U.S./World category, Page 685
Fireball from overturned tanker kills dozens in Haiti
CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti — A gasoline tanker overturned and exploded in northern Haiti, unleashing a fireball that swept through homes and businesses on its way to killing at least 60 people in the latest tragedy to befall the Caribbean nation. The blast occurred shortly after midnight in Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second largest...
Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Trump, AP finds
An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania...
Cities wracked by opioids close to getting $26B settlement
McMINNVILLE, Ore. — The opioid epidemic blew into this picturesque Oregon town like a toxic wind, leaving overdoses, addiction, homelessness and wrecked families in its wake. In a humble, single-story brick building, three blocks from downtown McMinnville’s wine-tasting rooms and cafes, staffers and volunteers of a recovery center called Provoking...
What’s your religion? In U.S., a common reply now is ‘None’
Nathalie Charles, even in her mid-teens, felt unwelcome in her Baptist congregation, with its conservative views on immigration, gender and sexuality. So she left. “I just don’t feel like that gelled with my view of what God is and what God can be,” said Charles, an 18-year-old of Haitian descent...
UN nuclear chief: Limited Iran access giving ‘blurred image’
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a “very blurred image” of Tehran’s program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Speaking in...
Air Force discharges 27 for refusal to get covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the covid-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots. The Air Force gave its forces until Nov. 2 to get the vaccine,...
Fireballs expected to blaze across the sky
The Geminid meteor shower — always a highlight of the meteor year — is expected to peak Monday night into Tuesday morning, with prime viewing opportunities arriving from 3 a.m. to dawn. “The Geminids are a reliable shower for those who watch around 2 a.m. local time from a dark-sky...
Supreme Court allows vaccine mandate for New York health care workers
WASHINGTON — A divided U.S. Supreme Court left in force New York’s requirement that health care workers be vaccinated against covid-19, refusing to order exemptions for 20 providers who say they object to the shot on religious grounds. The rebuff, which came with no explanation, follows a similar rejection in...
Navy: Sailor accused of igniting warship was ‘disgruntled’
SAN DIEGO — Navy prosecutors alleged Monday that a sailor charged with setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was “disgruntled” after dropping out of Navy SEAL training, while his defense lawyers criticized the preliminary hearing as unfair. Prosecutor Cmdr. Rich Federico told the court that...
Biden visiting Kentucky to console tornado victims, give aidVideo
WASHINGTON — For the fifth time since taking office less than a year ago, President Joe Biden is taking on the grim task Wednesday of visiting an area ravaged by natural disaster to offer comfort and condolences. Biden was headed to Kentucky to survey damage and offer federal support for...
Derek Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd civil rights case
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd ‘s civil rights, according to a notice sent out Monday by the court’s electronic filing system. The federal docket entry shows a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for...
Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozensVideo
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed dozens of people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths came into clearer focus in five states slammed by the swarm of...
Remains found after pre-execution tip from Mississippi man
PONTOTOC, Miss. — Authorities have uncovered the remains of a Mississippi woman following a tip from an inmate who revealed the location of her body prior to his execution on other crimes last month. On Sunday, police discovered what’s believed to be the body of Felicia Cox on land that...
Sri Lanka company prepares to sell massive blue gemstone
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A gem company in Sri Lanka has unveiled a rare and massive gemstone weighing 683 pounds (310 kilograms) that has been certified as one of the biggest corundums ever found in the country. Sri Lanka’s National Gem and Jewelry Authority says it has done a series...
Jan. 6 panel votes for contempt charges against Mark MeadowsVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection voted Monday to recommend contempt charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as lawmakers demand his testimony about then-President Donald Trump’s actions before and during the attack. “Whatever legacy he thought he left in the House,...
Rain, snow fall as California braces for brunt of stormVideo
The Western United States is bracing for the brunt of a major winter storm expected to hit Monday, bringing travel headaches, the threat of localized flooding and some relief in an abnormally warm fall. Light rain and snow fell in Northern California on Sunday, giving residents a taste of what’s...
Officials halt search for woman who went overboard on cruiseVideo
LONG BEACH, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard authorities have halted the search for a woman who reportedly went overboard on a cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico. Authorities searched more than 31 hours for the woman before pausing the search on Sunday pending additional information, Petty Officer First Class Adam Stanton...
Fox anchor Chris Wallace leaving network for CNN
NEW YORK — Veteran anchor Chris Wallace signed off his “Fox News Sunday” show after 18 years to join CNN’s new streaming service, dealing a blow to Fox’s news operation at a time its opinion side has become preeminent. CNN’s announcement that Wallace will join CNN+ as an anchor came...
Cries and candle scents: Over 100 feared dead after twisters
MAYFIELD, Ky. — Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the heart of the holiday rush, turning out Christmas candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out to “duck and cover.” Autumn Kirks pulled down her safety googles and took...
San Francisco’s vaunted tolerance dims amid brazen crimes
Politically liberal San Franciscans are used to living cheek by jowl with open drug use, feces-infested streets and petty crime. But a surge in home break-ins and brazen shoplifting has some residents feeling that the city they fell in love with is in decline. Caitlin Foster is among San Francisco...
Banksy creates T-shirt to help statue-toppling defendants
Hundreds of people lined up Saturday in the English city of Bristol to get the latest work by elusive street artist Banksy — a T-shirt created to help four defendants charged over the toppling of a local statue of a slave trader. The gray shirt features the word Bristol above...
Twin panda cubs in French zoo take 1st steps in public
First, a steady crawl. Then a short clumsy slide across the slick stone floor at their home at the Beauval Zoo near Paris. Then finally the big show as the twin giant panda cubs took their first steps in public on Saturday. The female twins were born in August. Their...
Man killed in shooting involving police near UK royal palace
British police say a man was shot dead during a confrontation with firearms officers on Saturday near the Kensington Palace royal residence in London. The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called to reports that a man with a firearm had entered a bank and bookmakers in the Kensington area...
Watchdog: Federal anti-terror unit investigated journalists
A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter, according to a federal watchdog. Yahoo News, which published an extensive report on the investigation, also found that the unit,...
Kentucky governor: Storms may have killed at least 70 people
MAYFIELD, Ky. — A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll was climbing Saturday after severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upwards of 70 may have died when a twister touched down for more than 200...
