U.S./World category, Page 652
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonishes high school students for wearing face masksVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — A visibly annoyed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonished a group of students for wearing face masks at an indoor news conference Wednesday, saying it was time to stop what he called “this covid theater.” DeSantis, a fierce opponent of virus mask and vaccine mandates, approached the students...
Biden admin: Covid should no longer ‘dictate how we live’
WASHINGTON — It’s time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live,” President Joe Biden’s White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions. One highlight is a new “test to treat” plan...
Space junk on 5,800-mph collision course with moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The moon is about to get walloped by 3 tons of space junk, a punch that will carve out a crater that could fit several semitractor-trailers. The leftover rocket will smash into the far side of the moon at 5,800 mph (9,300 kph) on Friday, away...
Some Russian oligarchs speak out, cautiously, against war
There have been social media messages calling for peace, an image of a murdered Russian opposition figure, a newspaper editorial demanding President Vladimir Putin “stop this war.” As Russian forces pound Ukraine’s cities, the sentiments might not be surprising. Their source is — they come from rich Russians, including billionaires...
South African court rules new Zulu king can be crowned
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A new Zulu king can be crowned in South Africa after a court settled a dispute Wednesday over whether the prince named as heir to the throne last year had a rightful claim to it. A KwaZulu-Natal high court judge in the city of Pietermaritzburg...
Powell tells Congress that Fed will raise rates this month
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made clear Wednesday that the Fed will begin raising interest rates this month in a high-stakes effort to restrain surging inflation. In prepared testimony he will deliver to a congressional committee, Powell cautions that the financial consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are...
Economic dangers from Russia’s invasion ripple across globe
WASHINGTON — Moscow’s war on Ukraine and the ferocious financial backlash it has unleashed are not only inflicting an economic catastrophe on President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The repercussions are also menacing the global economy, shaking financial markets and making life more perilous for everyone from Uzbek migrant workers to European...
Refugee count tops 1 million; Russians besiege Ukraine ports
KYIV, Ukraine — The number of people sent fleeing Ukraine by Russia’s invasion topped 1 million on Wednesday, the swiftest refugee exodus this century, the United Nations said, as Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the country’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, and laid siege to two strategic seaports. The tally...
Watch live: Biden’s State of the Union addressVideo
President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night. But it comes at a challenging time for Biden, who is weighed down by public disapproval of his handling of the economy and the pandemic. The address also comes days after Russia opened war against Ukraine,...
California bar investigating Trump lawyer John Eastman for ethic breaches
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The State Bar of California says it is investigating well-known conservative attorney John Eastman for possible ethics violations after the one-time candidate for state attorney general argued former U.S. President Donald Trump could stay in office despite losing the 2020 election. Eastman, the former dean of Chapman...
Lawsuit: Texas investigating parents of transgender youth
The parents of a transgender teenager in Texas said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the state is investigating them after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered officials to look into reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse. The parents of the 16-year-old girl are asking a judge to block...
Russian radio station taken off air over Ukraine coverage
MOSCOW — A Russian radio station critical of the Kremlin was taken off the airwaves on Tuesday, its chief editor said and The Associated Press confirmed, after authorities threatened to shut it down over its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move against Echo Moskvy, one of Russia’s oldest...
Georgia Senate: Require in-person exams for abortion pills
A Georgia woman would have to be examined by a physician in person and sign a consent form before she could be prescribed abortion pills under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate. Senate Bill 456, which passed 31-22 on a party-line vote, is part of a nationwide push...
Judge: No FBI entrapment for 3 in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot
JACKSON, Mich. — A judge ruled Tuesday that three men charged in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were not entrapped by the FBI. The case against Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar will move forward to a tentatively scheduled pretrial examination...
Russian attack damages Kyiv Holocaust memorial
JERUSALEM — Holocaust remembrance organizations in Israel are condemning a Russian attack that inflicted damage to the Babi Yar Holocaust memorial. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a statement denouncing the incident, and said Israel would help repair any damage. “We are calling for the preservation and respect for this...
Justices seem to favor doctors convicted in pain pill schemes
WASHINGTON — In a case stemming from the opioid addiction crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared ready to side with two imprisoned doctors who wrote thousands of prescriptions for pain medication in short periods. The justices signaled they would rule that the doctors’ trials were unfair because they were...
Bill to require Holocaust lessons in Nebraska schools advances
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska public schools would have to teach lessons about the Holocaust and other episodes of genocide under a bill advanced by lawmakers on Tuesday. Lawmakers gave the measure initial approval on a 44-0 vote, despite some questions about which specific moments in history could be defined as...
Activism grows nationwide in response to school book bans
Until a year ago, Stephana Ferrell’s political activism was limited to the occasional letter to elected officials. Then came her local school board meeting in Orange County, Florida and an objection raised to Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir.” And the county’s decision last fall to remove it...
Russian forces step up attacks on Ukraine’s civilian areas
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces stepped up their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower in what Ukraine’s president called a blatant campaign of terror. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after the bloodshed...
Nations agree to release 60 million barrels of oil amid war
FRANKFURT, Germany — All 31 countries that are members of the International Energy Agency have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves “to send a strong message to oil markets” that there will be “no shortfall in supplies” as a result of Russia’s invasion of...
New Orleans hosts its 1st full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020
NEW ORLEANS — Revelers decked out in traditional purple, green and gold came out to party on Fat Tuesday in New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020. The fun includes back-to-back parades across the city and marches through the French Quarter and beyond, with masks against covid-19 required only...
Photo gallery: Ukraine continues to endure, fight Russian attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Day 6 of the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II saw Russian forces bombard the central square in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and other civilian sites Tuesday. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said condemning Russia’s attacks as a blatant campaign...
Man gets 41 years for killing, dismembering daughter
BALTIMORE — A 68-year-old man was sentenced Monday to 41 years for the murder of his daughter, whose dismembered remains were left at a dumpster. Malik Samartaney, previously known as Lawrence Banks, was convicted in October of second-degree murder and unauthorized disposal of a body in the May 2019 slaying...
Diplomats walk out of UN meetings in protest of RussiaVideo
GENEVA — Scores of diplomats have walked out of two meetings at the United Nations in Geneva in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was beamed in for a video statement, as a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov spoke by video to the Conference on Disarmament and the...
Pope gives fathers working at Vatican 3-day paternity leave
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has decided to grant a three-day paternity leave to new fathers who work at the Vatican. In a law published Tuesday, Francis amended the Vatican’s family leave policy, which sets out the benefits for Vatican employees who have children or must care for family members....
