U.S./World category, Page 514
Starbucks refused union contract talks at 21 cafes, NLRB says
Starbucks Corp. has illegally refused to negotiate at 21 recently unionized cafes in Washington state and Oregon, U.S. labor board prosecutors alleged in a complaint. In a Tuesday filing on behalf of the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, the agency’s Seattle regional director wrote that Starbucks “has been failing...
Family files missing persons report for Theophilus London
LOS ANGELES — The family of rapper Theophilus London filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police this week and are asking for the public’s help, saying he hasn’t been seen in months. London’s family and friends believe someone last spoke to the musician in July in Los Angeles,...
Private Afghan universities risk closure after ban on women
KABUL, Afghanistan — A quarter of Afghanistan’s private universities risks closure because of the ban on female students imposed by the Taliban government, a spokesman for the sector said Thursday. Afghanistan’s rulers last week barred women from attending universities effective immediately, dealing another blow to women and girl’s rights and...
Lack of info on China’s covid-19 surge stirs global concern
BEIJING — Moves by several countries to mandate covid-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and that the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new...
Russia launches massive missile barrage across Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Multiple regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a massive Russian missile attack Thursday, the biggest wave of strikes in weeks targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing weather. Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said preliminary...
Hold on to receipts if you were affected by Southwest’s flight cancellations
To the many people affected by the cancelation this week of nearly 10,000 flights by Southwest Airlines, be sure to hold onto your receipts. From having a longer stay at the airport to hotel rooms to rental cars and more, if you incurred additional costs due to Southwest stranding you,...
U.S. will require covid-19 testing for travelers from China
The U.S. announced new covid-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero covid” policies had kept China’s infection rate low but...
Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack enters not guilty plea
SAN FRANCISCO — The man who allegedly broke into U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and beat her 82-year-old husband in October pleaded not guilty Wednesday to six charges, including attempted murder, prosecutors said. The suspect, David DePape, had planned to kidnap the speaker — who was in Washington at...
Judge orders longest prison term so far in Gov. Whitmer plot
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Delaware trucker described as an architect of the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan’s governor was sentenced Wednesday to more than 19 years in prison — the longest term yet given to anyone convicted in the plot. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Barry Croft Jr.,...
7 hurt as Grand Canyon tour helicopter makes hard landing
LAS VEGAS — A Grand Canyon tour helicopter made a hard landing at a Las Vegas-area airport, injuring seven people, officials said Wednesday. Authorities are investigating the cause. Local responders and the National Transportation Safety Board characterized it as a “hard landing” around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Boulder City Municipal...
Mega Millions jackpot up to $640M after no big winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — A giant Mega Millions jackpot grew larger Wednesday to an estimated $640 million after another drawing without a winner. No one won the lottery game’s top prize Tuesday night, making it 21 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be Friday...
Southwest Airlines flight cancellations continue to snowball
DALLAS — Families hoping to catch a Southwest Airlines flight after days of cancellations, missing luggage and missed family connections suffered through another wave of scrubbed flights, with another 2,500 pulled from arrival and departure boards Wednesday. Exhausted travelers sought passage by other means using different airlines, rental cars, or...
With warming, snowbound Buffalo braces to find more dead
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo was set to emerge from a deep freeze Wednesday, bringing some relief but also the tragic possibility of finding more victims amid melting snow from the area’s deadliest storm in decades. Officials said more than 30 people so far have been reported to have died because...
U.S. marks anniversary of Paul Whelan’s detention in Russia
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is marking the four-year anniversary of the detention in Russia of American businessman Paul Whelan, whose continued imprisonment is one of several major irritants in tattered relations between Washington and Moscow. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that securing Whelan’s release...
They had an adventure after Southwest canceled their flights
LOS ANGELES — Deborah Rombaut was not at Sacramento International Airport to make friends. She just wanted to get home to Los Angeles. But the mass cancellation of Southwest Airlines flights, which has left thousands of travelers stranded in airports and hotel rooms across the country, had a silver lining...
Supreme Court asked to bar punishment for acquitted conduct
WASHINGTON — A jury convicted Dayonta McClinton of robbing a CVS pharmacy but acquitted him of murder. A judge gave McClinton an extra 13 years in prison for the killing anyway. In courtrooms across America, defendants get additional prison time for crimes that juries found they didn’t commit. The Supreme...
Retired pope’s ailing health raises questions of what’s next
ROME — The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when...
Florida police officer drags woman into jail, is fired
TAMPA, Fla. — A police officer in Tampa, Fla., who was videotaped dragging a handcuffed woman into jail has been fired, authorities said. An internal investigation determined that former officer Gregory Damon violated department policies during the Nov. 17 incident, the Tampa Police Department announced Tuesday in a news release....
Vatican says retired pope Benedict XVI lucid, stable, but condition ‘serious’
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was lucid, conscious and stable, but that his condition remains serious a day after officials revealed that the 95-year-old’s health had deteriorated recently. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis asks for continued prayers “to...
U.S. Supreme Court keeps asylum limits in place for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on asylum in place for now, dashing hopes of migrants who have been fleeing violence and inequality in Latin America and elsewhere to reach the United States. Tuesday’s ruling preserves a major Trump-era policy that was scheduled to expire under a...
Seth Henigan’s 3 TD passes lead Memphis past Utah State in First Responder Bowl
DALLAS — Seth Henigan passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns — two of them to Eddie Lewis — and Jeyvon Ducker ran for two touchdowns to give Memphis a 38-10 win over Utah State in the First Responder Bowl on Tuesday. Henigan’s touchdown passes all were thrown in the...
Private emails, encryption app used in discussing Florida’s migrant relocations
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Newly released records from Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that his public safety czar, Larry Keefe, communicated with a Destin-based contractor hired to fly migrants from Texas to Massachusetts using a private email account with the call name “Clarice Starling.” They also confirmed that he used an encryption...
Rescuers use kayaks to reach pilot after crash in icy creek
EDGEWATER, Md. — Rescuers used kayaks to reach the pilot of a small airplane that crashed into an icy creek near a Maryland airport and began to sink, state police said. Witnesses told police that moments after the Piper Cherokee took off from Lee Airport in Edgewater on Monday, they...
Co-leader of Whitmer kidnapping plot gets 16 years in prison
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The co-leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison for conspiring to abduct the Democrat and blow up a bridge to ease an escape. Adam Fox returned to federal court Tuesday, four months after he and...
First Congress revealed Biden’s generational ambition
WASHINGTON — When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture. As he nears the halfway mark on his first term,...
