U.S./World category, Page 716
Atlanta spa-shooting suspect pleads not guilty in 4 killings
ATLANTA — A man already sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting four people at a massage business outside Atlanta pleaded not guilty to shooting four others on the same day at two spas inside the city. Robert Aaron Long, 22, appeared briefly Tuesday in Fulton...
Gen. Milley defends calls to Chinese at end of Trump presidency
WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military officer told Congress on Tuesday that he knew former President Donald Trump wasn’t planning to attack China and that it was his job to reassure the Chinese of that fact in the phone calls that have triggered outrage from some lawmakers. Army Gen. Mark...
In R. Kelly verdict, Black women see long-overdue justice
NEW YORK — For years, decades even, allegations swirled that R&B superstar R. Kelly was abusing young women and girls, with seeming impunity. They were mostly young Black women. And Black girls. And that, say accusers and others who have called for him to face accountability, is part of what...
FBI: 2020 homicides up nearly 30%, largest 1-year jump ever
WASHINGTON — Homicides in the U.S. in 2020 increased nearly 30% over the previous year, the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records, according to figures released Monday by the agency. Homicides and non-negligent manslaughters climbed an estimated 29.4% to 21,570, an increase of 4,901 over 2019, FBI...
U.S. aims to relax testing of contaminants at New Mexico nuke weapon lab
SANTA FE, N.M. — The Energy Department wants to switch to less stringent testing for detecting cancer-causing chemicals at and around one of its premier nuclear weapons laboratories despite concerns from environmentalists and New Mexico regulators. The federal agency is using New Mexico’s three-year review of surface water rules to...
Hospitals fear staffing shortages as vaccine deadlines loom
Hospitals and nursing homes around the country are bracing for worsening staff shortages as state deadlines arrive for health care workers to get vaccinated against covid-19. With ultimatums taking effect this week in states such as New York, California, Rhode Island and Connecticut, the fear is that some employees will...
Former Idaho lawmaker charged with rape is arrested in Georgia
BOISE, Idaho — A former Idaho state lawmaker charged with rape earlier this month has been arrested in Georgia. Aaron von Ehlinger is being held without bond in the Clayton County, Ga., jail on a “fugitive from justice” charge, according to court records. He was arrested Saturday in connection with...
New York City to hire forecaster, beef up warnings after Ida flooding
NEW YORK — New York City is planning to hire a private weather forecaster, design more systems to catch and drain water and issue earlier and more aggressive warnings to residents under a new plan to respond to heavy rainfall like the deadly deluge Hurricane Ida dropped on the city...
R&B superstar R. Kelly convicted in sex trafficking trial
R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children. A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty of...
Biden gets covid-19 booster shot after authorization
President Joe Biden received his covid-19 booster shot on Monday, days after federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans age 65 or older and approved them for others with preexisting medical conditions and high-risk work environments. “The most important thing we need to do is...
Illinois man wins marathon after 2 leaders take wrong route
MOLINE, Ill. — An Illinois man unexpectedly won the Quad Cities Marathon this weekend when the two Kenyan runners who had far outpaced him were disqualified after being diverted off the course by a race volunteer bicyclist. Tyler Pence crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 6 seconds...
Biden administration unveils new plan for young immigrants
The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy’s legality. The proposed regulation attempts to satisfy concerns of a federal judge in Houston who...
Vaccination deadline arrives for NY healthcare workersVideo
ALBANY, N.Y. — As the deadline closed in for hospital and nursing home workers in New York state to be vaccinated against covid-19, Gov. Kathy Hochul made an 11th-hour plea to holdout health care workers to get inoculated. “To those who have not yet made that decision, please do the...
U.K. mulls calling in army to help ease gas shortages at pumps
Lines of cars formed at British gas stations for a fourth day on Monday, as the government mulled sending in the army to help ease supply disruptions triggered by a shortage of truck drivers. As unions called for emergency workers to be given priority for fuel supplies, Petrol Retailers Association...
Man in Poland gets 25-year sentence for murder, cannibalism
WARSAW, Poland — A court in Poland convicted a man on Monday of instigating a murder in 2002 and participating in subsequent cannibalism and handed him a 25-year prison term. The body of the victim was never found and his identity isn’t known. But the court in Szczecin, in northwest...
Egg thrown at French President Macron during food trade fair
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron was hit at the shoulder Monday by an egg thrown at him by a man during a visit to an international food trade fair in the French city of Lyon. A video of the incident, widely shared on the social media, shows Macron walking...
Strong quake hits Greek island of Crete; 1 dead, 20 injured
ATHENS, Greece — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of at least 5.8 struck the Greek island of Crete on Monday, killing one person and injuring 20 others, while damaging homes and churches and causing rock slides near the country’s fourth-largest city. The quake sent people fleeing into the streets...
After close vote, Germany on tricky path to form government
BERLIN — The party that narrowly beat outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc pushed Monday for a quick agreement on a coalition government amid concerns that Europe’s biggest economy could be in for weeks of uncertainty after an election that failed to set a clear direction. Olaf Scholz, the candidate...
Woman, 2-year-old son die after falling from 3rd-level concourse at San Diego stadium
San Diego police are investigating the deaths of a woman and her 2-year-old son after they fell from the third level of Petco Park before the game, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The woman, 40, and the boy were pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m., about 20 minutes after police were...
U.S. officials: Biden aide to meet Saudi crown prince on Yemen
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the U.S. presses for a cease-fire in the yearslong war between the kingdom and Houthi rebels in Yemen. Sullivan will be the highest-ranking Biden...
John Hinckley, who shot Reagan, to be freed from oversight
A federal judge said Monday that John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan four decades ago, can be freed from all remaining restrictions next year if he continues to follow those rules and remains mentally stable. U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman in Washington said during...
Investigators probe Amtrak derailment that killed 3
JOPLIN, Mont. — Federal officials sent a team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board to the site of an Amtrak derailment in north-central Montana that killed three people and left seven hospitalized Sunday, officials said. The westbound Empire Builder was en route to Seattle from Chicago, with two...
U.S. has enough covid-19 vaccines for boosters, kids’ shotsVideo
MADISON, Wis. — With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future. The spike...
Lines of mourners form for Gabby Petito funeral home viewing
HOLBROOK, N.Y. — Lines of mourners paid their respects Sunday for Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old whose death on a cross-country trip has sparked a manhunt for her boyfriend. Among those who congregated in Holbrook, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of New York City, were family members, friends and co-workers...
North Dakota stuntman known as Flying Farmer crashes on jump
MAKOTI, N.D. — The first car jumping attempt in five years by North Dakota’s version of Evil Knievel ended in disaster when the car driven my the man known as the Flying Farmer corkscrewed off the ramp and rolled. Authorities said John Smith, 57, was alert after the crash Saturday...
