U.S./World category, Page 957
Allies: Ex-Detroit mayor to be released from prison early
DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is being quarantined at a federal prison while awaiting a likely release in June, which would be years before he was scheduled to finish his 28-year sentence for corruption, a pastor said Friday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons declined to comment about Kilpatrick,...
US warns Los Angeles stay-at-home extension could be illegal
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday warned the mayor of Los Angeles and the county’s top health officer that an extension of the coronavirus stay-at-home order may be unlawful. The vague letter sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer did...
NY judge tosses R. Kelly’s attempt to dismiss charge he gave herpes to fan
NEW YORK — A Supreme Court ruling that struck down states’ anti-sodomy laws will not spare disgraced R&B star R. Kelly from charges that he knowingly infected a 19-year-old fan with herpes, a Brooklyn Federal Court judge ruled Friday. Judge Ann Donnelly rejected the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s...
Vermont ER doctor charged with child porn, hiding camera in bathroom
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A former emergency room doctor at Vermont’s largest hospital who was charged last month with setting up a video camera in a staff bathroom is now facing federal child pornography charges. Eike Blohm, 38, of South Burlington appeared in court Friday where he was ordered held pending...
Judge orders Los Angeles to move thousands of homeless
LOS ANGELES — A judge on Friday ordered Los Angeles city and county to move thousands of homeless people living near freeways after an agreement on a plan fell through. U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter issued a preliminary injunction requiring the relocation, by Sept. 1, of an estimated...
Pandemic job losses hit tourism-dependent states hardest
HONOLULU — The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly brutal to the tourism-dependent economies of Nevada and Hawaii, lifting the unemployment rate in both states to about one-quarter of the workforce. Nevada topped the nation with an April unemployment rate of 28.2%, the worst any state has seen since the national...
NASA’s newest test pilots are veteran astronauts, friends
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The two astronauts who will test drive SpaceX’s brand new rocketship are classmates and friends, veteran spacefliers married to veteran spacefliers, and fathers of young sons. Together, they will end a nine-year drought for NASA when they blast into orbit next week from Florida’s Kennedy Space...
Will virus keep Florida spectators from astronaut launch?
ORLANDO, Fla. — In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Florida’s Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years. In the age of coronavirus, local officials and NASA are split on whether that’s a...
Prosecutor to drop charge against Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky prosecutor is moving to dismiss an attempted murder charge against the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who shot a police officer as they entered Taylor’s home. Tom Wine, Louisville’s top prosecutor, announced Friday that the case needs more investigation and he wants to let state and...
DA: Long Island man confesses to fatally stabbing dad during Zoom call
NEW YORK — A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live Zoom call confessed to the caught-on-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr. Pepper, prosecutors said Friday. Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, was arraigned via video and ordered jailed...
Chicago will cautiously reopen in early June, mayor says
CHICAGO — The city of Chicago is on pace to begin cautiously reopening and ease restrictions on certain activities in early June, with outdoor dining at restaurants, barber shops, non-lakefront park buildings and libraries slated to resume limited business, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday. If safety measures can be put...
South Carolina girl, 11, says racism behind white woman’s assault
An 11-year-old African American girl from South Carolina said she didn’t think a white woman who accused her of stealing mail was being racist until the woman’s husband told the girl that if she were “a different type,” things would have turned out differently. Elizabeth Shirey, 38, was charged with...
Trump deems churches ‘essential,’ calls for them to reopen
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend, even as some parts of the nation remain under coronavirus lockdown. “Today I’m identifying houses of worship —...
Cornavirus pandemic claims another victim: Robocalls
Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job...
When should New York City reopen? Gov. Andrew Cuomo: It’s my call
NEW YORK — New York City’s mayor unveiled a new set of data thresholds Friday to help determine when to loosen restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, but his frequent political sparring partner, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, later said it will be up to the state — not the city —...
Iran leader says Israel a ‘cancerous tumor’ to be destroyedVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader on Friday called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that “will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed” in an annual speech in support of the Palestinians, renewing threats against Iran’s archenemy in the Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speech marked a subdued Quds Day for...
Putin says coronavirus situation in Russia stabilized
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said Friday the coronavirus outbreak in Russia has begun to abate, creating a positive environment for easing restrictions, as officials defended the country’s data on deaths against claims they were being under-reported. Speaking during a video conference with top officials, Putin pointed at the decreasing...
In Mexico City, experts find bones of dozens of mammoths
MEXICO CITY — Archaeologists have found the bones of about 60 mammoths at an airport under construction just north of Mexico City, near human-built ‘traps’ where more than a dozen mammoths were found last year. Both discoveries reveal how appealing the area — once a shallow lake — was for...
Police: Boy found dead hours after mom said he was abducted
MIAMI — A 9-year-old autistic boy has been found dead hours after his mother told police he was abducted by two men who “ambushed” her during a late-night drive south of Miami, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed Friday. An Amber Alert that had been issued for Alejandro Ripley...
U.S. wants WHO review of covid-19 response to start ‘now’Video
GENEVA — The United States says it wants the World Health Organization to start work “now” on a planned independent review of its coordinated international response to the covid-19 outbreak, at a time the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized the agency and is threatening to cut off U.S. funding for...
Virus accelerates across Latin America, India, PakistanVideo
NEW DELHI — The coronavirus pandemic accelerated across Latin America, Russia and the Indian subcontinent on Friday even as curves flattened and reopening was underway in much of Europe, Asia and the United States. Many governments say they have to shift their focus to saving jobs that are vanishing as...
Pakistan plane with 98 on board crashes near Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan — A passenger plane with 98 people on board crashed in a crowded neighborhood on the edge of the international airport near Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Friday after what appeared to be an engine failure during landing. Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six...
Missouri governor not only allows graduation, but keynotes
O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In a year when many states are prohibiting in-person graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is not only allowing them, but also spoke at one. The Republican governor had a special connection to the indoor ceremony Thursday night at Sparta High School...
Flood raises fears of pollution at Michigan toxic waste site
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — It took seven years to settle on a plan for cleansing two rivers and floodplains polluted with dioxins from a Dow Chemical Co. plant in central Michigan. The work itself has lasted nearly twice as long, with plenty still to do. Now, scientists and activists fear...
Universal Orlando seeks to reopen theme parks in early June
ORLANDO, Fla. — Universal Orlando is aiming to reopen its theme parks in early June, a resort official said Thursday, more than two months after the company joined crosstown rivals Disney World and SeaWorld in closing their gates to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Universal Orlando executive John...
