U.S./World category, Page 1040
Florida boaters killed a record number of manatees in 2019, report says
MIAMI — Despite an ongoing campaign to protect the gentle manatee — which has included a 38-years-long Save the Manatee Club effort from popular singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett — Florida boaters killed a record number of manatees in 2019. According to a preliminary mortality report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife...
MS-13 arrests deal blow to gang leadership on Long Island
NEW YORK — Authorities said Friday they have dealt an unprecedented blow to the violent MS-13 street gang, announcing charges against nearly 100 of the group’s members and associates on Long Island. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini revealed a sweeping indictment that he said “decimated” the gang’s leadership and...
Whoo’s there? Georgia family discovers owl in Christmas tree
ATLANTA — A Georgia family got a real hoot from its Christmas tree: More than a week after they bought it, they discovered a live owl nestled among its branches. Katie McBride Newman said Friday that she and her daughter spotted the bird on Dec. 12. They had bought the...
Navy, Army probes find no racism intent in hand gestures
WASHINGTON — Hand gestures flashed by West Point cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen during the televised Army-Navy football game were not racist signals, military investigations have concluded. A Navy probe of the event found that the students were participating in a “sophomoric game” on Saturday and had no racist intent....
Black medical students hope slave plantation photo inspires kids
NEW ORLEANS — In the background of a powerful photo of 15 black medical students from Tulane University is a slave cabin. In the foreground stand the students, wearing the white lab coats that tell observers they’re members of a highly trained and prestigious profession. “We are our ancestors’ wildest...
New DNA testing in 1981 murder leads Florida police to coach
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detectives solved the 1981 murder of a Florida woman by using advanced DNA testing to discover the suspect was the football coach of one of her sons, police said. The Lakeland Police Department said Joseph Clinton Mills, 58, has been arrested on charges he raped and killed...
United pulls 737 Max until June, adding to Boeing woes
NEW YORK — United Airlines says the Boeing 737 Max has been pulled from its flight schedule until June, the latest in a string of troubling news plaguing the airplane manufacturer. The developments follow Boeing’s announcement Monday that it would halt Max production in January. It did not say when...
Boeing capsule goes off course, won’t dock at space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing’s new Starliner capsule went off course after launch Friday and won’t dock with the International Space Station during its first test flight. It was supposed to be a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts. The blastoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, went...
Buttigieg-Warren clash on campaign trail spills into debate
LOS ANGELES — The long-festering feud between Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg erupted Thursday night in a high-stakes debate that tested the strength of the Democratic Party’s shrinking pool of presidential contenders just six weeks before primary voting begins. Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has emerged as...
Baby dies seconds after hospital birth when medics fail to catch him
A baby boy’s lifespan only lasted seconds after being born and falling headfirst to the floor when medical personnel failed to catch him. According to The Sun, a United Kingdom-based tabloid, the boy, named Valentino, was born Thursday afternoon in northeast Argentina. The 26-year-old mother was reportedly told to push,...
Truck slams through baggage carousel at Florida airportVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — A man slammed his pickup truck through a baggage carousel area and into a car rental counter at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport early Thursday, narrowly missing two employees. Police spotted 40-year-old Juan Monsivis driving recklessly and tried to pull him over, but weren’t successful. Monsivis smashed through a...
Report: Washington lawmaker engaged in ‘domestic terrorism’
SPOKANE, Wash. — A Washington state lawmaker took part in “domestic terrorism” against the United States during a 2016 standoff at a wildlife refuge in Oregon and traveled throughout the West meeting with far-right extremist groups, according to an investigative report released Thursday. The report prepared for the state Legislature...
Putin defends Trump against ‘spurious’ impeachment by DemocratsVideo
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin rode to the defense of Donald Trump by dismissing the “spurious” impeachment of the American leader as an attempt by his political opponents to oust him. The vote against Trump in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives reflects a continuing “domestic political battle” in the...
More election security funds headed to states as 2020 looms
Congress is poised to give states a last-minute infusion of federal funds to help boost election security with voting in early caucus and primary states slated to begin in February. Under a huge spending bill, states would receive $425 million for upgrading voting equipment, conducting post-election audits, cybersecurity training and...
UK’s Johnson unveils legislative plan to end Brexit deadlock
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson signaled an end to Britain’s era of Brexit deadlock Thursday, announcing a packed legislative program intended to take the U.K. out of the European Union on Jan. 31, overhaul everything from fishing to financial services and shore up the country’s cash-starved public services. The...
Authorities find 15 horses fatally shot in eastern KentuckyVideo
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — At least 15 horses have been fatally shot at a strip mine site in eastern Kentucky, authorities said. The horses were found on a site along U.S. 23 near the Floyd-Pike County line, WYMT-TV reported Tuesday. A $500 reward is being offered for information on the shootings....
2 dead, 2 others shot at Rhode Island housing complex
WESTERLY, R.I. — A shooting at a Rhode Island affordable housing complex for elderly and disabled residents left two people dead and two others injured Thursday morning, police said. Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said a 66-year-old gunman killed a 47-year-old woman at the Babcock Village apartment complex and injured...
Senate passes anti-robocalls bill, sending it to Trump
The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that cracks down on robocalls, a persistent and costly problem for Americans, and is sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The bill is one of several measures that federal and state government and the telecom industry are taking to protect...
Senate advances $1.4 trillion spending deal in drive to adjourn
WASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to advance a $1.4 trillion government spending package in a last, bipartisan burst of legislating before bolting for the holidays from a Capitol that’s toxic with impeachment. The 71-21 procedural vote is a likely prelude to an easy final set of votes later Thursday....
EU court finds grounds for airline damages in spilled coffee
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that an airline can be held liable if a passenger is burned by hot coffee even if turbulence or other flight-related factor didn’t cause the spill. The European Court of Justice said such injuries don’t have to be linked to issues...
1,200 detained in India amid ban on citizenship law protests
NEW DELHI — Police detained more than 1,200 protesters in some of India’s biggest cities Thursday after they defied bans on assembly that authorities imposed to stop widespread demonstrations against a new citizenship law that opponents say threatens the country’s secular democracy. At least three people were reported killed as...
Teen girl sneaks into small plane, drives it into fenceVideo
FRESNO, Calif. — A 17-year-old girl was arrested Wednesday after authorities say she sneaked into a small plane at a central California airport and drove it into a chain-link fence. The teenager climbed a fence topped with barbed wire at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, started up the plane and...
Radio show canceled after host makes school shooting comment
DENVER — A Denver radio station has canceled a scheduled program after one of the hosts said a school shooting would help break up media coverage of impeachment proceedings. Chuck Bonniwell from the show “Chuck & Julie” was complaining Tuesday about an abundance of media coverage on the impeachment of...
EU top court: Airbnb not subject to real estate agent rules
BRUSSELS — Airbnb scored a big win in its long-standing fight with French hoteliers as the European Union’s highest court rejected Thursday an argument that Airbnb should be subject to the strict rules that govern French real estate agents. The case was submitted by a French court after a major...
U.S. probes 4 automakers in new Takata air bag recall
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has launched an investigation into four automakers that have a potentially deadly type of Takata air bag inflator in their vehicles but have yet to recall them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted Thursday that it is investigating...
