U.S./World category, Page 927
‘Moving target’: Schools deal with new plans, Trump demands
TOLEDO, Ohio — With little more than a month before millions of U.S. schoolchildren go back to class, much is still up in the air - and not just because of the surging number of coronavirus cases nationwide. Last week, President Donald Trump and his administration demanded schools fully reopen...
2 officers, suspect killed in Texas border town shootingVideo
MCALLEN, Texas — Two police officers were shot and killed Saturday by a suspect who later fatally shot himself in a South Texas border town after responding to a domestic disturbance call, authorities said. McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez identified the slain officers as Edelmiro Garza, 45, and Ismael Chavez,...
U.S. warns its citizens in China they risk ‘arbitrary’ arrest
WASHINGTON — The State Department warned U.S. citizens living in or traveling to China they may face arbitrary arrest, the latest sign of deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing. “Exercise increased caution in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws for purposes other than...
Audubon Society announces most fabulous bird photos of 2020Video
Each year, the National Audubon Society picks 10 award-winning photographs of birds. The contest, in its 11th year, honors images that “evoke the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of birds small and large, terrestrial and aquatic,” according to a recent Audubon Society press release. Photos are judged on technical quality, originality...
Coronavirus deaths take a long-expected turn for the worse
NEW YORK — A long-expected upturn in U.S. coronavirus deaths has begun, driven by fatalities in states in the South and West, according to data on the pandemic. The number of deaths per day from the virus had been falling for months, and even remained down as states like Florida...
Fire destroys much of 249-year-old church in California
SAN GABRIEL, Calif. — A fire early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of a California church that was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration. Fire alarms at the San Gabriel Mission rang around 4 a.m., and when firefighters responded to the historic structure...
Dozens of U.S. Marines in Japan’s Okinawa get coronavirus
TOKYO — Dozens of U.S. Marines at two bases on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have been infected with the coronavirus in what is feared to be a massive outbreak, Okinawa’s governor said Saturday, demanding an adequate explanation from the U.S. military. Gov. Denny Tamaki said he could say...
Widow condemns ‘barbaric’ death of driver beaten over masks
BAYONNE, France — The wife of a French bus driver savagely beaten after he asked four passengers to wear face masks aboard his vehicle called Saturday for “exemplary punishment” after he died of his injuries. The assault on Philippe Monguillot has scandalized France. President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday dispatched the...
Vintage Super Mario Bros. video game sells for $114,000
DALLAS — An unopened copy of a vintage Super Mario Bros. video game has been sold for $114,000 in an auction that underscored the enduring popularity of entertainment created decades ago. A bidder who wished to remain anonymous snapped up an early version of the pioneering Super Mario Bros. game...
Pistons’ onetime home, the Palace of Auburn Hills, torn downVideo
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — One of Michigan’s most beloved sports and entertainment venues was turned into rubble on Saturday with a series of controlled explosions. The shell and roof of the Palace of Auburn Hills, which was home to three championship Detroit Pistons teams and three Detroit Shock teams and...
Conservation groups upset by North Cascades grizzly decision
SPOKANE, Wash. — The forested mountains in and around North Cascades National Park in north central Washington state have long been considered prime habitat for threatened grizzly bears, so environmental groups are upset the Trump administration scrapped plans to reintroduce the apex predators there. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David...
Q&A: US government not as prolific an executioner as states
CHICAGO — Executions carried out by federal authorities have stopped, restarted and stopped again for long stretches since the first one in 1790, when U.S. marshals hanged a mariner in Maine for fatally shooting the captain of a slave ship. After a 17-year hiatus, the Trump administration wants to restart...
Foreign students weigh studying in person vs. losing visas
PHOENIX — International students worried about a new immigration policy that could potentially cost them their visas say they feel stuck between being unnecessarily exposed during the coronavirus pandemic and being able to finish their studies in America. Students from countries as diverse as India, China and Brazil told The...
Fay becomes post-tropical cyclone over eastern New York
MIAMI — A tropical storm that brought heavy rain to mid-Atlantic states and southern New England was downgraded twice Saturday morning as is moved over New York, forecasters said. Post-tropical cyclone Fay was about 30 miles south of Albany and had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, the National Hurricane...
Pandemic, racism compound worries about Black suicide rate
CHICAGO — Jasmin Pierre was 18 when she tried to end her life, overdosing on whatever pills she could find. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she survived two more attempts at suicide, which felt like the only way to stop her pain. Years of therapy brought progress, but the 31-year-old...
Shipbuilder files complaint over union threats during strike
Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works on Friday filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing its largest union of threatening workers who cross the picket line during an ongoing strike in Maine. The company accused leaders of Machinists’ Local S6 of threatening so-called scabs with fines and loss...
Virus surge visible across Texas: ‘The tsunami is here’
AUSTIN, Texas — Urgent calls for field hospitals. Cars lined up for hours at drive-thru testing centers. Bars boarded up and grocery stores enforcing masks. Texas today resembles the state in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Except now, the outbreak is far worse. Records for COVID-19-related deaths and...
‘Alien-like’ creature resembling ET discovered in ancient area of Pacific seafloor
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A marine creature that resembles the alien E.T. has been found growing in a prehistoric area of eastern Pacific seafloor rock. The “E.T. sponge” has been classified as a new species and genus, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday as it announced the discovery. The...
Amazon’s homeless shelter faces Seattle crisis, criticism
SEATTLE — A homeless shelter built on Amazon’s perfectly manicured urban Seattle campus is a major civic contribution that pushes the company to face the crisis and criticism in the hometown it has rapidly transformed. Believed to be the first homeless shelter built inside a corporate office building, Amazon’s partnership...
Serbia police detain 71 after 4th night of virus protests
BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian police have detained 71 people after clashes during the fourth night of anti-government protests that were initially sparked by the announcement of a new coronavirus lockdown, a senior police official said Saturday. Fourteen policemen were injured in the rioting when hundreds of right-wing demonstrators tried to...
Attorney not disputing suicide findings in Black man’s death
LOS ANGELES — An attorney for the family of a Black man found hanging from a tree last month in a Southern California city park did not dispute on Friday investigators’ finding that the death was a suicide. The family of Robert Fuller was absorbing the findings and grieving, attorney...
Tensions rise over Detroit police killing of man they say fired first at officers
DETROIT — Detroit police fatally shot a man Friday afternoon while investigating a deadly Fourth of July block party — an incident that quickly escalated and sparked tensions between law enforcement and police brutality protesters. Police Chief James Craig says the victim was an alleged gang member who pulled a...
Harvey Weinstein accuser says disgraced producer gets off easy thanks to $19 million settlement paid by insurers
NEW YORK — A Harvey Weinstein accuser urged a judge to reject an $18.9 million settlement for victims on Friday, saying it let Weinstein off too easy by having insurers cover the bill. Zoe Brock, who says she was assaulted in 1998 by the convicted rapist, will not participate in...
Ex-West Virginia health chief says cuts hurt virus response
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The former West Virginia public health leader forced out by the governor says decades-old computer systems and cuts to staff over a period of years had made a challenging job even harder during a once-in-a-century pandemic. Republican Gov. Jim Justice demanded Dr. Cathy Slemp’s resignation on June...
Trump undercuts health experts — again — in schools debate
WASHINGTON — The White House seating chart spoke volumes. When the president convened a roundtable this week on how to safely reopen schools with coronavirus cases rising, the seats surrounding him were filled with parents, teachers and top White House officials, including the first and second ladies. But the head...
