U.S./World category, Page 630
Long-serving Utah U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch dies at 88Video
SALT LAKE CITY — Orrin G. Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history who was a fixture in Utah politics for more than four decades, died Saturday at 88. His death was announced in a statement from his foundation, which did not specify a cause. A staunch conservative on most...
California man accused of anti-LGBTQ threats to bomb Merriam-Webster over definition of ‘girl’
LOS ANGELES — An Orange County, Calif., man was arrested this week on suspicion of making anti-LGBTQ threats against Merriam-Webster Inc. and faces a federal charge in Massachusetts, authorities confirmed Friday. Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor was charged with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence,...
Can Russia win the battle for Ukraine’s battered east?
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine — When Russian troops blitzed into Ukraine, what was supposed to be an easy victory quickly foundered as Ukrainian forces mounted a strong defense that — along with Russia’s many missteps — have left Moscow mired in a withering two-month war with no end in sight. Unable to...
Israeli restrictions on ‘Holy Fire’ ignite Christian outrage
JERUSALEM — Christians celebrated their “Holy Fire” ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Saturday against a backdrop of rising tensions with Israel, which imposed new restrictions on attendance this year that it said were needed for safety. Israel says it wants to prevent another disaster...
Tour boat with 26 missing in north Japan after distress call
TOKYO — A tour boat with 26 people aboard was missing in rough and cold waters off northern Japan on Saturday after issuing a distress call and reporting to be sinking, the coast guard said. No survivors have been found after more than 10 hours of an intense search involving...
Woman rescued after falling in toilet trying to get phone
QUILCENE, Wash. — A woman who accidentally dropped her cellphone into the hole of an outhouse in a national forest and fell in while trying to retrieve it had to be rescued by firefighters in Washington state. Brinnon Fire Department Chief Tim Manly said the woman, who was at the...
Disney government dissolution bill signed by Florida Gov. DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday to dissolve the private government Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state, punishing the entertainment giant for opposing a new law that critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” The move is expected to have huge tax...
Ukraine: Russians shift elite units to the new battleground
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia shifted a dozen crack units from the shattered port of Mariupol to eastern Ukraine and pounded away at cities across the region, Ukrainian authorities said Friday, as the two sides hurtled toward what could be an epic battle for control of the country’s industrial heartland. Russian...
Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise
The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by covid-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. Colleges in Washington, D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas have reimposed...
Plan to ban menthol cigarettes prompts last-minute lobbying blitz
As federal officials finalize a long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes, dozens of interest groups have met with White House staffers to try to influence the process, which has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives while wiping out billions in tobacco sales. Biden administration officials have heard...
Death toll in Afghan mosque bombing rises to 33, Taliban say
A Taliban official says a bombing at a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan on Friday killed at least 33 people, including students of a religious school. Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted news of the devastating bombing in the town of Imam Saheb, in Kunduz Province, saying it also wounded another...
Israeli police storm Jerusalem holy site after rock-throwing
Israeli police in full riot gear stormed a sensitive Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims on Friday after Palestinian youths hurled stones at a gate where they were stationed. The renewed violence at the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, came despite Israel temporarily halting Jewish...
Satellite photos show possible mass graves near Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Satellite images released Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city. The images emerged hours after...
2 plead guilty in ‘We Build The Wall’ fraudulent fundraiser
NEW YORK — The co-founder of the “We Build The Wall” project aimed at raising money for a border wall pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in a case that once included former President Donald Trump’s adviser Steve Bannon. Brian Kolfage admitted to pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars while promising...
Economist: Gov. Abbott’s border inspections cost Texas $4.2 billion and 36,000 jobs
DALLAS — Long wait lines for trucks at the border after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered increased inspections cost Texas more than $4.2 billion in goods and services and the equivalent of 36,000 jobs, a report from Texas economist Ray Perryman said. The border standoff essentially ended last Friday after nine...
Police in Minnesota say man killed 4 relatives, self
DULUTH, Minn. — A man killed his aunt and uncle, two young cousins and their dog before killing himself at their Minnesota home, police said Thursday. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference that Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad, 29, killed his relatives in their beds sometime Tuesday night,...
Kentucky abortion law blocked in win for clinics
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state’s two remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet its requirements. The two Louisville clinics had gone to court immediately after the law took effect, asking that the measure be put on hold...
Bill regulating medication abortions heads to Tenn. governor
Tennessee would become the latest state to impose harsh penalties on doctors who violate new, strict regulations dictating the dispensing of abortion pills under a proposal headed toward Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The proposal mirrors similar proposals introduced in Republican-controlled states seeking to clamp down medication abortion access. It’s...
U.S. drone company Zipline starts delivering medicine in Japan
Zipline, an American company that specializes in using autonomously flying drones to deliver medical supplies, has taken off in Japan. They’re flying, starting Thursday, across the tiny Goto Islands, off the western coast of Kyushu, in southwestern Japan, delivering to pharmacies and hospitals. Other parts of Japan may follow, including...
Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970
Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years. Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 184,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week volatility,...
Janet Yellen says new $500M is ‘only the beginning’ of Ukraine aid
The United States is providing an additional $500 million in financial assistance to Ukraine to help the beleaguered country sustain salaries, pensions and other government programs while it fends off Russia’s invasion. “We plan to deploy this direct aid to Ukraine as soon as possible, to be used on the...
Bird flu drives free-range hens indoors to protect poultry
Is it OK for free-range chickens to not range freely? That’s a question free-range egg producers have been pondering lately as they try to be open about their product while also protecting chickens from a highly infectious bird flu that has killed roughly 28 million poultry across the country. The...
2 months after Brittney Griner’s arrest, mystery surrounds her case
For another person in another country at another time, the case might have been a minor matter: an American citizen detained at an airport for allegedly possessing a cannabis derivative legal in much of the world. But the circumstances for Brittney Griner couldn’t have been worse. Griner, a WNBA All-Star...
U.S. to welcome Ukraine refugees but no longer through Mexico
The Biden administration is making it easier for refugees fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine to come to the United States from Europe while trying to shut down an informal route through northern Mexico that has emerged in recent weeks. A program announced Thursday will streamline refugee applications for Ukrainians and...
Biden announces heavy artillery, other weapons for Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight back in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against the Russian invasion, but he also warned that Congress will need to approve even more assistance if the U.S. is to keep up its...
