U.S./World category, Page 817
Chief: Capitol assault much bigger than intel suggested
WASHINGTON — The acting U.S. Capitol Police chief was pressed to explain Thursday why the agency hadn’t been prepared to fend off a violent mob of insurrectionists, including white supremacists, who were trying to halt the certification of the presidential election last month, even though officials had compelling advance intelligence....
Hasbro giving Mr. Potato Head gender neutral name
NEW YORK — Mr. Potato Head is no longer a mister. Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year. Toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to...
Group asks justices to ban use of race in college admissions
WASHINGTON — A group claiming Harvard discriminates against Asian American applicants is asking the Supreme Court to ban the consideration of race in college admissions nationwide. With an expanded 6-3 conservative majority since the last time the court heard an affirmative action case, the court could decide in the spring...
Republican wants to require national anthem in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — The national anthem would have to be played before all sporting events at Lambeau Field, the Fiserv Forum and all other Wisconsin venues that have received taxpayer money under a bill introduced Thursday in the state Legislature by a Republican lawmaker. The proposal from Sen. Patrick Testin,...
Ohio bill toughening welfare program eligibility criticized
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Social service advocates are criticizing an Ohio bill that would toughen eligibility for food stamps and Medicaid benefits. Beefed up monitoring of changes in food stamp recipients’ income would be required along with photos on state food stamp cards, called EBT cards, under legislation proposed by Sen....
U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus...
China celebrates official end of extreme poverty, lauds Xi
BEIJING — The ruling Communist Party is celebrating the official end of extreme poverty in China with a propaganda campaign that praises President Xi Jinping’s role, part of efforts to cement his image as a history-making leader who is reclaiming his country’s rightful place as a global power. The propaganda...
Alaska could see more dangerous thunderstorms as Arctic sea ice melts and evaporation increases
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Thunderstorm frequency could triple in Alaska by the end of the century because of ongoing climate change, according to new research. Big thunderstorms, the kind that produce lots of rain, are not common in Alaska now. Some 30 occur in the state every year, said Andreas Prein,...
Report: More than $30 million needed for repairs, security at Capitol as a result of assaultVideo
The cost of cleaning broken glass, doors and artwork along with the added security from the events that occurred on Jan. 6 have topped $30 million and require more funding, Capitol staffers told lawmakers on Wednesday. NPR reported lawmakers have already said they would allocate the budget necessary for the...
Blackouts bring up ‘a four-letter word’ in Texas: regulationVideo
AUSTIN — All the groceries spoiled and the water was out for days. Then Melissa Rogers, a believer in the Texas gospel that government should know its place, woke up to a $6,000 energy bill before the snow and ice even melted. “The roads were awful, but we were running...
Chief: Capitol Police were warned of violence before riotVideo
WASHINGTON — Capitol Police knew armed extremists were primed for violence at the iconic building on Jan. 6 and even provided officers with assault rifles to protect lawmakers, the acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. But the wild invasion of the Capitol was far worse than police expected, leaving them unprepared to...
Former aide to Gov. Cuomo pens essay with allegations of sexual harassment
ALBANY, N.Y. — A former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed accusations of sexual harassment against the governor in an essay Wednesday, alleging top female staffers “normalized” behavior that included unwanted kissing and touching. Lindsey Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, said...
Florida man charged with trying to join Islamic militants
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Florida man traveled to Turkey and attempted to enter Syria so he could help Islamic State militants, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury. The grand jury Tuesday charged Mohamed Suliman, 33, with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization....
Georgia senators vote to end changing clocks twice a year
ATLANTA — Georgia senators want to stop changing their clock twice a year, saying shifting from standard time to daylight saving time and back is disruptive. The Senate voted 46-7 Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 100, which calls for Georgia to observe standard time year round. It goes to the...
Special prosecutor picked for case against St. Louis couple
ST. LOUIS — A former U.S. attorney and circuit judge was appointed Wednesday as special prosecutor in the case against a St. Louis couple who waved guns at racial injustice protesters last summer. Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer chose Richard Callahan to prosecute Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who have pleaded not...
Biden to order a review of U.S. supply chains for vital goods
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to sign an executive order to review U.S. supply chains for large-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and semiconductors that power cars, phones, military equipment and other goods. The United States has become increasingly reliant on imports of these goods — a potential national...
Girl dies, boy hurt in fall through ice in Ohio; officer also dies
HILLSBORO, Ohio — A 16-year-old girl died and a teenage boy was injured after they fell through an icy lake in Ohio, officials said. An Ohio Natural Resources Department police officer who responded to the call at Rocky Fork State Park in Hillsboro also died after he suffered a medical...
Controversy swirls over lowering of flags for Rush Limbaugh
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is moving ahead with plans to honor recently deceased conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh by lowering flags to half-staff despite protests from some public officials who don’t see Limbaugh as worthy of the honor. DeSantis announced Tuesday that he was directing the U.S....
Mars rover’s giant parachute carried secret message
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The huge parachute used by NASA’s Perseverance rover to land on Mars contained a secret message, thanks to a puzzle lover on the spacecraft team. Systems engineer Ian Clark used a binary code to spell out “Dare Mighty Things” in the orange and white strips of...
Tip led to FBI arrests of Iowa mother, son in Capitol attack
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The FBI has identified an Iowa woman and her adult son as participants in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after receiving a tip from a longtime family acquaintance, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday. Videos that Deborah Sandoval and Salvador Sandoval Jr....
Ex-NYPD officer and Marine charged in violent Capitol attack
A retired New York Police Department officer and retired U.S. Marine was deemed a danger to the community and ordered held without bail Tuesday after his arrest on charges that he attacked a police officer during the Capitol attack in early January. Thomas Webster, 54, who runs a landscaping business,...
No charges against Rochester officers involved in Daniel Prude’s death
Police officers who put a hood over the head of a mentally distraught Black man, then pressed his body against the pavement until he stopped breathing will not face criminal charges after a grand jury declined to indict them, New York’s attorney general announced Tuesday. Daniel Prude, 41, died last...
Tiger Woods hospitalized after serious rollover crash in Southern California
LOS ANGELES — Golf star Tiger Woods was in the hospital Tuesday after a serious rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Woods was the sole occupant of a Genesis GV80 SUV that was traveling north on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road when he...
Meat-free school meals spark furor in France
LE PECQ, France — By taking meat off the menu at school canteens, the ecologist mayor of one of France’s most famously gastronomic cities has kicked up a storm of protest and debate as the country increasingly questions the environmental costs of its meaty dietary habits. Children in Lyon who...
Golden lion steps down after decades at Anchorage hotel
The golden lion that stood watch in at the Alaska hotel named after it has finally been retired after the building changed hands. The nearly 50-year-old stuffed lion was moved from its home at the Best Western Golden Lion Hotel in Midtown Anchorage last week, the Anchorage Daily News reported...
