U.S./World category, Page 713
Florida school massacre suspect’s jail brawl trial delayed
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The trial of the suspect in the 2018 Florida high school massacre for fighting a jail guard was delayed Monday because his lead lawyer on the case has been hospitalized. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer ruled that jury selection in Nikolas Cruz’s trial on jail battery charges...
Mich. Gov. Whitmer vetoes election bills, says they perpetuate lies
LANSING, Mich. — Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed several Republican-sponsored election bills, saying they would have perpetuated falsehoods to discredit the 2020 presidential election and made it tougher for people living in large senior facilities and apartment complexes to vote. Two measures would have codified existing practices by limiting access...
UK pledges to hit all-renewable electricity by 2035
All Britain’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2035, the governing Conservatives announced Monday, saying the move would help end the country’s reliance on imported fuel. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said “the only way to strengthen Britain’s energy security is zero carbon power that is generated in...
Whistleblower: Facebook chose profit over public safety
NEW YORK — A data scientist who was revealed Sunday as the Facebook whistleblower says that whenever there was a conflict between the public good and what benefited the company, the social media giant would choose its own interests. Frances Haugen was identified in a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday as...
Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram suffer worldwide outage
The massive global outage that plunged Facebook, its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms and many people who rely heavily on these services — including Facebook’s own workforce — into chaos Monday is gradually dissipating. Facebook said late Monday that it’s been working to restore access to its services and is “happy...
Russia film crew set to blast off to make 1st movie in space
In a historic first, Russia is set to launch an actor and a film director into space to make a feature film in orbit — a project the nation’s space chief has hailed as a chance to raise the prestige of Russia’s space program. Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim...
Ex-U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, sunk by ‘legitimate rape’ remark, dies
Former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a conservative Missouri Republican whose comment that women’s bodies have a way of avoiding pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape” sunk his bid for the U.S. Senate and became a cautionary tale for other GOP candidates, has died. He was 74. Akin had cancer for...
Doctors grow frustrated over covid denial, misinformation
The covid-19 patient’s health was deteriorating quickly at a Michigan hospital, but he was having none of the doctor’s diagnosis. Despite dangerously low oxygen levels, the unvaccinated man didn’t think he was that sick and got so irate over a hospital policy forbidding his wife from being at his bedside...
Treasury to shift rental assistance to places with demand
The Treasury Department on Monday announced plans to start reallocating the billions of dollars in federal rental assistance in a bid to get more money into the hands of tenants facing eviction. The plan is a response to the slow distribution of rental assistance in many parts of the country....
Henrietta Lacks’ estate sues company over use of her cells
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The estate of Henrietta Lacks sued a biotechnology company on Monday, accusing it of selling cells that doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took from the Black woman in 1951 without her knowledge or consent as part of a “a racially unjust medical system.” The estate’s federal...
U.K. eases travel rules but upsets nations not on list
LONDON — Simplified international travel rules took effect Monday in the U.K., easing quarantine and testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers from more than 50 countries, and the Conservative government vowed it will seek to regularly expand the rules to more nations. Still, the rules have sparked anger from many...
2 win medicine Nobel for showing how we react to heat, touch
STOCKHOLM — Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch, revelations that could lead to new ways of treating pain or even heart disease. Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian separately identified receptors in the skin as...
William Shatner will fly to space aboard Blue Origin rocketVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Captain Kirk is rocketing into space next week — boldly going where no other sci-fi stars have gone. Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that “Star Trek” actor William Shatner will blast off Oct. 12 from West Texas. “Yes, it’s true; I’m going...
Covid vaccine mandate takes effect for NYC teachers, staff
NEW YORK — New York City teachers and other school staff members were all supposed to be vaccinated against covid-19 when the bell rang Monday morning in one of the first school district mandates in the country requiring employees to be inoculated against the coronavirus. Mayor Bill de Blasio gave...
Ship’s anchor among possible causes of California oil spillVideo
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Officials investigating one of California’s largest oil spills are looking into whether a ship’s anchor may have struck a pipeline on the ocean floor, causing a major leak of crude into coastal waters and fouling beaches, authorities said Monday. The head of the company that operates...
Threatened Swedish artist Lars Vilks reportedly dead in road accident
STOCKHOLM — The Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who had lived under police protection since his 2007 sketch of the Prophet Muhammad with a dog’s body brought death threats, died from a traffic accident Sunday, Swedish news media reported. The accident reportedly involved a truck colliding with a civilian police car...
U.S. urges China to halt ‘provocative’ flybys near Taiwan
The U.S. on Sunday called on China to halt its “provocative” pressure on Taiwan after a record number of daily incursions by Chinese warplanes, saying the military actions are destabilizing and risk leading to “miscalculations.” “The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace...
Ex-Facebook manager alleges social network fed Capitol riotVideo
Facebook prematurely turned off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation and rabble rousing after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s elections in a moneymaking move that a company whistleblower alleges contributed to the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. The whistleblower, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen,...
3rd victim dies after angry co-worker’s rampage in Florida
DAVENPORT, Fla. — Authorities said Sunday a third victim has died following a violent attack where an angry electrician wielding a knife and baseball bat killed three co-workers and injured another at the Florida home they shared. Polk County Sheriff’s officials said electrician Shaun Runyon got into the argument with...
Connecticut doctor turns in license after allegedly distributing false vaccine exemptions
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Durham doctor surrendered her medical license Friday morning amid accusations that she distributed fraudulent covid-19 vaccine and mask exemptions. After receiving an anonymous tip this summer, the Connecticut Department of Public Health had been investigating the physician, Dr. Sue McIntosh, for mailing exemption notes to anyone...
Leaked records open a ‘Pandora’ box of financial secretsVideo
Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The...
Major oil spill off Southern California fouls beachesVideo
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — One of the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. At least 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the waters off Orange County, according...
Bomb at Kabul mosque kills 5 civilians, Taliban says
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said, describing the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but...
Virus surge hits New England despite high vaccination rates
Despite having the highest vaccination rates in the country, there are constant reminders for most New England states of just how vicious the delta variant of covid-19 is. Hospitals across the region are seeing full intensive care units and staff shortages are starting to affect care. Public officials are pleading...
Alaska allows hospitals to ration care amid covid spike
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nation’s worst covid-19 diagnosis rates in recent days, straining the state’s limited health care system. The declaration covers three facilities that had already announced...
