U.S./World category, Page 1244
Human and financial costs mount as shutdown enters fourth week with Trump threatening longer standoff
WASHINGTON — The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ground into a fourth week Saturday with President Trump showing fresh defiance on Twitter, congressional Democrats firmly resolved to resist his calls for a border wall, and unpaid workers caught in the middle. “We will be out for a long...
Coal mine collapses in China, killing at least 21
BEIJING — Twenty-one coal miners were killed when a mine collapsed in northern China, state media reported Sunday. The disaster occurred Saturday in Shenmu in Shaanxi province in the heart of the country’s coal-mining belt, according to state TV and the Xinhua News Agency. Sixty-six other miners were rescued, the...
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick accuser cooperates with NYC prosecutors on Catholic Church sex abuse
VATICAN CITY — The key accuser in the sex abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has met with New York City prosecutors, evidence that the scandal that has convulsed the papacy is now part of the broader U.S. law enforcement investigation into sex abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church....
Storm moves to Mid-Atlantic; at least 5 dead in crashes
ST. LOUIS — A massive winter snowstorm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths on Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City ahead of the NFL divisional playoff game. The storm moved into...
Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration
President Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials, current and former...
It’s shaping up to be a stellar year for space flight
Elon Musk is prone to tweeting out artistic renderings of the rockets and spacecraft he intends to build, offering his followers a glimpse of the future he imagines for humanity on other planets. So when he recently posted a photo of a launchpad walkway leading out to his rocket and...
Requests to bring in child brides OK’d; legal under U.S. laws
WASHINGTON — Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals...
Stephen King complaint spurs newspaper subscription drive
PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine newspaper that horrified author Stephen King by dropping its local book review coverage used his complaint to boost digital subscriptions. King, who lives in Bangor, complained Friday about the Portland Press Herald’s decision to stop publishing freelance-written reviews of books about Maine or written by...
In states, Democrats start delivering on health care pledges
SEATTLE — Riding the momentum from November’s elections, Democratic leaders in the states are wasting no time delivering on their biggest campaign promise — to expand access to health care and make it more affordable. The first full week of state legislative sessions and swearings-in for governors saw a flurry...
Bare-handed surgeries as Zimbabwe’s health system collapses
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A doctors’ strike in Zimbabwe has crippled a health system that was already in intensive care from neglect. It mirrors the state of affairs in a country that was full of promise a year ago with the departure of longtime leader Robert Mugabe but now faces economic...
After Wisconsin girl’s safe return, question is: Why?
BARRON, Wis. — The grandfather of a northwestern Wisconsin girl who was abducted during a home invasion that left her parents dead said Saturday that the family has no connection to the suspect and doesn’t understand why he targeted her, deepening a mystery that has captivated the state for months....
Ex-kidnapping victims: Jayme Closs needs space, time to heal
CHICAGO — Katie Beers’ joy quickly turned to deep concern when she learned 13-year-old Jayme Closs had been found alive in rural Wisconsin nearly three months after police say a man shot and killed her parents then abducted the girl from their home. “She is going to have to grieve...
Guy, No. 4 Virginia stay perfect with 63-43 win over Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. — Kyle Guy had 13 points, De’Andre Hunter scored 12 and No. 4 Virginia improved to 15-0 with a 63-43 victory over Clemson on Saturday. Clemson started the day with a national championship football parade and celebration just a few steps away at Death Valley. The basketball Tigers...
Shutdown becomes longest federal closure in U.S. history
WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown became the longest closure in U.S. history when the clock ticked past midnight into early Saturday as President Trump and nervous Republicans scrambled to find a way out of the mess. A solution couldn’t come soon enough for federal workers who got pay statements...
Avalanches, accidents bring Europe’s winter death toll to 21
BELGRADE, Serbia — Heavy snow paralyzed much of Europe for yet another day, cutting off mountain villages, sparking avalanches like one that crashed into a Swiss hotel and killing at least four more people Friday. Workers at the Hotel Saentis in eastern Switzerland spent Friday shoveling out hip-deep snow after...
US starts withdrawing supplies, but not troops, from Syria
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Friday it has started pulling equipment, but not troops, out of Syria as a first step in meeting President Trump’s demand for a complete military withdrawal. The announcement fueled concern about how quickly the United States will abandon its Kurdish allies, amid contradictory statements...
Trump says changes coming in U.S. handling of high-tech visas
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday promised changes in the way the United States handles temporary visas that allow American companies to bring high-tech and other skilled workers into the country In a tweet, Trump said those who hold the temporary H1-B visas can “rest assured” because changes were coming...
Judge: Women could lose birth control coverage under new Trump rules
OAKLAND, Calif. — A U.S. judge said Friday that a “substantial number” of women would lose free birth control coverage under new rules by the Trump administration that allow more employers to opt out of providing the benefit on religious and moral grounds. Judge Haywood Gilliam made the comment at...
Miami airport closing off terminal as shutdown keeps TSA workers home
MIAMI — With more federal security screeners refusing to work without pay, Miami International Airport plans to cut off access to one of its terminals over the weekend in order to send TSA workers to busier checkpoints, a spokesman said Thursday night. Closing of the security checkpoint at Terminal G...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has no remaining cancer, Supreme Court announces
WASHINGTON – Tests revealed that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has no additional cancer following her surgery in December, and no further treatment is needed, the Supreme Court announced Friday. “Justice Ginsburg will continue to work from home next week and will participate in the consideration and decision of the cases...
Florida pardons 4 black men accused of 1949 rape
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Cabinet granted posthumous pardons Friday to four African-American men accused of raping a white woman nearly 70 years ago in a case now seen as a racial injustice. The unanimous vote came minutes after alleged victim pleaded with DeSantis and the...
Trump says changes coming on high-tech visas
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says changes are coming in the way that the U.S. handles temporary H1-B visas, which allow American companies to bring high-tech and other skilled workers into the U.S. from abroad. Trump tweeted Friday that those who hold the temporary H1-B visas can “rest assured” because...
Video shows Waffle House workers put food on unconscious man
LITHONIA, Ga. — A video shows two Waffle House employees putting salt, a slice of cheese and ketchup on an unconscious man’s head and now the company says the workers at the Atlanta area location have been fired. News outlets report the video on Instagram also shows the employees playing...
Maryland firefighter accused of threatening to cut off a water supply during a blaze
Two firefighters have been temporarily banned from responding to emergency runs as the department investigates radio transmissions in which a firefighter threatened to cut off another crew’s water supply during a call in Capitol Heights, Maryland. The firefighters - one career and one volunteer - have been confined to administrative...
Rookie cop in Northern California ‘ambushed’ at crash scene
DAVIS, Calif. — Natalie Corona was a rising star in her police department with a sparkling smile and a huge heart who had followed in her father’s footsteps and became an officer, fulfilling a lifelong dream just a few months ago when her dad pinned the badge on her uniform....
