U.S./World category, Page 1111
Trump pick for national intelligence director is withdrawing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running, citing unfair media coverage. In a tweet Friday, Trump said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress. Questions about Ratcliffe’s experience have dogged him since Trump...
Dashcam captures plane landing in busy streetVideo
A Washington State Patrol officer happened to capture video of an airplane landing on a busy street. Trooper Clint Thompson was on patrol Thursday morning when the plane approached in view of his dashcam. The camera continued recording as the officer turned the car around pulled up behind the plane...
Mexico gas pipeline leak causes evacuation of 2,000
MEXICO CITY — A gas leak apparently caused by an illegal pipeline tap led authorities to evacuate about 2,000 people Friday in a rural community just north of Mexico City. The leak sent large plumes of gas billowing into the air and into the surrounding fields. The civil defense office...
3 arrested in killing of off-duty Los Angeles police officer
LOS ANGELES — Three suspects were arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer, officials said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti described those arrested as the “primary suspects responsible for the murder of Officer Juan Diaz” and said they were taken into custody in the...
2 Florida panthers killed by vehicles last week
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Two female Florida panthers, including one pregnant with two babies, have died after being hit by cars. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says an 11-month-old panther died last week in Lee County and 5-year-old panther died just a few days before that in Collier...
Freedom sought for U.S. teen jailed in Rome police slaying
ROME — A lawyer for one of two American teens jailed in the investigation of an Italian police officer’s slaying has petitioned for his client’s release. Francesco Petrelli said Friday he didn’t know when a tribunal would hear the appeal, filed a day earlier, on behalf of Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth,...
R. Kelly pleads not guilty to sexually abusing women, girls
NEW YORK — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges he sexually abused women and girls who attended his concerts. The 52-year-old Kelly was denied bail in a New York City courtroom packed with his supporters. He appeared sullen as prosecutors told Magistrate Judge Steven Tiscione...
Illinois state senator indicted on embezzlement charges
CHICAGO — An Illinois state senator has been indicted on federal charges that he took more than $250,000 in salary and benefits over a three-year period from the Teamsters while doing little or no work, prosecutors announced Friday. In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said Thomas...
Police investigating reported burglary of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’-owned business
EDGEWATER, Colo. — Police in Colorado are investigating a reported burglary of a business owned by “Dog the Bounty Hunter” reality TV star Duane “Dog” Chapman. Police in the Denver suburb of Edgewater say a passer-by early Tuesday discovered a broken glass door of a business that stocks merchandise that’s...
Video: Shark sinks teeth into charter captain aboard boat in Outer BanksVideo
A charter boat captain was helping an angler land a blacktip shark on the deck when the fish bit into his leg and wouldn’t let go. Rick Caton’s group was having great luck with Spanish mackerel and bluefish on Tuesday when they headed toward a school of blacktip and sharpnose...
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings says he scared away home intruder; Trump tweets ‘Too bad!’
BALTIMORE — U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings provided details Friday of a break-in at his Baltimore home last weekend, saying he scared the intruder away by yelling. President Donald Trump alluded to the incident with a new tweet Friday morning: “Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed....
China threatens retaliation for Trump’s planned tariff hike
BEIJING — China on Friday threatened retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned tariff hikes go ahead, while the renewed acrimony between the two biggest global economies sent stock markets tumbling. China’s government accused Trump of violating his June agreement with President Xi Jinping to revive negotiations aimed at ending...
Endangered list sought for firefly with double-green flash
BETHANY BEACH, Del. — Peering through the darkness under the faint light of a peach-colored moon, wildlife biologist Jason Davis spots a telltale green flash in the bushes. Quick as a flash himself, Davis arcs a long-handled mesh net through the humid coastal air, ensnaring his tiny target. Ignoring the...
Robert F. Kennedy’s granddaughter Saoirse Hill dies at 22
A granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 while running for president, has died. Saoirse Kennedy Hill was 22. The Kennedy family confirmed the death in a statement Thursday night following reports that a person had been found unresponsive that day at the storied Kennedy compound in...
Police: Electric scooter rider fatally hit by car in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Another electric scooter rider has been fatally hit by a vehicle in Atlanta, the third such death since the e-scooters arrived in the city last year. News outlets report Atlanta police say 34-year-old Amber Ford died Thursday after being hit by a car over the weekend. A witness...
Justice Department declines to prosecute James Comey over memosVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has declined to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey over his handling of a series of memos he wrote that documented personal interactions with President Trump, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. The memos, some of which Justice Department officials later determined contained...
Al-Qaida is as strong as ever after rebuilding itself, U.S. says
WASHINGTON — Al-Qaida and its affiliates remain as much of a threat to the U.S. as “it has ever been” after the terrorist group rebuilt itself while the U.S. and other nations focused on destroying Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a State Department official said Thursday. “Al-Qaida has been...
Delay in grand jury action in death of twins left in car
NEW YORK — Prosecutors need more time to investigate the heatstroke deaths of twin 1-year-olds left in a parked car before deciding whether to proceed with charges against the children’s father, a New York City judge was told on Thursday. An assistant Bronx district attorney said at a court hearing...
Gunmaker asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear Sandy Hook appeal
HARTFORD, Conn. — The maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal Thursday of a state ruling against the company. Remington Arms, based in Madison, North Carolina, cited a much-debated 2005 federal law that shields firearms manufacturers...
Congress wants Capital One, Amazon to explain data breach
WASHINGTON — Leaders of House and Senate committees want Capital One and Amazon to explain to Congress how a hacker accessed personal information from more than 100 million Capital One credit applications. The incident was the latest massive data breach at a large company. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the top...
Florida real estate agent posts house in flames on Zillow
When you’ve got a hot property to unload, why not advertise it? One Florida real estate agent took to Zillow to show off the fixer-upper he’s trying to unload by posting a photo of the home fully engulfed in flames. “Bring your Smores to the Campfire and Build your Dream...
Video: Kentucky shocks Asian carp to control spread of invasive fishVideo
Kentucky state workers shocked a huge school of Asian carp that had collected near a dam in the state. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources posted a stunning video that showed hundreds of fish jumping into the air after an electric shock was sent into the water by...
Hard-won budget, debt deal clears Senate, advances to Trump
WASHINGTON — A hard-won budget and debt deal easily cleared the Senate on Thursday, powered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a bipartisan drive to cement recent spending increases for the Pentagon and domestic agencies. The legislation passed by a 67-28 vote as Trump and his GOP allies relied on...
Chinese army releases promo video for Hong Kong troops
HONG KONG — The Chinese army has released a promotional video for its Hong Kong-based troops showing them dealing with a mock street demonstration at a time of uncertainty over whether the military will intervene in the city’s summer of protest. On the eve of Thursday’s anniversary of the army’s...
At least 44 people injured in massive ‘tsunami’ at wave pool
You’d expect huge waves at a “tsunami pool.” But swimmers at a water park in northeast China got a lot more than they bargained for Tuesday when a malfunction produced a massive wave that injured at least 44 of them. The South China Morning Post reports the incident happened at...
