U.S./World category, Page 578
Sandy Hook lawyer: Jan. 6 panel asked for Alex Jones’ texts
AUSTIN, Texas — An attorney for the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre who are suing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claims about the attack said Thursday that the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee has requested two years’ worth of records from...
7 years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen
BISBEE, Ariz. — MJ was a tiny, black-haired girl, just 5 years old, when her father admitted to his bishop that he was sexually abusing her. The father, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an admitted pornography addict, was in counseling with his bishop...
Taliban claim they were unaware of al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban said Thursday they are investigating what they described as “claims” that al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital. However, the group insisted in a statement that it “has no knowledge of the arrival and residence” of al-Zawahri in...
Climate migration: California fire pushes family to Vermont
PROCTOR, Vt. — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new home. The family of seven couldn’t find anything nearby to replace their house reduced to ashes in the 2018 Paradise fire. It proved too daunting to...
Ukrainian cities shelled, including one near nuclear plant
KYIV, Ukraine — Powerful explosions rattled the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Thursday and a city close to the country’s biggest nuclear power plant sustained a barrage of shelling, part of a series of new Russian attacks in several regions, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian authorities said shelling of a...
WNBA’s Brittney Griner convicted at drug trial, sentenced to 9 years in Russian prisonVideo
KHIMKI, Russia — U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison following a politically charged trial that came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine and could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the two...
U.S. proposes to increase refund protections for air travelers
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department is proposing to require airlines to offer passengers a refund if their flight schedule is changed significantly or the airline makes major changes to their itinerary. The proposed rule announced Wednesday would require airlines to give refunds if their departure or arrival time changes by...
New York man who sent threats to LGBTQ groups gets 30 months
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A 74-year-old retired schoolteacher from a New York City suburb was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday for mailing dozens of violent threats to LGBTQ affiliated individuals, groups and businesses over several years. According to prosecutors, Robert Fehring threatened to blow up the Stonewall Inn,...
White House: Falling gas prices mean more than OPEC numbers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia last month on the possibility that he could get some additional oil production out of OPEC+ in coming weeks, but the cartel and other nations announced a scant increase Wednesday. The White House responded by stressing that what matters is the...
UN nuclear chief: Ukraine nuclear plant is ‘out of control’Video
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. nuclear chief warned that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control” and issued an urgent plea to Russia and Ukraine to quickly allow experts to visit the sprawling complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident. Rafael Grossi,...
Judge: West Virginia Medicaid must cover transgender care
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Medicaid program must provide coverage for gender-confirming care for transgender residents, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers in Huntington made the ruling Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ interest group Lambda Legal over treatments for gender dysphoria. Chambers said the Medicaid...
U.S.-China ties on a precipice after Pelosi visit to TaiwanVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S.-China relations are teetering on a precipice after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Pelosi received a rapturous welcome in Taipei and was applauded with strong bipartisan support in Washington, despite the Biden administration’s misgivings. But her trip enraged Beijing and Chinese nationalists and will complicate already...
Trump ally Navarro sued for alleged unofficial email account
NEW YORK — The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday against Peter Navarro, claiming the former adviser to Donald Trump used an unofficial email account while working in the White House and wrongfully retained presidential records. The lawsuit in federal court in Washington claims Navarro used at least one “non-official” email...
Paul Pelosi pleads not guilty to DUI misdemeanor charges
SAN FRANCISCO — The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in Northern California wine country. Paul Pelosi, 82, did not appear in person at Napa County Superior Court Wednesday. His attorney, Amanda Bevins,...
EPA: Chemical in medical-device cleanser poses cancer risk
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents who live near medical sterilizing plants in 13 states and Puerto Rico about potential health risks from emissions of ethylene oxide, a chemical widely used in their operations. Laredo, Texas; Ardmore, Okla.; and Lakewood, Colo., are among the communities facing the...
Indiana Rep. Walorski, 2 staffers killed in head-on crashVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed Wednesday in a car crash in her northern Indiana district along with two members of her congressional staff and another person, police said. The crash happened about 12:30 p.m. when a car crossed the center line on state highway and collided...
Pig organs revived hour after death in scientific advance
Scientists successfully revived vital organs from deceased pigs with a technology that shows promise for organ transplantation and further blurs the line between life and death. The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, challenges the assumption that tissue death is swift and irreversible, as the scientists were able to...
Long days grind on search teams in flood-ravaged AppalachiaVideo
HINDMAN, Ky. — For days, a search-and-rescue team led by Phillip Dix has combed debris-clogged creekbanks looking for survivors in flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky. His crew is used to the stifling heat and humidity but is laboring under the grind of 12-hour days spent pulling people from danger. The scope of...
Record amount of seaweed is choking shores in the Caribbean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Near-record amounts of seaweed are smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados, killing fish and other wildlife, choking tourism and releasing stinky, noxious gases. More than 24 million tons of sargassum blanketed the Atlantic in June, shattering the all-time record, set in 2018, by...
Covid cases drop 9% globally last week, deaths stable
LONDON — New coronavirus cases fell 9% globally last week while deaths remained stable, according to the latest weekly assessment of the pandemic released Wednesday by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said there were 6.5 million cases reported last week with more than 14,000 deaths. WHO said...
UN chief criticizes ‘grotesque greed’ of oil companies
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief sharply criticized the “grotesque greed” of oil and gas companies on Wednesday for making record profits from the energy crisis on the back of the world’s poorest people, “while destroying our only home.” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was “immoral” that the largest...
Chicago-area July 4 parade attack suspect pleads not guilty
WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens more in a shooting at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, a week after prosecutors announced he faces 117 felony counts in the attack. Robert E. Crimo III appeared for a...
Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook attack was ‘100% real’Video
AUSTIN, Texas — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real.” Speaking a day after the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed...
Dolly Parton among Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy winners
NEW YORK — Country superstar Dolly Parton, who made a big donation to help fund coronavirus vaccine research in 2020, is among this year’s Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy recipients. Also being honored are Dallas entrepreneur Lyda Hill, Kenyan industrialist Manu Chandaria, and Lynn and Stacy Schusterman, from the Oklahoma investment...
Pelosi says U.S. will not abandon Taiwan as China protests
TAIPEI, Taiwan — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan after a visit that heightened tensions with China, saying Wednesday that she and other members of Congress in her delegation showed they will not abandon their commitment to the self-governing island. Pelosi, the first U.S. speaker to visit the island...
