U.S./World category, Page 1235
Experts, images suggest a Saudi ballistic missile program
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, evidence of the type of weapons program it has long criticized its archrival Iran for possessing. Further raising the stakes for any such program...
Fishing imperils 40 shark species in the Galapagos
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador — The teeming waters that surround the famed Galapagos islands support more shark species than anywhere on Earth. Schools of wide-eyed scalloped hammerheads, 40,000-pound whale sharks, reef-patrolling whitetip sharks, more than 40 species in total, many endangered, are found only here. Yet, these top marine predators, in...
Louisiana shooting leaves 5 dead; suspect at large
NEW ORLEANS — Authorities in Louisiana say separate but related shootings in two different parishes have left five people dead. A suspect was at large and was being sought. Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre told a news conference that deputies were called to a trailer in the city of Gonzales...
German expert panel agrees on 2038 deadline to end coal use
BERLIN — In a pioneering move, a government-appointed panel on Saturday recommended that Germany stop burning coal to generate electricity by 2038 at the latest, as part of efforts to curb climate change. The so-called Coal Commission reached agreement in the early hours of Saturday, following months of wrangling that...
Taking tune from ‘The Office,’ Arizona man helps save woman’s life
TUCSON, Ariz. — A classic scene from a decade-old episode of “The Office” helped an Arizona mechanic save an unconscious woman’s life. The Arizona Daily Star reports that 21-year-old Cross Scott found a woman locked in her car this month and broke in, finding she wasn’t breathing. He doesn’t have...
Women’s March drew more moderates in its third year. Why? It’s all Trump, researchers say.
WASHINGTON - Two years in, the Women’s March is still bringing out first-timers, according to organizers and researchers who attended last Saturday’s demonstration. And they’re not who you might expect to find at a rally for the so-called “resistance.” Unlike the first march, with crowds made up almost exclusively of...
Smaller government? Some Trump supporters cheer the shutdown
FORT HANCOCK, Texas — Donald Trump didn’t carry many parts of Texas’ heavily Democratic areas along the border with Mexico, but he won remote Hudspeth County thanks to people like Terry Rose. And the 71-year-old mechanic saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history as a campaign promise kept. “I want...
Transgender military personnel in limbo over Trump plan
NEW YORK — Long term, lawyers and activists battling to ensure that transgender people can serve openly in the U.S. military are convinced they will prevail. Short term, they are braced for anguishing consequences if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to sharply restrict such service. The U.S. Supreme...
Court: Illinois mom can sue Six Flags for fingerprinting son
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Friday that a woman can sue Six Flags Great America for fingerprinting her child without telling her how the data would be used in violation of the state’s biometric law, which privacy advocates consider to be the nation’s strongest biometric data safeguards....
Measles outbreak grows in northwest U.S., 30 cases reported
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The number of confirmed measles cases near Portland grew to 30 on Friday — an outbreak boosted by lower-than-normal vaccination rates in what has been called an anti-vaccination U.S. “hot spot.” Public health officials in southwest Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, said people may...
Ex-teacher charged with trying to support Islamic State
WASHINGTON — A former substitute teacher from Texas has been indicted on federal charges alleging he tried to provide material support to the Islamic State, the Justice Department said Friday. Warren Christopher Clark, 34, appeared in court in Houston on Friday and was ordered held without bail. Clark was captured...
St. Louis officer charged after deadly game with revolver
ST. LOUIS — A male St. Louis police officer was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a female officer during what was described as a deadly game with a revolver. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced the charge against Nathaniel Hendren, 29, in the death of 24-year-old...
Why Venezuela military leaders are standing behind Maduro
CARACAS, Venezuela — Even as Venezuelans fill the streets rallying behind opposition leader Juan Guaido and the list of foreign nations recognizing him as the country’s rightful president grows, the top members of the all-important military are sending a different message: Forget about it. In back-to-back proclamations Thursday, high-ranking generals...
Alabama inmate escaped prison by hiding in furniture trailer
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An inmate serving a life sentence for human trafficking escaped from an Alabama prison by hiding inside a trailer used to haul furniture, state officials said Friday. Law enforcement authorities are continuing to search for 30-year-old Corey Aris Davis, who escaped from the St. Clair Correctional Facility...
St. Louis officer charged after deadly game with revolver
ST. LOUIS — A male St. Louis police officer was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a female officer during what was described as a deadly game with a revolver. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced the charge against Nathaniel Hendren, 29, in the death of 24-year-old...
Experts: Decent chance Van Dyke’s sentence will be tossed
CHICAGO — Some legal experts believe there’s a reasonable chance the prison sentence of less than seven years imposed on a white Chicago police officer last week for second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times could be tossed out and a new sentencing ordered....
Fire report could complicate PG&E bankruptcy decision
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A state fire investigation’s conclusion that Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. equipment was not to blame for a 2017 wildfire that killed 22 people in Northern California wine country could hamper lawsuits by victims of the blaze and complicate the utility’s plans to file for bankruptcy. In...
Whole Foods recalls products with baby spinach
Grocery chain Whole Foods on Wednesday announced a voluntary recall of numerous prepared food items containing baby spinach because of possible salmonella contamination. Whole Foods said in a notice the potentially contaminated products were sold in eight states and contain baby spinach and mesclun from Satur Farms - a Cutchogue,...
Militia leader sentenced to 30 years in Kansas bomb plot
WICHITA, Kan. — Two militia members convicted of taking part in a foiled plot to massacre Muslims in southwest Kansas were sentenced Friday to decades in prison during an emotional court hearing in which one of the targeted victims pleaded: “Please don’t hate us.” U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren sentenced...
200 reported missing after Brazil dam collapse
SAO PAULO — An iron ore tailings dam collapsed in southeastern Brazil on Friday, inundating a nearby community in mining waste and leaving an estimated 200 missing, according to Minas Gerais state firefighters. Brazilian mining company Vale SA said in a statement that tailings reached the community of Vila Ferteco...
Greek lawmakers ratify Macedonia name-change deal
ATHENS, Greece — Greek lawmakers ratified an agreement Friday to end a nearly three decade-long dispute over neighboring Macedonia’s name, in a landmark vote that will see the small country renamed North Macedonia and clear its path to NATO membership. The deal passed with 153 votes in the 300-member parliament,...
Hawaiian Air flight diverted after flight attendant dies
SAN FRANCISCO — A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to New York City was diverted to San Francisco after a flight attendant died of an apparent heart attack, officials said Friday. Hawaiian Airlines Flight 50 landed Thursday night after a crew member had “a suspected heart attack,” San Francisco airport...
Police: Woman drove drunk on vanilla extract
NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Police say a Connecticut woman charged with driving under the influence was drunk on vanilla extract, which contains a significant amount of alcohol. Hearst Connecticut Media reports that New Canaan police found 50-year-old Stefanie Warner-Grise sitting in a car at an intersection with her eyes closed...
Faraway space snowman is pitted and has bright ‘collar’
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space snowman visited by NASA on New Year’s Day is pitted all over and has a bright “collar” between its two fused spheres. These are the newest details to emerge about Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever explored. A close-up picture taken by NASA’s...
Marijuana business owners plead to drug, racketeering counts
DENVER — The owners of a Denver marijuana business have pleaded guilty to drug and racketeering charges, stemming from a yearlong grand jury investigation that prosecutors say uncovered more than two tons of marijuana entering the black market. Matthew Aiken, Christian Johnson and Anthony Sauro pleaded guilty Friday to violating...
