U.S./World category, Page 333
On the USS Eisenhower, 4 months of combat at sea facing Houthi missiles and new sea threat
ABOARD THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER — Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its accompanying warships have spent four months straight at sea defending against ballistic missiles and flying attack drones fired by Iranian-backed Houthis, and are now more regularly also defending against a new threat...
Venezuela orders UN office on human rights to close and its staff to leave in 3 days
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s government on Thursday ordered the local U.N. office on human rights to suspend operations and gave its staff 72 hours to leave, accusing the office of promoting opposition to the South American country. Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil announced the decision at a news conference in...
Red flags, missed clues: How accused U.S. diplomat-turned-Cuban spy avoided scrutiny for decades
MIAMI — Manuel Rocha was well known in Miami’s elite circles for an aristocratic, almost regal, bearing that seemed fitting for an Ivy League-educated career U.S. diplomat who held top posts in Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba and the White House. “Ambassador Rocha,” as he preferred to be called, demanded and got...
Police: Shooting after Chiefs Super Bowl parade seemed to stem from dispute among several people
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged between the ages...
Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. The Israeli army said it was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. The raid came a...
U.S. company’s lunar lander rockets toward the moon for a touchdown attempt next week
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Another private U.S. company took a shot at the moon Thursday, launching a month after a rival’s lunar lander missed its mark and came crashing back. NASA, the main sponsor with experiments on board, is hoping for a successful moon landing next week as it seeks...
North Carolina tells nature-based therapy program to stop admissions during probe of boy’s death
LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. — North Carolina health officials have told a nature-based therapy program to stop admissions and take other steps to ensure children’s safety during the investigation of a 12-year-old boy’s death earlier this month. Department of Health and Human Services officials said in a letter to Trails Carolina...
Special counsel asks Supreme Court to let Trump’s 2020 election case proceed to trial without delay
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to let former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case proceed to trial without further delay. Prosecutors were responding to a Trump team request from earlier in the week asking for a continued pause in the case...
Charlotte, a stingray with no male companion, is pregnant in her mountain aquariumVideo
Charlotte, a rust-colored stingray the size of a serving platter, has spent much of her life gliding around the confines of a storefront aquarium in North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains. She’s 2,300 miles from her natural habitat under the waves off southern California. And she hasn’t shared a tank of water...
Florida officer mistakes acorn for gunshot, unloads on car with cuffed man insideVideo
A Florida police officer confused a falling acorn for a gunshot and responded by unleashing a hail of bullets on his own patrol car while a man sat handcuffed inside. Jesse Hernandez of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office shot up his vehicle once the acorn struck the hood during the...
Massive landslide on coastal bluff leaves Southern California mansion on the edge of a cliffVideo
DANA POINT, Calif. — A massive landslide on a coastal bluff has left a Southern California mansion on the edge of a cliff, but authorities have determined that the ocean-view home and neighboring residences are not in immediate danger. The slide occurred last week in the city of Dana Point...
House Intelligence Committee chair warns of a serious national security threatVideo
WASHINGTON — The Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee urged the Biden administration on Wednesday to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat. A senior congressional aide speaking to The Associated Press pointed to concerns about Russian anti-satellite weapons. Rep. Mike Turner gave no details...
At least 8 children among 22 hit by gunfire at end of Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade; 1 killedVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eight children were among 22 people hit by gunfire in a shooting at the end of Wednesday’s parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, authorities said, as terrified fans ran for cover and yet another high-profile public event was marred by gun violence....
Gun victims’ re-created voices are being sent to lawmakers who support the NRA
PARKLAND, Fla. — Joaquin “Guac” Oliver died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but federal lawmakers who oppose tighter gun regulations began getting phone calls in his voice on Wednesday, lambasting them for their position. The families of Oliver and five others killed with guns are using artificial...
GOP Speaker Johnson says House won’t be ‘rushed’ to approve aid for Ukraine as $95B package stalls
WASHINGTON — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday the U.S. House will not feel “rushed” to pass the $95.3 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, signaling a further stall over sending military hardware and munitions Kyiv badly needs to fight Russia. Johnson made the remarks behind...
Date night strike: Thousands of U.S., UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for fair compensation and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber and Lyft drivers planned daylong strikes in Pittsburgh; Chicago; Philadelphia; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut;...
Harvey Weinstein is appealing 2020 rape conviction. New York’s top court to hear arguments
NEW YORK — Nearly four years after Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sent to prison, New York’s highest court will hear arguments Wednesday in his quest to overturn the landmark #MeToo-era verdict. Weinstein’s lawyers are asking the state’s Court of Appeals in Albany to dismiss the disgraced movie...
Ukrainian military says it sank Russian landing ship in Black Sea
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it used high-tech naval drones to sink a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian authorities. The Caesar Kunikov amphibious ship sank 2.5 miles off Alupka, a city on the southern edge of the...
Gaza cease-fire and hostage release talks appear to stall as Netanyahu blames Hamas
JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas suffered a setback on Wednesday as Israel reportedly recalled its negotiating team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of hobbling the high-stakes negotiations by sticking to “delusional” demands. Netanyahu’s remarks came hours after local media reported that...
Pond hockey in New Hampshire brightens winter for hundreds. But climate change threatens the sport
MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and the guys he plays social hockey with in Massachusetts make the trek up to New Hampshire to play in an outdoor tournament many believe embodies the sport in its purest form. They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith each...
Amid artificial intelligence boom, AI girlfriends — and boyfriends — are making their mark
NEW YORK — A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t...
Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know
Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday,...
1 person killed, 5 injured when vehicle crashes into emergency room in Austin, TexasVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A car crashed into a Texas hospital’s emergency room Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring five other people, including a child with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The car smashed into the lobby of the ER at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center shortly after 5:30 p.m., fire...
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin released from hospital, has resumed his full duties
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday and has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December to treat prostate cancer. He was taken back to Walter Reed on...
Chicago to stop using controversial gunshot detection technology this year
CHICAGO — Chicago won’t renew its ShotSpotter contract and plans to stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced Tuesday. The system, which relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and network of microphones to identify gunshots, has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias...
