U.S./World category, Page 1068
Military leaders consider leaving smaller number of troops in AfghanistanVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is considering several options to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, including one that would shift to a narrower counterterrorism mission, the top U.S. military officer told Congress on Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not disclose any potential...
Fed leaves low rates alone and foresees no moves in 2020
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate alone Wednesday and signaled that it expects to keep low rates unchanged through next year. The Fed’s decision follows three rate cuts earlier this year. It reflects its view that the U.S. economy has so far withstood the U.S.-China trade...
Texas man accused of killing grandmother, great-grandmother
SPRING, Texas — A 22-year-old man has been charged with capital murder after authorities say he confessed to strangling his grandmother and great-grandmother a month ago at a Houston-area home. Jaryd Ramos was arrested Tuesday evening after telling detectives he killed his grandmother, 59-year-old Barbara Gromley. and his great-grandmother, 90-year-old...
Soldier to face court-martial in fatal crash at West Point
SAVANNAH, Ga. — An Army soldier based in Georgia will face a trial by court-martial after being charged in a vehicle rollover that killed a West Point cadet in June, a Fort Stewart spokesman said Wednesday. Commanders at the southeast Georgia Army post ordered a general court-martial for Staff Sgt....
FAA analysis predicted many more Boeing Max crashes without a fixVideo
After the first crash of a Boeing 737 Max last year, federal safety officials estimated that there could be 15 more fatal crashes of the Max over the next few decades if Boeing didn’t fix a critical automated flight-control system. Yet the Federal Aviation Administration did not ground the plane...
Father, son plead guilty in black market eagle trafficking
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A father and his adult son have pleaded guilty in South Dakota to federal charges in a widespread case that offered a glimpse into the illegal trafficking of eagles and other protected birds. Troy Fairbanks and his son, Majestic Fairbanks, were among 30 people and pawn...
Runner apologizes for slapping reporter’s rear on live TVVideo
A Georgia man has apologized on-camera for slapping a female reporter’s rear on live TV after the video clip garnered outrage among millions who viewed it online and prompted police to investigate the case as a possible sexual battery. WSAV-TV reporter Alex Bozarjian was doing a live broadcast from a...
Report: U.S. coal mining industry continues to lose jobs
U.S. coal mining employment has fallen 42% since 2011, most dramatically in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the Appalachian region, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency’s 2018 Annual Coal Report, released Wednesday, said U.S. coal production peaked in 2008 but that mining employment peaked in 2011. Since then,...
Pigeons wearing tiny cowboy hats appearing on Las Vegas streetsVideo
Cowboy hats are a common sight in Las Vegas. But some tiny ones appear to be glued to the heads of pigeons. Residents have spotted a few of the hatted birds and no one seems to know who is responsible for the stunt, reports CNN. The staff at Lofty Hopes...
$3 million found in barrels of pork
SHELBY, N.C. — Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was...
Harvey Weinstein could face jail, bail hike over monitoring issues
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein’s bail has been increased from $1 million to $5 million over allegations he violated bail conditions by mishandling his electronic ankle monitor. Judge James Burke on Wednesday rejected prosecution calls to put the disgraced movie mogul in jail over the alleged violation. A judge is...
Mom charged after police say she abandoned special needs son
ATLANTA — Atlanta police charged a mother with cruelty to children on Wednesday after her special needs teenager was found abandoned at a hospital, cold, confused and unable to say who he was. The mother told investigators she left her 14-year-old son at Grady Memorial Hospital because she felt overwhelmed...
Poland wants troops, police to shoot wild boars over swine fever
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s agriculture minister on Wednesday proposed that army and police personnel should be allowed to shoot wild boars on a large scale in areas affected by the African swine fever, to help fight the disease that has been found in the west of the country after it...
Texas police officer killed by man fleeing traffic stop
NASSAU BAY, Texas — A Houston-area police sergeant was killed when a man wanted on a domestic violence warrant broke free from police while being handcuffed, fled from a traffic stop and struck her with his vehicle, police said. The search continued early Wednesday for the man, who police said...
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time ‘person of the year’
NEW YORK — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was named Time’s “person of the year” Wednesday, becoming at age 16 the youngest person to whom the U.S. magazine has given the title. Thunberg emerged as the face of the youth climate movement after she started skipping school once a week...
As Newtown students grow up, some turn to activism
NEWTOWN, Conn. — They were children themselves when they lost siblings, friends, and schoolmates in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Too young to comprehend the massacre, they spent years in shock and denial. Seven years later, some young people in Newtown, still struggling with the trauma, are emerging as...
Jersey City’s mayor says gunmen targeted kosher market
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The mayor of a New Jersey city said Wednesday that authorities believe gunmen targeted a kosher market during a furious shooting that killed six people and filled the streets with the sounds of heavy gunfire for hours just across the Hudson River from New York City....
Richmond gets a new soaring statue, this one with dreadlocksVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — A massive bronze sculpture of a young black man with dreadlocks astride a muscular horse was permanently installed Tuesday in Virginia’s capital city, not far from one of the country’s most prominent displays of Confederate monuments. Thousands of people crowded the lawn of the Virginia Museum of...
3 charged with running $722M cryptocurrency scam
NEWARK, N.J. — Three men were charged with running a cryptocurrency mining operation that officials labeled a “high-tech Ponzi scheme” that bilked investors out of $722 million, federal officials announced Tuesday. Matthew Goettsche, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Colorado, while Jobadiah Weeks, 38, was taken into custody in Florida and...
Betsy DeVos: Defrauded students may only get partial loan relief
Students who are cheated by their colleges will receive full loan forgiveness only if they end up earning far less than their peers, while others will receive relief between 25% and 75% of their debt under new rules unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Education Department. The policy is a departure...
Final full moon of the decade to peak at 12:12 on 12/12
The moon will appear full for the final time this decade on Dec. 12 at 12:12 a.m., according to NASA. A full moon in December is known as the Cold Moon in the Northern Hemisphere. Numerologists may have something to say about all the twelves in the date and time,...
Pentagon orders review of international student vettingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday ordered a broad review of vetting procedures for international students who participate in training on U.S. military installations and demanded the process be strengthened, in direct reaction to last week’s deadly shooting at a Pensacola Navy base by a Saudi aviation student. The memo...
Finland gets world’s youngest prime minister, a woman age 34
HELSINKI — Finland became the country with the world’s youngest sitting head of government Tuesday when the Nordic country’s parliament chose a 34-year-old woman who is a prolific user of social media and a keen advocate for environmental issues as prime minister. Lawmakers in the 200-seat Eduskunta voted 99-70 to...
6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officerVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle Tuesday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said. The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly...
Women seek access to strip clubs in constitutional battle
ORLANDO, Fla. — A lawsuit over women’s right to enter strip clubs unaccompanied by men is making Florida cities and counties worry about the future of their local civil-rights laws. An Orlando area strip club denied two Alabama women access because its policy required women to enter with men to...
