U.S./World category, Page 963
Why prospect of deflation could pose a threat to U.S. economy
WASHINGTON — The economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus led in April to the steepest month-to-month fall in U.S. consumer prices since the 2008 financial crisis — a 0.8% drop that was driven by a plunge in gasoline prices. And excluding the normally volatile categories of food and energy, so-called...
U.S. government sees record monthly deficit of $737.9 billion
WASHINGTON — The federal government piled up a record deficit in April, traditionally a month of big budget surpluses. The sea of red ink is being created by a drop in revenue and a massive increase in spending to fund efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury Department...
Mayor: 52 NYC children diagnosed with inflammatory syndrome
NEW YORK — New York City is reporting more cases of a rare pediatric syndrome possibly linked to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, data released Tuesday shows that nine out of 10 people arrested for coronavirus-related offenses in New York City have been black or Hispanic. Here are the latest coronavirus-related developments...
Militants storm maternity clinic in Kabul, kill 14
KABUL, Afghanistan — Militants stormed a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul on Tuesday, setting off an hours-long shootout with the police and killing 14 people, including two newborn babies, their mothers and an unspecified number of nurses, Afghan officials said. While the battle was underway, Afghan security...
American pilot dies in light plane crash in Indonesia
JAYAPURA, Indonesia — An American pilot died after her light plane crashed into a lake Tuesday while delivering humanitarian supplies in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua, police said. The pilot, Joyce Chaisin Lin, 40, of Ohio, apparently had technical problems two minutes after takeoff from Sentani airport in the provincial...
Prosecutors who recused themselves from Ahmaud Arbery case now under investigationVideo
ATLANTA — The Georgia prosecutors who first handled the fatal shooting of a black man, before charges were filed more than two months later, were placed under investigation Tuesday for their conduct in the case, which has fueled a national outcry and questions about whether the slaying was racially motivated....
Fauci warns of ‘suffering and death’ if U.S. reopens too soon
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is warning Congress that if the country reopens too soon during the coronavirus pandemic, it will result in “needless suffering and death.” Fauci is among the health experts testifying to a Senate panel. His testimony comes as President Donald...
Data: Coronavirus-weary Americans slowly return to the road
OAK PARK, Ill. — Americans are slowly getting back on the road after hunkering down due to the coronavirus, though the volume of traffic is still well below what it was before many states issued stay-at-home orders. Drivers in the U.S. have been more active in the past week than...
Colorado restaurant shut down for allowing sit-down diningVideo
DENVER — A Colorado restaurant that opened for full service on Mother’s Day in defiance of state rules banning sit-down dining was ordered to close Monday and had its license suspended indefinitely by health officials. A video posted by Colorado Community Media showed people sitting at tables and waiting close...
Commission delays decision on gun ban at Michigan Capitol
LANSING, Mich. — A commission that oversees Michigan’s Capitol delayed a decision Monday on banning guns from the building before a planned protest against the governor’s coronavirus restrictions, in a meeting that later ended abruptly due to racist and threatening messages posted in Zoom. The State Capitol Commission voted to...
Shanghai Disneyland reopens with anti-virus controlsVideo
SHANGHAI — Visitors in face masks streamed into Shanghai Disneyland as the theme park reopened Monday in a high-profile step toward reviving tourism that was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Mouse’s experience in Shanghai, the first of its parks to reopen, foreshadows hurdles global entertainment industries...
Documents: Federal agents engaged in sex acts with trafficking victims
This project was produced by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation. — — — PHOENIX — The women were forced to live and work in filth and near darkness, the federal...
Virus rampages across vast Navajo lands, close-knit families
TUBA CITY, Arizona — The virus arrived on the reservation in early March, when late winter winds were still blowing off the mesas and temperatures at dawn were often barely above freezing. It was carried in from Tucson, doctors say, by a man who had been to a basketball tournament...
Poll: Majority of Americans disapprove of coronavirus protests
A majority of Americans disapprove of protests against restrictions aimed at preventing the spread the coronavirus, according to a new poll that also finds the still-expansive support for such limits — including restaurant closures and stay-at-home orders — has dipped in recent weeks. The new survey from the University of...
‘Bullseye’ target found at Nashville NAACP president’s home
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville head of the NAACP said a police officer who responded to his home after a bullseye-like target appeared in his front yard dismissed his concerns. Nashville NAACP President Keith Caldwell said in a Facebook post that he found the “bullseye” target on an easel-like holder...
Ohio Gov. DeWine sees risks ‘no matter what we do’ amid reopening
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is acknowledging that there are risks to reopening Ohio’s economy following closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he says “it’s really a risk no matter what we do.” The Republican governor dialed into the economic toll the pandemic has had on businesses...
Carnival bookings pile up as cruises are scheduled to resume in AugustVideo
Carnival Cruise Line was swamped with bookings recently when it announced that it would return to the high seas after months of coronavirus lockdown. A representative with Cruise Planners, an American Express travel franchise, told TMZ that cruise bookings increased exponentially when Carnival announced it intends to resume some cruises...
One dead in S.C. officer-involved shooting
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A man was killed in a Saturday shootout with South Carolina police. The shooting occurred early Saturday morning after multiple people called 911 upon hearing gunshots, Greenville police Lt. Alia Paramore said in a news release. When police arrived, they found two men in the back parking...
Pence, task force members isolate after virus exposureVideo
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence was self-isolating Sunday after an aide tested positive for the coronavirus last week, joining three of the nation’s top scientists in taking protective steps after possible exposure. An administration official said Pence was voluntarily keeping his distance from other people in line with guidance...
Georgia AG requests federal probe in handling of Ahmaud Arbery caseVideo
ATLANTA — Georgia’s attorney general on Sunday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who authorities say died at the hands of two white men as he ran through a neighborhood. Arbery was killed Feb. 23, 2020. No...
Surfer killed in shark attack was California man, 26
APTOS, Calif. — A surfer killed in a shark attack off a Northern California beach has been identified as a 26-year-old man who lived in the area, officials said. The victim was surfing near Manresa State Beach on the northern end of Monterey Bay on Saturday afternoon when he was...
National parks visitors should plan for ‘new normal’
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Utah — After closing amid the coronavirus pandemic, the National Park Service is testing public access at several parks across the nation, including two in Utah, with limited offerings and services. Visitor centers and campgrounds remain largely shuttered at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, but visitors...
Store workers become enforcers of social distancing rules
NEW YORK — Sandy Jensen’s customer-service job at a Sam’s Club in Fullerton, California, normally involves checking member ID cards at the door and answering questions. But the coronavirus has turned her into a kind of store sheriff. Now she must confront shoppers who aren’t wearing masks and enforce social...
Barack Obama lashes out at President Donald Trump in call with supporters
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News. Obama also reacted to the Justice Department dropping its criminal case against Trump’s...
Documents show top White House officials buried CDC report on reopening communities
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The decision to shelve detailed advice from the nation’s top disease control experts for reopening communities during the coronavirus pandemic came from the highest levels of the White House, according to internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press. The files also show that after the AP...
