U.S./World category, Page 478
West Virginia Senate passes modified transgender care ban
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Republican supermajority Senate passed a bill Friday that would ban certain health care for transgender youth after approving a significant change to add exceptions for young people at risk for self harm or suicide. “These kids struggle, they have incredible difficulties,” said Majority Leader Tom...
Standard time giving way to daylight saving in most of U.S.
WASHINGTON — Standard time comes to an end in most parts of the United States this weekend. You’ll lose an hour of sleep for one night but gain more daylight in the evening in the months ahead. The transition to daylight saving time is official at 2 a.m. local time...
Ukrainian firefighters on risky mission to save lives, homes
KOSTIANTINIVKA, Ukraine — Thick grey smoke pours from the roof as the firefighters arrive at the brick house, one of several homes hit by Russian shelling in a residential neighborhood of Kostiantinivka. The city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province has come under intense bombardment in recent days amid a Russian...
Maine college goes into lockdown after shot fired on campus
The campus of a liberal arts college in Maine was put on lockdown early Saturday morning after a shot was fired in a student housing complex during what one student called a massive annual party. Colby College said no students were hurt during an altercation that involved a firearm being...
Americans’ fun road trip to Mexico became days of horror
LAKE CITY, S.C. — It was supposed to be a fun road trip to Mexico, a post-pandemic adventure for a group of childhood friends. One was treating herself to cosmetic surgery after having six children. It was a 34th birthday celebration for another. They rented a white van in South...
New Air Force One will stay blue and white, Biden decides
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is sticking with a blue-and-white color scheme for the exterior of the replacement Air Force One aircraft, the first of which is expected to be delivered in four years. The Air Force said late Friday that the light blue on the new model of the...
Sexual assault reports increase at U.S. military academies
WASHINGTON — Reported sexual assaults at U.S. military academies shot up during the 2021-22 school year, and one in five female students told an anonymous survey that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, the Pentagon said Friday. The survey results were the highest since the Defense Department began collecting that...
Ukraine rebounds from Russian barrage, restores power supply
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s capital had most of its power supply restored Friday, officials said, as the country again responded swiftly and defiantly to the latest Russian missile and drone barrage targeting critical infrastructure. In what has become a familiar Russian tactic since early October, the Kremlin’s forces struck Ukraine...
Eastern Congo hit by rebel attacks; 45 civilians killed
GOMA, Congo — The death toll from several attacks this week by extremist rebels in eastern Congo has risen to at least 45 people, local officials said on Friday. Dozens of people were killed by rebels using machetes over two days when rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia...
‘Cocaine cat’ escaped owner, will now live at Cincinnati Zoo
An African serval cat that was found with cocaine in its system after an escape at a traffic stop now calls the Cincinnati Zoo home, much to the delight of social media users still amused by the recent release of the movie “Cocaine Bear.” The wild cat’s story has trended...
9th grader sues over Pledge of Allegiance confrontation
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The parents of a ninth grade South Carolina student who said she was accosted by a teacher for quietly walking to class instead of stopping and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance are suing the teacher, principal, school district and state education officials. Marissa Barnwell said she was...
Michigan State University shooter’s note says he felt hated, rejected
A man who fatally shot three students and wounded five others on the Michigan State University campus left a note describing himself as being “hated,” “a loner” and an “outcast.” Anthony McRae, 43, also wrote “I’m tired of being rejected,” in the note, which was dated the day before the...
GOP leader Mitch McConnell remains in hospital after concussion
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was being treated Thursday for a concussion and is expected to remain in the hospital for “a few days” after he tripped and fell at a hotel dinner the night before, his spokesman said. The Kentucky senator, 81, was at a Wednesday evening...
Daylight saving time: Here’s when clocks ‘spring forward’
It’s March, everyone, and despite what Punxsutawney Phil said, spring could very well be just around the corner. Which begs the question: when is daylight saving time? The days will start getting lighter when folks set their clocks forward this Sunday. Unfortunately, this does mean we’ll all be losing an...
Fire breaks out at building near White House, no injuries
WASHINGTON — A fire broke out Friday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, leading to the evacuation of workers as firefighters responded to the call, according to the U.S. Secret Service. D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services said at 8 a.m. on Twitter that a...
Xi awarded 3rd term as China’s president, extending rule
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term as the nation’s president Friday, putting him on track to stay in power for life at a time of severe economic challenges and rising tensions with the U.S. and others. The endorsement of Xi’s appointment by the ceremonial...
Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume relations after tensions
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom’s oil production attributed to Tehran. The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid...
Norfolk Southern train derails in Alabama, no public threat
PIEDMONT, Ala. — A Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday in Alabama, but company and local officials said there was no threat to the public. The Alabama accident came on the same day the company’s CEO testified before Congress about the impact of a hazardous materials train derailment in Ohio. The...
Report: Trump invited to testify before New York grand jury
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has been invited to testify before a New York grand jury that has been investigating hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign, according to one of his lawyers. Trump attorney Joseph Tacopina confirmed Thursday that the Manhattan district...
Ex-Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis censured after admitting she twisted the truth over 2020 election
Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who once described herself as part of an “elite strike force” fighting for Donald Trump, was formally censured by the Colorado Supreme Court after admitting to making 10 misrepresentations about the 2020 election. Ellis, who is from Colorado, agreed with a disciplinary judge that she repeatedly...
German police: 6 dead in Jehovah’s Witnesses hall shootingVideo
BERLIN — A former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses shot dead six people at a hall belonging to the congregation in the German city of Hamburg before killing himself after police arrived, authorities said Friday. Police said an unborn baby also died, without clarifying whether the baby’s mother was among...
Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery schemeVideo
COLUMBUS — Former state House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history. A jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in...
Apology letter found after American citizens killed in Mexico
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico — A letter claiming to be from the Mexican drug cartel blamed for abducting four Americans and killing two of them condemned the violence and said the gang turned over to authorities its own members who were responsible. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press through...
Volunteers in mountain towns dig out snow-stuck Californians
LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. — After a blizzard swept through Southern California mountains, 79-year-old Alan Zagorsky found himself shut inside his home with snow blocking the door and stairways leading out. He and his wife had enough food to get through the 10 days until volunteers finally arrived Wednesday to help...
Indonesia landslide death toll hits 30; dozens still missing
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rescue workers recovered more bodies buried under tons of mud following a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 30, officials said Thursday. The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills on Monday, burying 30...
