U.S./World category, Page 1136
Family of men shot by Phoenix police emboldened after video
PHOENIX — Relatives of Hector Lopez, who was fatally shot by Phoenix police in May, say passing officers have laughed and made obscene gestures — a charge the department vehemently denies — during past protests seeking information. But as the Lopez family returned to headquarters Friday for the sixth weekly...
Fellow SEALs say chief shot girl and old man in Iraq
SAN DIEGO — Two Navy SEALs testified Friday that their platoon chief gunned down a young girl and an old man in Iraq in 2017 from his sniper’s perch, though neither witnessed him pulling the trigger. The SEALs said shots came from the tower where Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher...
Man arrested after trying to pull over detectiveVideo
UPLAND, Calif. — Police say they arrested a man on suspicion of impersonating a police officer after he tried to pull over a real police detective in Southern California. KABC-TV reported Friday that a Jeep Wrangler with red and blue flashing lights tried to stop a Rancho Cucamonga detective who...
Boaters spot whale off coast of Ocean City
Fishermen looking for sharks caught a glimpse of something bigger last week. Chasin’ Tides Charters shared a video of a whale surfacing near their boat off the coast of Ocean City, Md. “You never know what you may see while out on the ocean,” they wrote June 17. “Tonight while...
Controversial telescope to be built on sacred Hawaiian peak
After years of protests and legal battles, officials have announced that a massive telescope which will allow scientists to peer into the most distant reaches of our early universe will be built on a Hawaiian volcano that some consider sacred. The state announced a “notice to proceed” for the Thirty...
Chinese crackdown on foreign names draws protest
BEIJING — The Manhattan neighborhood, Venice Garden, the Vienna hotel chain — to the ears of the Chinese government, the names are too foreign-sounding and must go. Provinces and cities across China have been issuing notices pressuring both private and public officials to rename businesses, bridges and neighborhoods, reflecting renewed...
Man strips completely at checkpoint in Detroit Metro airport
ROMULUS, Mich. — Authorities say a man took off more than his belt and shoes at a Detroit Metropolitan Airport security checkpoint, and that he got completely naked before trying to pass through a metal detector. The Wayne County Airport Authority said in a statement that the man walked up...
Scientists seek beaches where dead whales can rot in peace
PORTLAND, Ore. — So many gray whales are dying off the U.S. West Coast that scientists and volunteers dealing with the putrid carcasses have an urgent request for coastal residents: Lend us your private beaches so these ocean giants can rot in peace. The number of dead whales washing ashore...
Court tosses black man’s murder conviction over racial bias
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is throwing out the murder conviction and death sentence for a black man in Mississippi because of a prosecutor’s efforts to keep African Americans off the jury. The defendant already has been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial. The court’s 7-2...
New York lawmakers OK pot decriminalization
ALBANY, N.Y. — Lawmakers in New York state have voted to eliminate criminal penalties for public possession and use of marijuana after efforts to legalize pot stalled. The measure would reduce low-level criminal charges for unlawful possession of marijuana to a violation, which comes with a fine similar to a...
U.S. prepped for strikes on Iran before approval was withdrawn
WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said the military made preparations Thursday night for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but approval was abruptly withdrawn before the attacks were launched. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke...
NRA sidelines its top lobbyist in latest sign of internal turmoil
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association has sidelined its top lobbyist, Chris Cox, after accusing him in court documents of participating in what it called a failed extortion scheme to rid the organization of its top executive. Cox, the NRA’s second-in-command and leader of its powerful political arm, was placed...
Witness at Navy SEAL trial admits killing teenage prisoner
SAN DIEGO — A Navy SEAL called by prosecutors to testify at the murder trial of a decorated comrade dropped a bombshell Thursday when he acknowledged killing a wounded militant in what he described as an act of mercy. Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, who got an immunity deal...
Florida police find prosthetic ear owner after Facebook post
HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — Police in Florida trying to find the rightful owner of a prosthetic ear that washed up on their beach got a happy phone call from South Carolina on Thursday. Holmes Beach Police Sgt. Brian Hall said a woman called saying the rubber ear they posted on...
19 pacifiers removed from stomach of dog that swallowed them
A Boston veterinary hospital got quite a surprise recently when a family brought in their bulldog after he stopped eating. The Angell Animal Medical Center found 19 baby pacifiers in the dog’s stomach. It started in April when the Wellesley family noticed that their 3-year-old dog, Mortimer, started getting nauseous...
Slain Sacramento officer had been on force just 6 months
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A rookie Sacramento police offer was fatally shot during a domestic violence call and laid wounded for about 45 minutes as the gunman kept officers at bay with volleys of bullets, authorities said Thursday. Officer Tara O’Sullivan, 26, was shot shortly Wednesday while helping a woman collect...
Lion kills beloved peacock that flew into its zoo enclosure
UTICA, N.Y. — A peacock at an upstate New York zoo was killed by a lion after it flew over a fence into the African Lion enclosure. Utica Zoo officials say the white peacock named Merlin was captured by a lion Wednesday morning after being unable to fly back out...
Animated videos: Boy Scouts’ new tactic to fight sex abuse
NEW YORK — Under financial pressure from sex-abuse litigation, the Boy Scouts of America are seeking to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts with a new awareness program featuring cartoon-style videos that will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts across the nation. Targeted at children from kindergarten to sixth...
Poll: Asteroid watch more urgent than Mars trip
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts, scientific research and using robots to explore the cosmos over sending humans back to the moon or on to Mars, a poll shows. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ,...
72 officers off streets amid probe into social media posts
PHILADELPHIA — Police Commissioner Richard Ross says 72 Philadelphia police officers have been placed on administrative duty amid an initial investigation into a national group’s accusation of officers in at least five states posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media. Ross said he believed at least “several dozen” people...
Sacramento police officer killed during domestic call
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento police on Thursday were trying to negotiate the surrender of a gunman suspected of killing a police officer during a domestic dispute. Tara O’Sullivan, 26, died at UC Davis Medical Center hours after the gunman opened fire on her Wednesday, Deputy Chief Dave Peletta said during...
Iran Revolutionary Guard shoots down U.S. drone amid tensions
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident. The Guard said it shot down the drone over...
Census Bureau data shows U.S. median age has risen by a year
ORLANDO, Fla. — America is aging. Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday showed the median age in the U.S. increased by a year to 38.2 years from 2010 to 2018. If there’s someone to blame, it’s the baby boomers. Many in that group of Americans born between...
Poll: Tracking asteroids a favored focus for space programVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impacts, scientific research and using robots to explore the cosmos over sending humans back to the moon or on to Mars, a poll shows. The poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public...
Animated videos: Boy Scouts’ new tactic to fight sex abuse
NEW YORK — Under financial pressure from sex-abuse litigation, the Boy Scouts of America are seeking to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts with a new awareness program featuring cartoon-style videos that will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts across the nation. Targeted at children from kindergarten to sixth...
