U.S./World category, Page 835

As voters in more U.S. states this month legalized recreational marijuana use, longtime pot-friendly Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other drugs — including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he thinks Pennsylvania should be a leader in drug reform,...

JERUSALEM — The international force that monitors the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement said Thursday that eight peacekeepers, including six Americans, were killed when one of its helicopters crashed during a routine mission in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. A ninth peacekeeper was badly injured. The Multinational Force and Observers said a French peacekeeper...

BOSTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling clearing Harvard University of discrimination against Asian American applicants. Two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accuses the Ivy League University of imposing a “racial penalty”...

WASHINGTON — The words spoken by America’s top military officer carried a familiar ring, but in the midst of a chaotic week at the Pentagon, they were particularly poignant. “We are unique among militaries,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We do not take...

LONDON — A nurse accused of killing eight babies and trying to kill another 10 at a hospital in northwest England was remanded into custody Thursday, a day after she was charged with murder and attempted murder. Lucy Letby, 30, was remanded in custody after appearing via video link during...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When Joan Martin heard that Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the presidential election, the retired nurse and avowed supporter of President Donald Trump was deeply unsettled. To steel herself, she thought about how her household weathered Hurricane Katrina when it battered her hometown...

HOUSTON — The Trump administration is trying to deport several women who allege they were mistreated by a Georgia gynecologist at an immigration detention center, according to their lawyers. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already deported six former patients who complained about Dr. Mahendra Amin, who has been accused...

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — A suburban Minneapolis man who told police he’s a supporter of President Donald Trump is accused of attacking an elderly couple with a golf club after he saw them at a street corner with a Joe Biden sign. Mark Anthony Ulsaker, of Lino Lakes, is...

NEW YORK — Ariel Cordova-Rojas went to New York’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last week to celebrate her 30th birthday. She ended up rescuing a swan with lead poisoning, taking it to a wildlife clinic by foot, car and subway with the help of both friends and strangers. Cordova-Rojas is...

A woman dressed only in a T-shirt and underwear caused a Houston-bound flight to land in Mobile, Ala. Fox 10 News reports that Sierra Nicole McClinton forced the CommutAir (operating at the time as United Express) plane to land because of her “unruly behavior” on Thursday. McClinton was reportedly fully...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a vulnerable economic recovery under threat from a resurgent virus, likely with a divided Congress that will hinder his ability to address the challenges. Yet despite the obstacles, the former vice president and senator will pursue a drastic shift in America’s economic policy....

FRANKFURT, Germany — European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that the economy could face a “bumpy,” “stop-start” recovery despite good news about vaccine development. The top central banker for the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency said there was a risk that fearful consumers could...

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s prime minister said Wednesday that he expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration to play a more active role in attempting to calm tension in the eastern Mediterranean. “We have every reason to welcome, along with all our partners in the region, the return of the...

HONOLULU — A computer error has required the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to conduct a new lottery to choose successful applicants for housing assistance. A vendor experienced a software glitch causing the names of some applicants for Section 8 housing vouchers to be entered into the lottery more than once,...

COLUMBUS — A man who lost several relatives in the killings of eight people in southern Ohio four years ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the suspects, saying he wants to be sure none of them receive financial gain from the crime. Tony Rhoden Sr. is seeking unspecified...

GUATEMALA CITY — The Guatemalan government on Tuesday called off the search for victims of a massive landslide set off by the rains of Hurricane Eta that was believed to have entombed more than 100 people. Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator said it was suspending the search for bodies due...

LOS ANGELES — Republican Michelle Steel defeated first-term Rep. Harley Rouda on Tuesday in a Southern California district, only the second time in more than two decades that a GOP candidate in the state has defeated an incumbent Democrat. Rouda captured Orange County’s 48th District in 2018 from longtime Republican...

A newly married couple from New York drowned on their honeymoon at a Caribbean resort, family members said. Corporate attorney Mohammad Malik, 35, and his bride, Dr. Noor Shah, 29, were swimming near their Turks and Caicos Islands resort on Oct. 28 when they were pulled under by strong riptides,...

NEW YORK — Mental health workers will replace police officers in responding to some 911 calls under a pilot program announced Tuesday by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The program, to be rolled out next year in two neighborhoods, will give mental health professionals the lead role when...

WASHINGTON — A senior Defense Department official resigned on Tuesday, opening the way for a longtime ally of President Donald Trump to take on a key leadership role a day after Pentagon chief Mark Esper was fired. James Anderson, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, had been in...

The U.S. Census Bureau denied any attempts to systemically falsify information during the 2020 head count used to determine the allocation of congressional seats and federal spending, even as more census takers told The Associated Press they were pressured to do so. The Census Bureau statement was issued Monday night...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to leave in place the bulk of the Affordable Care Act, including key protections for pre-existing health conditions and subsidized insurance premiums that affect tens of millions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among the conservative justices, appeared...

CHANDLER, Okla. — An Oklahoma state senator from Tulsa was charged with first-degree manslaughter after authorities say she was speeding and driving recklessly when her vehicle skidded off a rain-slickened road and crashed into a man’s disabled vehicle, killing him. Democratic Sen. Alison Ikley-Freeman, 29, who was seriously injured in...