaza’s...
Trump revives the Presidential Fitness Test, a rite of passage for schoolchildren for decades
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a fixture of public schools for decades that gauged young people’s health and athleticism with 1-mile runs, sit-ups and stretching exercises. “This is a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said of the...
Virginia Giuffre’s family expresses shock over Trump saying Epstein ‘stole’ her
The family of Virginia Giuffre, who was among Jeffrey Epstein’s most well-known sex trafficking accusers, said that it was shocking to hear President Donald Trump say the disgraced financier “stole” Giuffre from him and urged that Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell remain in prison. Giuffre, who had accused Britain’s Prince...
Heavy rain pummels East Coast and sparks isolated flash floodingVideo
Strong rain storms lashed the East Coast on Thursday, delaying flights throughout the region and prompting emergency rescues of motorists trapped in deep water on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New York City. In New York, flash flooding briefly closed sections of major roadways across the city just...
Childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another record
NEW YORK — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It’s the third...
