U.S./World category, Page 1177
Supreme Court skeptical of paper’s argument over food stamp data
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday seemed inclined to rule against a South Dakota newspaper seeking data about the government’s food assistance program, previously known as food stamps. The high court was hearing arguments in a case originally brought by the Argus Leader newspaper, which is owned by USA...
Supreme Court to rule on workplace bias against gay and transgender employees
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday set the stage for a landmark civil rights decision next year on whether gay, lesbian and transgender employees are protected nationwide from being fired or not hired under the federal law that bars sex discrimination in the workplace. After weeks of internal debate,...
Sri Lanka blames local Islamist extremist group for Easter bombingsVideo
COLOMBO — Sri Lanka on Monday accused a local Islamist extremist group, the National Thowheed Jamaath, of being behind a string of Easter bombings at churches and hotels that killed at least 290 people, and the United States pledged support for the investigation, dispatching FBI agents to help. At least...
Wisconsin woman pleads guilty to terrorism charges
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin mother of seven has agreed to plead guilty to trying to plan terrorist attacks on behalf of the Islamic State by distributing information on making explosives and biological weapons. Federal prosecutors said they’ll hold a news conference Monday to discuss the case of Waheba Issa Dais....
Teen charged with assault leaps from courthouse balcony
BOSTON — Massachusetts State Police say a teenager suffered severe injuries in an apparent leap from a Boston courthouse’s fourth-floor interior balcony. The teenager was facing domestic assault charges in juvenile court, but was not in custody. He had been released after his arrest and came to court Monday morning...
Wegmans to go plastic-bag free in N.Y. before state ban
ALBANY, N.Y. — Wegmans will eliminate single-use plastic grocery bags at its New York state stores by year’s end — just before a state ban on the packing takes effect, the grocery store chain announced Monday. The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery chain also said it will work to reduce the usage...
Mexico sees homicides rise by 9.7% in first quarter
MEXICO CITY — Homicides in Mexico rose by 9.7% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, reaching 8,493 killings in the first three months of the year, the most on record for the period, according to figures released Monday by the nation’s Security Department....
Herman Cain withdraws from consideration for Fed, Trump says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that Herman Cain has withdrawn from consideration for a seat on the Federal Reserve’s board amid a focus on past scandals and doubts about his qualifications for the role. Cain is a former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza who dropped out of the 2012...
Pelosi says Democrats can hold Trump accountable without impeachment hearings
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday appeared to tap the brakes on impeachment discussions, arguing in a letter to her colleagues that while Democrats would hold President Donald Trump accountable following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, they could do so without initiating impeachment hearings. The...
Elizabeth Warren unveils $640 billion college debt forgiveness plan
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democrat Elizabeth Warren is proposing the elimination of existing student loan debt for millions of Americans, part of a sweeping set of education funding proposals announced as she and other presidential candidates seek to differentiate themselves in a sprawling field. The Massachusetts senator says the proposal unveiled...
Photos: Trumps welcome crowds for White House Easter Egg RollVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump kicked off the annual Easter Egg Roll Monday — the White House’s biggest social event of the year. “I want to wish everybody a very happy Easter,” Trump said, addressing the crowd from the Truman Balcony, where he was joined by first lady Melania Trump...
SpaceX suffers serious setback with crew capsule accident
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has suffered a serious setback in its effort to launch NASA astronauts into orbit this year, with the fiery loss of its first crew capsule. Over the weekend, the Dragon crew capsule that flew to the International Space Station last month was engulfed in smoke...
Toddler finds used condom in McDonald’s eating area
The parents of a 2-year-old girl were horrified after their daughter found a used condom in the eating area of a McDonald’s in Australia. Fox News reports the girl ended up putting the condom in her mouth, much to the disgust of her parents. It was Friday when the family...
Trump sues in bid to block congressional subpoena of financial records
President Donald Trump and his business on Monday sued House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., in a bid to block a congressional subpoena of his financial records. The lawsuit seeks a court order to prevent Trump’s accounting firm from complying with what his lawyers say is an improper use...
Homeless activists outside Notre Dame demand ‘a roof, too’
PARIS — Dozens of public housing advocates protested outside the gutted Notre Dame in Paris Monday to demand that France’s poorest be remembered after donors pledged $1 billion to rebuild the cathedral and its destroyed roof. Around 50 people from a French homeless association gathered with placards reading “1 billion...
Home sales fall 4.9% in slow start to spring buying season
WASHINGTON — Sales of existing U.S. homes fell in March after a huge gain the previous month, held back partly by a sharp slowdown among the most expensive properties. The National Association of Realtors says home sales fell 4.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.21 million, down from...
New York Times: Operations at Boeing Dreamliner plant threaten safety
Boeing’s factory in North Charleston, South Carolina, one of two plants that produces the 787 Dreamliner, has faced problems with production and oversight that create a safety threat, the New York Times reported. The Times cited a review of internal emails, corporate documents and federal records, as well as interviews...
Video caught woman dumping 7 puppies behind California storeVideo
COACHELLA, Calif. — Authorities are trying to identify a woman captured by security cameras tossing seven newborn puppies into a dumpster in Southern California. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services released surveillance video of the woman pulling up to a dumpster behind an auto parts store in Coachella Thursday...
Deaths reported in powerful earthquake in Philippines
MANILA — A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines’ northern island on Monday, killing five people after buildings collapsed on them north of the capital Manila. Residents of Manila described it as the strongest quake in years, and Clark International Airport about 50 miles northwest of Manila had to be...
U.S. won’t renew sanctions waivers for importing Iranian oil
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday told five nations — Japan, South Korea, Turkey, China and India — that they will no longer be exempt from U.S. sanctions if they continue to import oil from Iran. President Donald Trump has decided not to reissue the waivers when they expire...
Kansas patrol: Vulture causes crash that kills husband, wife
MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. — Authorities say a vulture caused a crash that killed a married couple as they rode a motorcycle in southern Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the bird came out of a ditch Saturday afternoon and struck 42-year-old Brandon Husband of Fowler in the head on a...
Official: Sri Lanka failed to heed warnings of attacks
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan officials failed to heed warnings from intelligence agencies about the threat of an attack by a domestic radical Muslim group that officials blame for Easter Sunday bombings which killed more than 200 people, the country’s health minister said Monday. The coordinated bombings that ripped...
TV actor wins Ukraine presidential vote in a landslide
KIEV, Ukraine — With nearly all the votes counted in Ukraine, TV star Volodymyr Zelenskiy is projected to win the country’s presidential runoff vote in a landslide. The Central Election Commission says Monday that Zelenskiy has won 73% of the vote while the incumbent President Petro Poroshenko got just 24%...
Notre Dame fire was a warning bell. But will Europe listen?
PARIS — It’s a thin line where the patina of age on Europe’s countless monuments gives way to the onset of neglect. Like with so many loved ones, all is assumed to be fine, until suddenly it’s not. In the wake of the fire last week that gutted Notre Dame,...
Colorado dog reunited with Florida family after 2017 theft
SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. — A dog found abandoned in Colorado has been returned to its family, nearly two years after it was stolen in Florida as a puppy. Animal charity organization Wings of Rescue says the German Shepherd named Cedar was covered with snow in a rural Colorado ditch, apparently...
