U.S./World category, Page 856
Obama reunion? Joe Biden fills Cabinet with former White House leaders
President-elect Joe Biden is getting the old gang back together. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and other senior staff, the incoming Biden administration has a distinctly Obama feel. There’s Denis McDonough, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff who Biden announced on Thursday would be nominated...
Trump administration plans 2nd execution in as many days
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration plans to continue its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard. Lawyers...
California’s health order falling on many deaf ears
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — In the Southern California oceanside city of Manhattan Beach, one arm of government is urging residents to stay home except for essential needs while another is encouraging them to get out and shop and even providing places where they can sit down to relax, eat takeout...
U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa...
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped a defamation lawsuit against his former employer, Liberty University. A judge granted a motion this week to dismiss the case in a move that left open the possibility of Falwell refiling a similar one later, The News & Advance reported Thursday. Court...
5 bicyclists killed, 3 injured in crash on Nevada highway
BOULDER CITY, Nev. — Five bicyclists were killed and three others injured in a crash Thursday involving a box truck on U.S. Highway 95 north of Searchlight, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said. Authorities said the truck driver remained on the scene and commercial units were called to inspect the vehicle’s...
U.S. B-52H bombers fly to Middle East in mission to deter IranVideo
WASHINGTON — In a new show of military might, two American bomber aircraft flew from the United States to the Middle East on Thursday, in a round-trip mission that U.S. officials said covered a wide swath of the region and was a direct message of deterrence to Iran. The flight...
Watchdog faults VA Secretary Robert Wilkie over handling of sex assault report
WASHINGTON — Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the congressional aide who made the complaint and his staff worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility, according to an...
Northern lights a ‘big miss,’ U.S. space forecaster says
PORTLAND, Maine — An initially promising U.S. forecast for the northern lights has gone bust. Stargazers in the continental 48 states have essentially zero chance of seeing the astronomical phenomenon this week, the head of operations at the U.S. government’s space weather prediction center said Thursday. Curtains of color paint...
Gun restrictions face uphill battle even under Biden
The gun debate in America will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under President Donald Trump in which gun control advocates developed a long wish list for reform amid a spate of large-scale mass killings in places like Las Vegas, El...
Baby elephant dies suddenly, just before 2nd birthday
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A baby elephant at a Syracuse zoo died from a virus just before his second birthday . The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse announced the death of Ajay, an Asian elephant calf, on Wednesday. He died from Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus, which poses a high risk to...
Trump announces Israel-Morocco to normalize relations
WASHINGTON — Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations, President Donald Trump said Thursday, marking the fourth Arab-Israeli agreement in four months. As part of the deal announced near the end of Trump’s term, the United States will recognize Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region. Trump said...
U.S. jobless claims jump to 853,000 amid resurgence of virus
WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September, evidence that companies are cutting more jobs as new virus cases spiral higher. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications increased from 716,000 the previous week. Before the...
Despite Trump’s venting and threats, Biden’s win is sealed
WASHINGTON — There’s plenty of noise but no cause for confusion as President Donald Trump vents about how the election turned out and vows to subvert it even still. This truth is self-evident: Joe Biden is on track to become president Jan. 20. The machinery of government and democracy is...
California man charged with decapitating son, daughterVideo
LANCASTER, Calif. — A Southern California father of four has been charged with decapitating his teenage son and 12-year-old daughter and abusing his two other boys, prosecutors said. Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 34, faces two felony counts each of murder and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause...
5 dead, including 3 children, as a result of house fire in West VirginiaVideo
WILLIAMSBURG, W.Va. — Five people, including three children, died and emergency crews were looking for a possible sixth victim following a house fire in West Virginia, officials said. Fire crews, the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office and the West Virginia State Police responded to the blaze Tuesday afternoon at a home...
Hunter Biden tax probe examining Chinese business dealingsVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — The Justice Department is investigating the finances of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The revelations put a renewed spotlight on questions about Hunter Biden’s financial...
West Virginia chemical plant blast kills 1, injures 3Video
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An explosion and fire at a West Virginia chemical plant that shook surrounding homes killed one person while injuring three others, authorities said Wednesday. It occurred after 10 p.m. Tuesday on the Chemours property site in the Kanawha County community of Belle, the county commission said in...
U.S. govt, states bring antitrust action against FacebookVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Wednesday sued Facebook, seeking forced divestment of its Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services. In a separate case, 48 states and districts accused the company of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. The antitrust lawsuits were announced by the Federal Trade...
GM’s Cruise to deploy fully driverless cars in San Francisco
SAN RAMON, Calif. — General Motors’ self-driving car company is sending vehicles without anybody behind the wheel in San Francisco as it navigates its way toward launching a robotic taxi service that would compete against Uber and Lyft in the hometown of the leading ride-hailing services. The move announced Wednesday...
Neo-Nazi group member who threatened journalist gets prison
An Arizona man who joined other members of a neo-Nazi group in a coordinated campaign to threaten and harass journalists, activists and other targets on both U.S. coasts was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in federal prison. Johnny Roman Garza, 21, expressed remorse before a federal judge in Seattle handed...
Migrants from 6 countries in U.S. on temporary status get extension
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will allow migrants from six countries to extend their legal U.S. residency under a temporary status for nine months while courts consider its effort to end the program. President Donald Trump has long sought to terminate the program, which allows migrants...
UK, EU head for supper showdown over Brexit trade deal
BRUSSELS — The leaders of Britain and the European Union were meeting Wednesday for a dinner that could pave the way to a post-Brexit trade deal — or tip the two sides toward a chaotic economic rupture at the end of the month. Early-morning comments from both sides insisting that...
New White House offer adds $600 checks to covid-19 relief
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing covid-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators. Treasury Secretary...
West Virginia chemical plant explosion spurs stay-inside orderVideo
BELLE, W.Va. — An explosion at a West Virginia chemical plant on Wednesday night prompted authorities to order residents within 2 miles of the plant to remain indoors. Details about the incident and whether anyone was injured weren’t immediately released. Explosion at the Belle Plant. There’s a shelter in place....
