Report: U.S. could keep nearly 1,000 troops in Syria
WASHINGTON — The United States could keep up to 1,000 troops in Syria three months after President Trump ordered a full withdrawal from the war-torn nation, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The Journal’s report, citing U.S. officials, said the United States planned to continue working with Kurdish fighters in...
Dick Dale, King of Surf Guitar, ‘Miserlou’ composer, is deadVideo
LOS ANGELES — Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs such as “Miserlou” and “Let’s Go Trippin’” earned him the title King of the Surf Guitar, has died at age 81. His former bassist Sam Bolle says Dale passed away Saturday night. No other details were available....
New Zealand citizens seem open to gun reform after massacre
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The New Zealand leader’s promise of tightened gun laws in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings has been widely welcomed by a stunned population. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her Cabinet would consider the details of the changes Monday. She has said options include a...
Tanker truck catches fire, triggers explosions in South Los Angeles, injuring 2 peopleVideo
LOS ANGELES — A 9,000-gallon tanker truck leaking gasoline caught fire and triggered multiple explosions Sunday in South Los Angeles early, igniting surrounding structures and sending a huge column of black smoke into the air, authorities said. Fire officials arrived at the scene on West Slauson Avenue about 7:45 a.m....
RNC links ‘noted Irishman’ Beto O’Rourke’s heritage to 1998 DWI arrestVideo
The Republican National Committee on Sunday sent out a tweet linking Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s Irish heritage to his 1998 drunken-driving arrest, in an attack that Democrats and some Republicans criticized as being based on stereotypes. Republicans have previously sought to focus attention on O’Rourke’s DWI arrest, but...
Kirsten Gillibrand declares candidacy for president after campaigning for months
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination Sunday, casting herself as the party’s strongest champion of reversing President Trump’s agenda. Gillibrand, who started an exploratory committee in January, has been campaigning for months. But she used a video announcement online to draw new...
Trump and first lady attend church service on St. Patrick’s Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spent St. Patrick’s Day morning worshipping at the “Church of the Presidents” near the White House. Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, joined parishioners for Sunday’s 11 a.m. service at St. John’s Church, a historic yellow church across from the White House and...
Mourners pay tribute to New Zealand victims, await burials
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — A steady stream of mourners paid tribute Sunday at a makeshift memorial to the 50 people slain by a gunman at two mosques in Christchurch, while dozens of Muslims stood by to bury the dead when authorities finally release the victims’ bodies. Hundreds of flowers were...
More evacuations in Midwest as floodwaters head downstream
ST. LOUIS — Residents in parts of southwestern Iowa were forced out of their homes Sunday as a torrent of Missouri River water flowed over and through levees. Heavy rainfall and snowmelt forced river levels across several Midwestern states to dangerous levels. At least two deaths were blamed on flooding,...
University of Scandal, Corruption? USC at core of bribe plot
LOS ANGELES — Roy Nwaisser has four degrees from the University of Southern California and is a superfan of its storied football squad — he hasn’t missed a home or away game in 27 years. But his devotion has been tested by a series of scandals culminating with the school’s...
Puzzling number of men tied to Ferguson protests have died
FERGUSON, Mo. — Two young men were found dead inside torched cars. Three others died of apparent suicides. Another collapsed on a bus, his death ruled an overdose. Six deaths, all involving men with connections to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, drew attention on social media and speculation in the activist...
Report: Ex-Putin adviser who died in U.S. had broken neck
WASHINGTON — Newly released documents show that a former adviser to Russia’s president sustained a complete fracture of his neck “at or near the time of his death” in a Washington hotel room in 2015. The documents from the city’s medical examiner were released to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in...
White House aide says ‘absurd’ to link mosque shooter, Trump
WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Sunday that President Donald Trump “is not a white supremacist” and attempts to tie him to the alleged New Zealand mosque shooter are “absurd.” Mick Mulvaney, the acting chief of staff, described the New Zealand shooter as a “disturbed individual” and “evil...
Some lawmakers worry about allowing sports bets on phones
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — For states looking to profit off the new world of legal sports betting, there’s an app for that. The question for state lawmakers: Should they allow it? As state legislatures across the U.S. decide whether to authorize sports gambling, lawmakers are debating whether the bets — like...
Growing movement calls on media to avoid naming shooters
A few months after teen shooters killed 12 classmates at Columbine High School, Coni Sanders was standing in line at a grocery store with her young daughter when they came face to face with the magazine cover. It showed the two gunmen who had carried out one of the deadliest...
New Zealand prime minister says gun laws to change after mosque attack
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated her promise that there will be changes to the country’s gun laws in the wake of a terrorist attack on two mosques and said her Cabinet will discuss the policy details on Monday. At a Sunday news conference,...
Flash floods, slides in eastern Indonesia kill at least 50
JAYAPURA, Indonesia — A disaster official said days of torrential downpours have triggered flash floods and mudslides in mountainside villages in Indonesia’s easternmost province, killing at least 50 people and injuring 59 others. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the disasters in Papua province’s Jayapura district submerged...
Claridge postmaster served his country in war and peace
Charles Ocepek served in the Army during World War II and worked as the postmaster for his hometown of Claridge in Penn Township. “He served his country in times of war and served his country in times of peace,” said his son, Karl Ocepek of Downington. Charles Ocepek of Claridge...
Rescues, evacuations as floodwaters breach levees in Midwest
OMAHA, Neb. — Authorities were using boats and large vehicles on Saturday to rescue and evacuate residents in parts of the Midwest where a recent deluge of rainwater and snowmelt was sent pouring over frozen ground, overwhelming creeks and rivers, and killing at least one person. Rescue efforts in eastern...
Apple Watch may spot heart problem but more research needed
A huge study suggests the Apple Watch can detect a worrisome irregular heartbeat at least sometimes — but experts say more work is needed to tell if using wearable technology to screen for heart problems really helps. More than 419,000 Apple Watch users signed up for the unusual study, making...
When gunman advanced on New Zealand mosque, 1 man ran at him
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — When the gunman advanced toward the mosque, killing those in his path, Abdul Aziz didn’t hide. Instead, he picked up the first thing he could find, a credit card machine, and ran outside screaming “Come here!” Aziz, 48, is being hailed as a hero for preventing...
US eases land restrictions meant to protect bird in West
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration on Friday finalized changes to sweeping federal land use plans for the West, easing restrictions on energy companies and other industries in a way officials said would still protect a struggling bird species. The changes by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will guide...
Disease may be killing California desert bighorn sheep
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A new survey has found a sharp decline in desert bighorn sheep in Southern California, and biologists suspect the cause is a disease contracted from domestic animals. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says a survey earlier this month counted 60 bighorns in the Mount San...
Trump claims not ‘really’ a rise in white nationalism after racist kills dozens of Muslims in New Zealand
A racist gunman had only hours earlier killed dozens of Muslims in New Zealand and hate crimes in the U.S. have been on the rise since he took office — but President Donald Trump shrugged Friday when asked if he considers white nationalism a growing problem. “I don’t really,” the...
Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign staff will join a union
Employees on Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign are joining a labor union, officials announced Friday, a historic move that comes amid a Democratic primary featuring intense competition for working-class voters. All campaign employees below the rank of deputy director will be represented by the United Food & Commercial Workers Local...
