U.S./World category, Page 946
Police: Florida man lets 12-year-old drive Jeep 85 mph
JUPITER, Fla. — A Florida man is facing felony charges after police said he let a 12-year-old girl drive his SUV and told her to speed because he wanted to be a “cool father” — even though he is not her dad. Shaun Michaelsen, 41, told the arresting officer Monday...
Amid US tension, Iran builds fake aircraft carrier to attack
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S., the Islamic Republic appears to have constructed a new mock-up of an aircraft carrier off its southern coast for potential live-fire drills. The faux foe, seen in satellite photographs obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, resembles...
U.S. challenges planned expedition to retrieve Titanic’s radio
NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. government will try to stop a company’s planned salvage mission to retrieve the Titanic’s wireless telegraph machine, arguing the expedition would break federal law and a pact with Britain to leave the iconic shipwreck undisturbed. U.S. attorneys filed a legal challenge before a federal judge...
Tropical Storm Cristobal to merge with new storm system after lashing SouthVideo
Tropical Storm Cristobal could soon renew its strength by uniting with another storm system coming from the west to form one giant cyclone, forecasters say. After drenching much of the South, forecasters now expect the remnants of Cristobal to bring fierce winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms to much of the...
KKK leader attacks Virginia protest, hate charge weighedVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia prosecutor said Monday she is investigating whether hate crimes charges are appropriate against an “admitted” Ku Klux Klan leader who authorities say revved his vehicle’s engine and drove through peaceful protesters occupying a Richmond-area roadway. There were no reports of serious injuries from the incident...
Seattle council members protest after tear gas used on crowdVideo
SEATTLE — Just days after Seattle’s mayor and police chief promised a month-long moratorium on using a type of tear gas to disperse protesters, the department used it again during an overnight protest — bringing severe criticism Monday from City Council members, vows to overhaul the department and an additional...
Treasure chest hidden in Rocky Mountains finally found
SANTA FE, N.M. — A bronze chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden a decade ago somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has been found, according to a famed art and antiquities collector who created the treasure hunt. Forrest Fenn, 89, told...
Lawyers: US not investigating Prince Andrew in Epstein probe
Attorneys representing Britain’s Prince Andrew say they’ve been assured by the U.S. Department of Justice that he is not a target in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The firm, Blackfords LLP, said U.S. authorities requested the help of the son of Queen Elizabeth II for the...
Can tear gas and pepper spray increase coronavirus spread?
Police departments have used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters in recent weeks, raising concern that the chemical agents could increase the spread of the coronavirus. The chemicals are designed to irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat. They make people cough, sneeze and pull off...
Court orders dismissal of Trump Muslim travel ban challenges
RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court on Monday ordered a lower court to toss out legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s 3-year-old ban on travelers from predominantly Muslim countries, finding that a judge misinterpreted a Supreme Court ruling that found the ban has a “legitimate grounding in national security...
Democrats unveil police overhaul, kneel at CapitolVideo
WASHINGTON — Democrats proposed a sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures Monday, a potentially far-reaching legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol’s...
Officer charged in George Floyd’s death held on $1 million bailVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Monday kept bail at $1 million for a former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death. Derek Chauvin, 44, said little during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the...
In Minneapolis, rage over George Floyd extends beyond cops
MINNEAPOLIS — To truly understand the rage people in this city felt as they watched a video of George Floyd begging, gasping and slowly succumbing beneath the weight of a police officer’s knee, it’s necessary to step back in time. Seven years before Floyd’s cheek was smashed against the pavement,...
‘All eyes’ on New York: Reopening tests city torn by crises
NEW YORK — After three bleak months, New York, the corner of the U.S. hit hardest by the coronavirus, gradually began reopening Monday in what was seen as a landmark moment in the crisis and a test of the city’s discipline. With the virus in check — at least for...
When protesters cry ‘defund the police,’ what does it mean?Video
WASHINGTON — Protesters are pushing to “defund the police” over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans killed by law enforcement. Their chant has become rallying cry — and a stick for President Donald Trump to use on Democrats as he portrays them as soft on crime. But...
Taliban say they are readying for talks with Kabul leaders
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have started putting together their agenda for negotiations with the political leadership in Kabul, Taliban officials said, a significant first step toward talks seen as perhaps the most critical next phase in the Afghan peace process. No date has yet been set for negotiations but Washington’s...
Obamas, Beyonce, Taylor Swift among those to deliver speeches during YouTube virtual ceremonyVideo
President Barack Obama said in a commencement speech Sunday that the nationwide protests following the recent deaths of unarmed black women and men including George Floyd were fueled from “decades worth of anguish, frustration, over unequal treatment and a failure to perform police practices.” Obama along with his wife, Michelle,...
Minneapolis council majority backs disbanding police force
MINNEAPOLIS — A majority of the members of the Minneapolis City Council said Sunday they support disbanding the city’s police department, an aggressive stance that comes just as the state has launched a civil rights investigation after George Floyd’s death. Nine of the council’s 12 members appeared with activists at...
Virginia officer charged in use of stun gun on black manVideo
FAIRFAX, Va. — A white Virginia police officer was charged with assault and battery in connection with the use of a stun gun on a black man, authorities announced. Fairfax County police Officer Tyler Timberlake arrived on scene and fired his stun gun at the man after other officers had...
New York Times editorial page editor resigns amid fury over op-ed
NEW YORK — The New York Times’ editorial page editor resigned Sunday after the newspaper disowned an opinion piece by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton that advocated using federal troops to quell unrest, and it was later revealed he hadn’t read the piece prior to publication. James Bennet resigned and his...
Strong wind, rain as tropical storm makes Louisiana landfallVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall Sunday on the Louisiana coast, packing 50 mph wind and spinning dangerous weather as far east as northern Florida, where it spawned a tornado that uprooted trees and downed power lines. The lopsided storm moved ashore between the mouth of the Mississippi...
10-foot great white shark kills surfer in AustraliaVideo
SYDNEY — A 60-year-old surfer was attacked and killed by a 10-foot great white shark off the coast of northern New South Wales state on Sunday, officials said. The man received a bite to the back of his thigh and was brought to the shore by other surfers who had...
Virginia man’s hand blown off; note references violence against women
ABINGDON, Va. — A southwest Virginia man who blew off his hand in an apparent explosives accident has been charged in federal court after authorities say they found evidence he was making a bomb and wanted to target “hot cheerleaders” because of his sexual frustrations. An FBI affidavit filed Friday...
AG William Barr denies Trump demanded 10,000 troops to quell protestsVideo
Attorney General William Barr on Sunday denied that President Donald Trump wanted 10,000 active duty troops sent onto American streets to quell unrest. Barr, in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” pushed back on reports by several news organizations that the president initially made the demand before backing down...
Watery end for statue of slave trader in UK city of Bristol
LONDON — For someone who died nearly three centuries ago, Edward Colston has become a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement in Britain. The toppling of his statue in Bristol, a city in the southwest of England, on Sunday by anti-racism protesters was greeted with joyous scenes, recognition of...
