U.S./World category, Page 952
Southern schools illustrate complications of returning to classrooms amid pandemicVideo
As schools formulate their answers to the question of what the 2020 academic year will look like amid the covid-19 pandemic, reports out of Southern states, particularly Georgia, might add an extra layer of consternation among parents, teachers and school officials. The latest concerns a 7-year-old boy who became the...
GOP lawmaker calls for Jerry Falwell Jr. to step down as president of Liberty University
A North Carolina congressman with connections to Liberty University is calling on the school’s president to resign because of his “appalling” behavior. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., a former instructor at the evangelical school in Virginia, contends Jerry Falwell Jr. should step down in the wake of a viral photo in...
Florida man fractures neck in diving accident; young son saves him
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A 9-year-old Florida boy is being hailed a hero for pulling his father from the water after the man fractured his neck in a diving accident. Young Asaih Williams said he always plays a game in his head when he’s diving with someone. If the other person...
Trump’s Iran envoy quits administration as U.S. pushes embargoVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s top envoy for Iran is stepping down just as the United States tries to moves ahead with a major diplomatic effort that would extend a U.N. arms embargo against Tehran in the face of widespread international opposition. Brian Hook announced his departure on Thursday, a...
Georgia school district to begin year online amid staff coronavirus casesVideo
WINDER, Ga. — More than 90 staff members in one Georgia school district have been quarantined due to coronavirus exposure or infection, prompting the district to plan to begin the year entirely online. Barrow County Schools officials announced Wednesday that the district about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta would abandon...
French President Macron announces fundraising conference for LebanonVideo
BEIRUT — Residents of Beirut vented their fury at Lebanon’s leaders Thursday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, blaming them for the deadly explosion that ravaged the capital. Lebanon’s customs chief told The Associated Press the Cabinet was warned in the past year that a stockpile of explosive...
Arkansas woman pleads guilty to killing former lawmaker
POCAHONTAS, Ark. — An Arkansas woman pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a former state lawmaker who was found dead from multiple stab wounds outside her home last year. Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of former Arkansas state Sen. Linda...
Hurricane Alpha? Amped up season forecast, names may run outVideo
Already smashing records, this year’s hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. In the coming months, they expect to run out of traditional hurricane names and see about twice as much storm activity as a normal year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday...
Portland police, protesters clash for 2nd consecutive night
PORTLAND, Ore. — Police and protesters in Portland, Oregon, have clashed for the second night in a row and the city’s police chief says the ongoing violence is harming the city’s image. The high-profile clashes outside a U.S. courthouse in Portland, Oregon, have largely stopped since Democratic Gov. Kate Brown...
New York attorney general seeks to dissolve NRAVideo
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association on Thursday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures. Attorney...
Lebanon probes blast amid rising anger, calls for change
BEIRUT — Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation of the massive blast that tore through Beirut sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city’s port, and the visiting French president warned Thursday that without serious reforms the country would “continue to sink.” The blast Tuesday, which...
1.2 million seek jobless aid after $600 federal check ends
WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The Labor Department’s report Thursday marked the 20th straight week that at least 1 million...
5 dead in suspected arson in Denver
DENVER — Five people were found dead Wednesday after an early morning fire destroyed a suburban Denver home — a blaze authorities said they suspect was intentionally set. Three people escaped the fire by jumping from the home’s second floor. Investigators believe the victims were a toddler, an older child...
Prognosticator with perfect track record says Biden will beat TrumpVideo
Joe Biden is leading President Trump in the polls — nationally and in a number of swing states. But a voter could be forgiven for not putting too much stock in those numbers — especially after Hillary Clinton’s lead over Trump in 2016 turned into an electoral college win for...
The coronavirus is ravaging Japan, and Shinzo Abe may finally be fading away
TOKYO — Japan’s tally of coronavirus infections is shooting up faster than ever, and support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is sinking to new lows. While Japan’s total death toll remains close to the number the United States sees in a day, the public fears Japan may be sitting on...
U.S. officials dispute Trump’s claim that Beirut was attacked
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that most people think the deadly explosion Tuesday in Lebanon that killed at least 130 people was an accident, contradicting President Donald Trump, who said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. Esper said the United States was...
State Department watchdog resigns after predecessor’s ouster
WASHINGTON — The State Department’s acting inspector general resigned abruptly on Wednesday following the firing of his predecessor in circumstances now being investigated by Congress. Stephen Akard announced his resignation just two days after Democrats issued subpoenas for several of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s top aides to answer questions...
U.S. officials dispute Trump’s claim Beirut was attacked
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said Wednesday there is no indication the massive explosion in Lebanon that killed at least 100 people was an attack, contradicting President Donald Trump who said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. The officials, speaking only on condition of anonymity to...
Facebook launches new TikTok clone, Instagram Reels
NEW YORK — Facebook’s Instagram is launching its answer to the hit short video app TikTok — Instagram Reels. The new Instagram feature will let users record and edit 15-second videos with audio, and will let users add visual effects. Users will be able to share Reels with followers in...
Negligence probed in deadly Beirut blast amid public angerVideo
BEIRUT — Investigators probing the deadly blast that ripped across Beirut focused Wednesday on possible negligence in the storage of tons of a highly explosive fertilizer in a waterfront warehouse, while the government ordered the house arrest of several port officials. International aid flights began to arrive as Lebanon’s leaders...
Experts: Obstacles to charging police in Breonna Taylor case
LOUISVILLE — Despite mounting public pressure to file criminal charges nearly five months after Breonna Taylor’s death, prosecutors may face significant obstacles to bringing homicide-related charges against police officers who were shot at when sent to her house with a warrant, legal experts said. Tensions have swelled in her home...
Navy cuts ties with museum over video of dogs biting man in Colin Kaepernick jerseyVideo
A viral video led to the Navy severing ties with an independent SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, Fla., according to a report from the Associated Press. The video, taken in 2018, shows four dogs in a K-9 demonstration latching onto a man in protective gear and draped in the No....
Massive Beirut blast kills more than 70, injures thousandsVideo
BEIRUT — A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said. It was not clear...
Wave of evictions expected as moratoriums end in many states
BALTIMORE — Kelyn Yanez used to clean homes during the day and wait tables at night in the Houston area before the coronavirus. But the mother of three lost both jobs in March because of the pandemic and now is facing eviction. The Honduran immigrant got help from a local...
3 men rescued from Pacific island after writing SOS in sandVideo
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above, authorities say. The men had been missing in the Micronesia archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted Sunday...
