U.S./World category, Page 308
Former Ohio utility regulator, charged in a sweeping bribery scheme, has died
COLUMBUS — A former top utility regulator awaiting trial on charges he took millions in bribes in conjunction with the largest corruption scandal in Ohio’s history died by suicide on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Franklin County Coroner’s Office said. Sam Randazzo, 74, the one-time chair of the Public Utilities...
South Korea’s president faces a major test in a crucial parliamentary election
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a crucial referendum Wednesday in parliamentary election s that could determine whether he becomes a lame duck or enjoys a mandate to pursue key policies for his remaining three years in office. In the months ahead of the election,...
More Republican states sue to block Biden’s student loan repayment plan
WASHINGTON — Another group of Republican-led states is suing to block the Biden administration’s new student loan repayment plan, which offers a faster path to cancellation and has already been used to forgive loans for more than 150,000 borrowers. Seven states led by Missouri filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging...
Former assistant principal charged with child neglect in case of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been charged with felony child neglect more than a year after a 6-year-old boy brought a gun to class and shot his first-grade teacher. A special grand jury in Newport News found that Ebony Parker showed...
Court upholds California’s authority to set nation-leading vehicle emission rules
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California can continue to set its own nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, a federal court ruled Tuesday — two years after the Biden administration restored the state’s authority to do so as part of its efforts to reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the...
Florida woman sentenced to a month in jail for selling Biden’s daughter’s diary
NEW YORK — A Florida mother was sentenced Tuesday to a month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing and selling President Joe Biden’s daughter’s diary four years ago to the conservative group Project Veritas. Aimee Harris was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Laura Taylor...
A new version of Scrabble aims to make the word-building game more accessible
NEW YORK — Scrabble is getting a bit of a makeover, at least in Europe. Mattel has unveiled a double-sided board that features both the classic word-building game and Scrabble Together, a new rendition designed to be accessible “for anyone who finds word games intimidating.” This new version, which is...
Conservative hoaxers to pay up to $1.25M under agreement with New York over 2020 robocall scheme
ALBANY, N.Y. — Two conservative political operatives who orchestrated a robocall campaign to dissuade Black people from voting in the 2020 election have agreed to pay up to $1.25 million under a settlement with New York state, Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday. The operatives, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman,...
Wisconsin governor vetoes Republican-backed bill targeting PFAS chemicals
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a Republican bill Tuesday that would have created grants to fight pollution from “forever chemicals” and took the unusual step of calling the GOP-controlled budget committee into meeting to approve spending $125 million to deal with contamination. Evers has only called a...
New EPA rule says 218 U.S. chemical plants must reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer
WASHINGTON — More than 200 chemical plants nationwide will be required to reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer under a new rule issued Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rule advances President Joe Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by delivering critical health protections for communities burdened...
Ancient sea turtle housed at Boston aquarium for more than 50 years passes another physical
BOSTON — Apparently, it’s pretty easy being green after all. That was the takeaway from Tuesday’s physical examination of Myrtle, an ancient green sea turtle that has delighted visitors to the New England Aquarium in Boston for more than 50 years. Veterinarians performed Myrtle’s checkup after the 500-pound reptile was...
Istanbul airport provides anxious travelers with paw-sitive experience by hiring 5 therapy dogs
ISTANBUL — Five new hires are selflessly roaming the halls of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs, hoping to provide a paw-sitively stress-free travel experience for anxious passengers. Meet Istanbul Airport’s therapy dogs — always ready to offer support with snuggles, belly rubs and sloppy kisses. The Associated Press...
Arizona can enforce an 1864 law criminalizing nearly all abortions, court says
PHOENIX — Arizona can soon enforce a long-dormant law criminalizing all abortions except when a mother’s life is at stake, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, opening the door to prosecuting doctors who perform the procedures. Under the decision, a long-dormant law that predates Arizona’s statehood would take effect. It...
Judge dismisses lawsuit of injured Dakota Access pipeline protester
BISMARCK, N.D. — A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed the excessive-force lawsuit of a New York woman who was injured in an explosion during the protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. In orders on Wednesday and Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor granted motions to dismiss...
Michigan school shooter’s parents sentenced to at least 10 years in prisonVideo
PONTIAC, Mich. — The parents of a Michigan school shooter were each sentenced to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented the killing of four students in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass...
Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion, which U.S. says would be a mistake
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying a date has been set for the ground offensive into the city filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. The United...
Can’t get enough of the total solar eclipse or got clouded out? Here are the next ones to watch for
DALLAS — Whether you saw the moon completely block the sun, were foiled by cloudy weather or weren’t along the path of Monday’s total solar eclipse, there are still more chances to catch a glimpse. Here’s what to know about upcoming solar spectacles: When is the next total solar eclipse?...
Simon Harris installed as Ireland’s new prime minister — the country’s youngest leader
LONDON — Lawmaker Simon Harris was elected Ireland’s prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country’s youngest-ever leader. Harris takes over as head of Ireland’s three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month. Harris, who served as higher education minister...
Norfolk Southern agrees to pay $600M in settlement related to East Palestine train derailment
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement for a fiery February 2023 train derailment in Ohio, but residents worry the money not only won’t go far enough to cover future health needs that could be tremendous but also won’t amount to much once divvied...
Verdict saying Switzerland violated rights by failing on climate action could ripple across Europe
STRASBOURG, France — Europe’s highest human rights court ruled Tuesday that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change, siding with a group of older Swiss women against their government in a landmark ruling that could have implications across the continent. The European Court of Human...
Explosive device thrown onto porch of Satanic Temple in Massachusetts, no injuries reported
SALEM, Mass. — Someone threw an explosive device onto the porch of The Satanic Temple in Massachusetts at a time when no one was inside, and the device and damage it caused were not found until nearly 12 hours later, police said. No injuries were reported. State police bomb technicians...
Over 200 women, several men accuse doctor in lawsuit of sexual abuse, unnecessary exams
BOSTON — More than a decade ago, Kristin Fritz was struggling with pain in her spine and saw a rheumatologist recommended by her doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The visit with Dr. Derrick Todd started normally for the 37-year-old New Hampshire woman. But as Todd progressed, he...
Olympic rings for Paris Games will be displayed on Eiffel Tower
PARIS — The Olympic rings will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower, organizers said in a statement on Tuesday, as the French capital prepares to mark 100 days until the start of the Paris Games. A 95-foot-long and 49-foot-high structure of five Olympic rings, made entirely of recycled French steel,...
Conservative Christians praise Trump’s anti-abortion record but say he’s stopped short of the goal
For conservative, anti-abortion Christians, former President Donald Trump delivered in four years what no other Republican before him had been able to do: A conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court that would go on to overturn Roe v. Wade, a Holy Grail of the movement. With abortion rights now controlled by...
Prosecutors urge Supreme Court to reject Trump’s immunity claims in election subversion case
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith’s team urged the Supreme Court on Monday night to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The brief from prosecutors was submitted just...
