U.S./World category, Page 1198
California to waive environmental rules for fire season prep
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Friday to bypass environmental regulations to prepare for the next wildfire season, a move he said was necessary to prevent further loss of life even as it frustrated activists in a state viewed as a national environmental leader. “The increasing wildfire risks...
Robert Durst faces new lawsuit in death of first wife
NEW YORK — The legal saga surrounding real estate scion Robert Durst found yet another venue Friday, as a new lawsuit accused him of killing his first wife in New York and disposing of her body in 1982. The wrongful death claim, filed in state court, came two years after...
Teen charged with making racist threats in Charlottesville
A 17-year-old boy was charged Friday with making online threats of “ethnic cleansing” against black and Hispanic students at the public high school in Charlottesville, Virginia, a city that was the site of a deadly white nationalist rally in 2017. The threats had shut down the city’s public schools on...
Robert Mueller concludes Russia probe, delivers report to AG Barr
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump’s presidency, entangled Trump’s family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president’s closest associates. The report, still confidential, marks the...
Flight attendant detained by immigration on return to U.S.
HOUSTON — A flight attendant who traveled to Mexico for work through a program for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children has been detained. Attorney Belinda Arroyo said Friday that 28-year-old Selene Saavedra Roman raised concerns about whether she could work an international flight due to her immigration status....
Ohio police unit that went after Stormy Daniels disbanded for alleged misconduct
Beset by the fallout of a high-profile scandal involving adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and allegations that an officer traded sex for releasing women he had arrested, an Ohio police department has taken the unprecedented action of disbanding a unit that was once in charge of pursuing “moral crimes.” On Tuesday,...
Midwest flooding costs increasing, with $1.6B damage in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Friday that recent flooding in the state has caused an estimated $1.6 billion in damage, pushing the total costs from the devastating Midwest flooding to at least $3 billion. The ongoing flooding along the Missouri River has damaged thousands of homes...
Police: Man told Jewish co-worker she was in ‘gas chamber’
ALBANY, N.Y. — The arrest of a New York man on charges of harassing a Jewish co-worker at a health food store is the latest in a rising number of anti-Semitic episodes reported in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. The Democrat joined state police Superintendent Keith Corlett for...
Indonesia’s top airline seeks to cancel order for 49 Boeing Max 8s
JAKARTA, Indonesia — In a blow for Boeing, Indonesia’s flag carrier is seeking the cancellation of a multibillion dollar order for 49 of the manufacturer’s 737 Max 8 jets, citing a loss of confidence after two crashes in the past six months. It is the first announcement of a cancellation...
Tyson recalls chicken strips due to metal fears
WASHINGTON — Arkansas-based Tyson Foods is recalling more than 69,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips because they may be contaminated with pieces of metal. The U.S. Agriculture Department said Thursday the products were produced on Nov. 30, 2018, and have a best if used by date of Nov. 30,...
2 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan, NATO says
KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Friday while carrying out an operation, the U.S.-led NATO coalition said. No details were provided, and their names will not be disclosed until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, according to Department of Defense policy. But...
Alabama prison shuts off water to cells, hunger strike ends
ATMORE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Corrections says a hunger strike by inmates protesting solitary confinement at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility has ended after authorities shut off the water to their prison cells. Corrections spokesman Bob Horton told the Montgomery Advertiser on Thursday that the water was...
94-year-old WWII veteran finally gets high school diploma
SHREWSBURY, Mass. — A 94-year-old World War II veteran has received his high school diploma — 74 years after he would have gotten had he not enlisted. Paul Snow says he felt “naked” from all the attention he received Thursday during a ceremony at St. John’s High School, but says...
R Kelly defense emerges, including saying accusers are lying
CHICAGO — R. Kelly yelled through tears in a recent TV interview before an audience numbering in the millions, saying he’s in a fight for his life to disprove sexual abuse charges. That fight will ultimately be waged in court, with an audience numbering just 12 jurors. While the day...
35 years in prison: Man exonerated in rape case and freed
BATON ROUGE, La. — A man convicted of a 1982 rape in Louisiana’s capital city walked free Thursday after 35 years in prison, following his exoneration using an updated fingerprint database. The Innocence Project, which works to free wrongly convicted defendants, said Archie Williams was freed after his conviction was...
Hungry wolves may get new home at Isle Royale National Park
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A U.S.-Canadian team prepared Thursday for another mission to relocate gray wolves to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan from a second Lake Superior island, where the predators are in danger of starvation after gobbling up a caribou herd. The targeted pack is on Michipicoten Island...
Jury convicts Georgia man for role in teacher’s 2005 slaying
ABBEVILLE, Ga. — A jury on Thursday convicted a Georgia man of concealing the death of a teacher whose slaying remained a mystery for more than a decade after her body was burned to ash and bone fragments in a rural pecan orchard. Bo Dukes was the first of two...
Suspect in mob boss slaying could face lethal Mafia justice
NEW YORK — As Anthony Comello sits in jail on murder charges, he may have more than legal problems to worry about — namely, whether the Mafia is going to get its hands on him. The man he is accused of killing was the reputed boss of New York’s Gambino...
Cummings: Ivanka Trump not preserving all official email
WASHINGTON — A top House Democrat says Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a powerful White House aide, is not preserving all of her official email communications as required by federal law. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, says in a letter that Trump’s...
ACLU: Black man detained while moving into his own home
TONGANOXIE, Kan. — The American Civil Liberties of Kansas has asked for a state investigation after a black man was detained by local police while moving into his own home. The ACLU said Thursday that Karle Robinson was held at gunpoint and handcuffed as he moved into a home he...
Trump says public should see ‘ridiculous’ Mueller report
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller’s report should be released to the public, even as he disparaged its very existence as “ridiculous.” “Let it come out, let people see it,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “Let’s see whether or not it’s legit.” Mueller is expected...
Men find ice-cold beers in field after cleaning up Nebraska flood wreckage
In its life span, the fridge had been through a fire and a flood, but from far away it didn’t look so bad. Just a small black box, lying in the middle of a wet and muddy Nebraska field. It struck Gayland Stouffer as unusual. Stouffer wondered how it got...
$625M jackpot at stake in Saturday’s Powerball
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery officials say the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $625 million. The jackpot on Saturday would be the seventh-largest in U.S. history, with an estimated lump sum payout of $380.6 million before taxes. The odds of winning are extremely long, at 1 in 292.2...
National Guard called in after Texas petrochemicals facility fire
HOUSTON — National Guard troops have been called in and residents were told to stay inside after elevated levels of benzene were detected early Thursday near a Houston-area petrochemicals storage facility that caught fire this week. Harris County officials said the Guard and hazardous materials teams have established perimeters around...
Man faces 20 years in prison for threats against Obama, Waters
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Federal prosecutors say a central New York man faces up to 20 years in prison for threatening to kill former President Barack Obama and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. According to Syracuse.com , a jury convicted Stephen Taubert on Wednesday. The charges stemmed from phone calls, including racial...
