U.S./World category, Page 317
78,000 more public workers are getting student loans canceled through Biden administration changes
WASHINGTON — Another 78,000 Americans are getting their federal student loans canceled through a program that helps teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public servants, the Biden administration announced Thursday. The Education Department is canceling the borrowers’ loans because they reached 10 years of payments while working in public service, making...
Their WWII mission was secret for decades. Now the Ghost Army will get the Congressional Gold Medal
DALLAS — For decades, their mission during World War II was a secret. With inflatable tanks, trucks and planes, combined with sound effects, radio trickery, costume uniforms and acting, the American military units that became known as the Ghost Army helped outwit the enemy. Now, they are being awarded the...
A firework is lit, a boy is shot. Israel’s use of deadly force against Palestinians is scrutinized
JERUSALEM — A 12-year-old boy in east Jerusalem lights the fuse of a long firework and hoists it in the air. Then, just before it explodes and illuminates the night sky with a burst of red, he is shot in the chest by Israeli police and falls to the ground....
1 of the few remaining survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor has died at 102
HONOLULU — Richard C. “Dick” Higgins, one of the few remaining survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has died, a family member said Wednesday. He was 102. Higgins died at home in Bend, Oregon, on Tuesday of natural causes, granddaughter Angela Norton said. Higgins was a radioman assigned...
Russia fires 31 missiles at Kyiv in 1st attack in 44 days; 13 people hurt
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia fired 31 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv before dawn Thursday in the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days, officials said. Air defenses shot down all the incoming missiles, though 13 people including a child were injured by falling wreckage, they said. Residents...
Republicans make last-ditch request for Biden to testify as impeachment inquiry winds down
WASHINGTON — The House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is all but winding down, lacking the political appetite from within the Republican ranks to go forward with an impeachment but facing political pressure to deliver after months of work. The chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Republican...
Republicans call for raising retirement age in clash with Biden
WASHINGTON — The largest caucus of House Republicans called for an increase in the Social Security retirement age Wednesday, setting up a clash with President Joe Biden over spending on popular programs. The Republican Study Committee, which comprises about 80% of House Republicans, called for the Social Security eligibility age...
New York asks court not to let Trump forgo $454M bond in fraud case appeal
NEW YORK — New York state lawyers urged an appellate court Wednesday not to buy former President Donald Trump’s claims that it’s impossible to post a bond fully covering a $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals. The presumptive Republican nominee’s lawyers said earlier this week that he couldn’t...
1 of 6 former officers in Mississippi gets 40 years for racist torture of 2 Black men
JACKSON, Miss. — A fourth former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced for his part in the racist torture of two Black men by a group of white officers who called themselves “the Goon Squad.” Christian Dedmon was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in federal prison, hours after Daniel Opdyke...
AI-aided virtual conversations with WWII vets are latest feature at New Orleans museumVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Olin Pickens sat in his wheelchair facing a life-sized image of himself on a screen, asking it questions about being taken prisoner by German soldiers during World War II. After a pause, his video-recorded twin recalled being given “sauerkraut soup” by his captors before a grueling march....
Prince Harry’s lawyer implicates Rupert Murdoch in cover-up of unlawful snooping by his tabloids
LONDON — Prince Harry’s lawyer leveled explosive new allegations Wednesday that Rupert Murdoch was aware of cover-ups at his British tabloids that used unlawful techniques to spy on the Duke of Sussex and others. Attorney David Sherborne said Murdoch was among the executives who were aware that public statements made...
Florida homeless to be banned from sleeping in public spaces under DeSantis-backed law
Florida’s homeless will be banned from sleeping on sidewalks and in parks and other public spaces under a law signed Wednesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. It also promises the homeless greater access to services for issues such as substance abuse and mental health problems. The state Department of Children...
Did UK hospital staff try to snoop on Princess Kate’s medical records? Privacy watchdog investigates
LONDON — A British privacy watchdog said Wednesday it is looking into a report that staff at a private London hospital tried to snoop on the Princess of Wales ’ medical records while she was a patient for abdominal surgery. The Information Commissioner’s Office said: “We can confirm that we...
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza’s biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second day
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead...
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigns amid anti-corruption campaign
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned after a little over a year on the job, the Communist Party said Wednesday, making him the latest senior official to leave office amid an intense anti-corruption campaign. The party said it had accepted his resignation, writing in a statement that...
Texas’ migrant arrest law is back on hold after briefly taking effect
McALLEN, Texas — Texas’ plans to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally were again on hold Wednesday after setting off uncertainty along the border and anger from Mexico flared during a brief few hours that the law was allowed to take effect. A late-night order Tuesday from a...
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no one wins Tuesday’s drawing
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday were 24, 46, 49, 62, 66 and the gold Mega Ball was 7. The estimated jackpot was $893 million with a...
Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approve security law giving government more power to curb dissent
HONG KONG — Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approved a new national security law Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a...
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumor mill. That’s a tall order
LONDON — The late Queen Elizabeth II used to say that the royal family has to be seen to be believed. That became glaringly evident as the absence of Kate, the Princess of Wales, from public view unleashed an escalating frenzy of wild speculation, skepticism and flat-out conspiracy theories fueled...
Top former U.S. generals say failures of Biden administration in planning drove chaotic fall of Kabul
WASHINGTON — The top two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 blamed the Biden administration for the chaotic departure, telling lawmakers Tuesday that it inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time. The rare testimony...
2 Japanese men die in river near Washington state waterfall made popular on TikTok
INDEX, Wash. — The bodies of two people recovered over the weekend after they fell into the water at a dangerous swimming area in Washington state made popular by TikTok have been identified as men from Japan. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the men Tuesday as Hiroya Konosu,...
Biden tells Latino voters: ‘I need you back’
PHOENIX — President Joe Biden on Tuesday personally appealed to Latino voters, saying they’re the reason he defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and urging them to help him do it again in November. “I need you back,” he told several dozen supporters packed into a local Mexican restaurant. Biden said...
Biden and Trump notch more wins in Tuesday’s primaries
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their parties’ primaries in Kansas on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in November’s presidential election. Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, also easily won primaries Tuesday in Ohio and Illinois. Trump also won...
Trump-backed Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s GOP Senate primary
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno won Ohio’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, just days after former President Donald Trump visited the state to boost his endorsed candidate in a three-way race that remained competitive to the end. Moreno prevailed after a contentious and expensive fight against Ohio Secretary...
Trump sues ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation
Former President Trump is suing TV journalist George Stephanopoulos and ABC News for defamation for saying he raped advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. On a March 10 edition of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” the anchor said Trump was “liable for rape” during his interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)....
