U.S./World category, Page 933
Nun runs treadmill marathon, raises money for Chicago’s poor
When the Chicago Marathon was canceled because of the coronavirus, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to put on her sneakers and run the standard 26.2 miles — in her convent’s basement. It started as a promise. Baliga had told her running team that in the event of a cancellation, she’d run...
300 and counting: Push by feds to arrest in U.S. protests
WASHINGTON — In a private call with federal prosecutors across the country, Attorney General William Barr’s message was clear: aggressively go after demonstrators who cause violence. Barr pushed his U.S. attorneys to bring federal charges whenever they could, keeping a grip on cases even if a defendant could be tried...
Japan’s new prime minister begins 1st full day, vows to push reforms
TOKYO — Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga started his first full day in office Thursday with a resolve to push forward popular reforms. “I’m determined to work hard for the people and get results so we can live up to their expectations,” Suga told reporters as he walked into...
Ohio teen admits pushing log, striking and killing woman
LOGAN, Ohio — A teenager has admitted helping to push a log off a cliff that struck and killed a married mother of four who was taking photographs at an Ohio state park. Jaden Churchheus, 17, pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 44-year-old Victoria Schafer. Under...
Police: Kentucky man traveled to Illinois with dismembered body in suitcases after homicideVideo
MARKHAM, Ill. — A man visiting relatives in suburban Chicago from Kentucky has been arrested when a woman’s remains were found in several bags of luggage. Police said Melvin Martin Jr., 30, was being charged as a fugitive fleeing prosecution and faces an extradition hearing back to Kentucky, WLS-TV reported....
U.S. charges 5 Chinese citizens in global hacking campaign
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has charged five Chinese citizens with hacks targeting more than 100 companies and institutions in the United States and abroad, including social media and video game companies as well as universities and telecommunications providers, officials said Wednesday. The five defendants remain fugitives, but prosecutors say...
AG William Barr pushes ‘sedition’ charges against racial justice protesters
Attorney General Bill Barr reportedly wants to charge racial justice protesters with sedition, a harsh move that would dramatically raise the stakes in the Trump administration’s crackdown on dissent. Barr ordered federal prosecutors on a recent conference call to consider charging demonstrators with trying to overthrow the government, not just...
Downed power lines sparked 13 Oregon firesVideo
SALEM, Ore. — A fire incident report says downed power lines sparked at least 13 fires during a period of strong wind last week between two Oregon communities that were devastated by flames. The report from the Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center that was written last Thursday says the fires...
Retail sales rise for 4th straight month as growth slowsVideo
NEW YORK — Americans kept spending in August, but the pace of that growth is slowing as millions of people who lost jobs have now lost a $600 a week boost in their unemployment checks. Retail sales rose 0.6% last month, the fourth consecutive month of growth, the U.S. Commerce...
Vermont governor vetoes global warming solutions act
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Republican Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would have required Vermont to meet certain greenhouse gas emissions targets in the coming years and allowed the state to be sued if it didn’t. Scott said in his veto letter on Tuesday evening that he “shares the...
U.S. introduces broad vaccine plan — but no quick rolloutVideo
WASHINGTON — The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for covid-19 available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a top public health official made clear that widespread vaccination of millions of Americans couldn’t come until well into next year. In a report...
Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding, hundreds rescuedVideo
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph wind and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and forcing the rescue of hundreds of people as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South....
Police leaders pressed Rochester officials to keep Prude video secret
Rochester police commanders urged city officials to hold off on publicly releasing body camera footage of Daniel Prude’s suffocation death because they feared violent blowback if the video came out during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, newly released emails show. Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the...
America’s reputation takes hit over coronavirus response, survey finds
LONDON — The international reputation of the United States has declined further in the wake of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research Tuesday from the Pew Research Center. In some of the 13 countries surveyed, favorable views of the U.S. have fallen to record lows. Pew...
Pelosi: House to stay in session until covid-19 rescue deal reached
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday the House will remain in session until lawmakers deliver another round of covid-19 relief, a move that came as Democrats from swing districts signaled discontent with a standoff that could force them to face voters without delivering more aid. “We are committed to...
Nurse questions medical care at immigration jail in GeorgiaVideo
OCILLA, Ga. — An immigration detention center in Georgia performed questionable hysterectomies, refused to test detainees for covid-19 and shredded medical records, according to a nurse quoted in a complaint filed Monday. The complaint to the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog relies on accounts of Dawn Wooten, who worked full-time...
Seeping under doors, bad air from West’s fires won’t ease upVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires on the West Coast is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and keeping people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying even a walk outside or trip to the park. People in...
‘Huge rainmaker’: Hurricane Sally threatens historic floods
NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. — Heavy rain, pounding surf and flash floods hit parts of the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama coast on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally lumbered toward land at a painfully slow pace, threatening as much as 30 inches of rain and dangerous, historic flooding. The storm’s center churned...
U.S. tariffs on China ruled to be illegal by world trade body
GENEVA — The World Trade Organization said Tuesday that Trump administration tariffs on Chinese goods totaling more than $200 billion are illegal under the rules of the global trade body. The decision marks the first time the Geneva-based trade body has ruled against a series of tariffs that President Donald...
400 years later, a new Mayflower will sail without humans
PLYMOUTH, England — The Mayflower is taking to the water in Plymouth harbor. It’s not the ship that left this southwest England port 400 years ago carrying Pilgrim settlers to America. The sleek vessel being readied Tuesday for its official launch has no passengers, no crew — but like its...
Louisville to pay $12M to Breonna Taylor’s mother, reform policeVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville will pay $12 million to the family of Breonna Taylor and reform police practices as part of a lawsuit settlement months after Taylor’s slaying by police thrust the Black woman’s name to the forefront of a national reckoning on race, Mayor Greg Fischer...
Rosa Parks’ home displayed in Italy as U.S. race tensions rise
NAPLES, Italy — The run-down, paint-chipped Detroit house where U.S. civil rights icon Rosa Parks took refuge after her historic bus boycott is going on display in Italy in a setting that couldn’t be more incongruous: the imposing central courtyard of the Royal Palace in Naples. It’s the latest stop...
Texas teen charged with murder in shooting of sleeping woman
HOUSTON — Authorities in Texas have arrested an 18-year-old woman on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman as she slept in her bed. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Emma Presler, 18, was charged Monday with murder in the death of Sierra Rhodd. Authorities have...
Lego to ditch plastic bags for paper ones in its boxed sets
Lego said Tuesday that it will stop using plastic bags inside its boxed sets and replace them with paper ones. The Danish toymaker said it will start making the switch next year and expects plastic bags to be completely phased out in the next five years. The bags are used...
Diplomats: Roadside bombing targets British convoy in Iraq
BAGHDAD — A roadside bombing targeted British diplomatic vehicles in Baghdad on Tuesday, the British Embassy and Iraqi officials said. There were no injuries but the attack is fueling concerns of armed groups outside of the state’s control. The attack targeted an embassy convoy on a Baghdad highway close to...
