U.S./World category, Page 1089
Feds realize a jailed man’s 3,000 pounds of ‘marijuana’ isn’t pot, Texas lawyer says
It was trumpeted as a huge drug bust. Texas Department of Public Safety posted a picture on Facebook of dozens of boxes — presumably filled with over 3,000 pounds of marijuana — piled in front of a U-Haul truck stopped by troopers in early December. During the traffic stop east...
Anti-establishment views unite, divide Hong Kong protesters
HONG KONG — Trump signs, Pepe the Frog graffiti and British and American flags have become a common sight at Hong Kong’s anti-government protests — and an unsettling one to longtime democracy activists on the left. Beijing has seized on the images to portray the movement as a coddled, westernized...
Puerto Rico earthquake aftermath deepens as government seeks help
SAN JUAN — More than 2,000 people in shelters. Nearly one million without power. Hundreds of thousands without water. The aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed one person, injured nine others and severely damaged infrastructure in Puerto Rico’s southwest coast is deepening as the island’s government says it is...
Report: 2019 natural gas prices lowest in 3 years
A new report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) notes that natural gas prices in 2019 were the lowest in the last three years. That won’t come as a surprise to Marcellus shale gas drillers, who spent much of 2019 adjusting to a low-price market. Analysts believe low prices...
Lawmakers approve Brexit bill, U.K. on course for Jan. 31 exit
LONDON — Britain passed a major milestone on the road to Brexit when the House of Commons on Thursday approved a bill authorizing the country’s departure from the European Union at the end of the month. Lawmakers voted by 330-231 to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which sets the terms...
U.S. officials: ‘Highly likely’ Iran shot down Ukrainian jetliner
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. officials said Thursday it was “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile downed a Ukrainian jetliner late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board. The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack against Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops amid...
Timeline: A look at tensions between U.S., Iran since 2018
Iran is sending mixed signals as tensions with the U.S. appear to ease. President Hassan Rouhani has warned of a “very dangerous response” if the U.S. makes “another mistake,” and a senior commander has vowed “harsher revenge” for the killing of a top Iranian general. Both sides appeared to step...
Samoan fruit bat coming to U.S. quarters
A new quarter is headed into circulation next month and it may qualify as the cutest quarter yet. The quarter, part of the America the Beautiful series, has a reverse-side depiction of a Samoan fruit bat mother hanging upside-down in a tree with her pup. The coin is scheduled for...
UK royals scramble to contain Harry, Meghan announcement
Britain’s royal family scrambled Thursday to contain the fallout from the surprise announcement by Prince Harry and Meghan that they plan “to step back” from royal duties, a shift that ignited media outrage and public unease in the U.K. The couple’s declaration that they planned to forge a “progressive” new...
Iran says Ukrainian plane was on fire, tried to turn back
TEHRAN, Iran — The crew of a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed in Iran, killing all 176 people on board, never made a radio call for help and were trying to turn back for the airport when their burning plane went down, an initial Iranian investigative report said Thursday. Ukraine, meanwhile,...
Statue mocking Donald Trump torched in Slovenia
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — A wooden statue mocking U.S. President Donald Trump was burned to the ground Thursday in Slovenia, the birthplace of his wife Melania, authorities said. The nearly eight-meter (26-foot) high construction, erected last year in a village in northeast of Slovenia, showed Trump with his trademark hair style,...
Baby dies after being put in backpack; Texas man charged
LUBBOCK, Texas — A West Texas man accused of putting his girlfriend’s 10-month-old daughter in a backpack and leaving her in a car trunk for five hours was charged Wednesday with capital murder. Trevor Marquis Rowe of Lubbock was arrested Tuesday night for the death of Marion Jester-Montoya. He was...
Fewer than a quarter of U.S. voters can find Iran on a world map
Iran so far away — but that’s no excuse. Despite the United States being on the brink or war with Iran, fewer than a quarter of American voters can find the 81-million person nation on a world map. According to a poll by Morning Consult/Politico, that number leaps only slightly...
IRS’ failure to collect from tax cheats could cost you $3,000 a year
WASHINGTON — The average U.S. household is paying an annual surtax of more than $3,000 to subsidize taxpayers who aren’t paying all they owe, a new report from the Taxpayer Advocate Service found. Reduced funding for the Internal Revenue Service has led to lower staffing levels and fewer audits, which...
Arizona official quits amid charges he paid women to give up babies
PHOENIX — An elected official in metro Phoenix resigned Tuesday, months after being charged with running a human smuggling operation that paid pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to give up their babies in the United States. The resignation of Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen occurred when leaders in the...
Idaho resort looks for skier after avalanche; 2 others die
KELLOGG, Idaho — Officials were searching Wednesday for a missing skier at an Idaho resort where a series of avalanches killed two skiers and injured five others the day before. The Silver Mountain Resort was closed Wednesday “to focus all available resources on the search,” the resort said on Facebook....
Indiana teen gets 65 years in pregnant schoolmate’s killingVideo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A 17-year-old northern Indiana boy has been sentenced to 65 years in prison in the fatal stabbing of a schoolmate who was pregnant with his child. St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hurley sentenced Aaron Trejo on Tuesday to 55 years for murder and 10 years...
Milwaukee teen: Man started shooting after snowball hit carVideo
MILWAUKEE — One of two Milwaukee children who were shot by a man because they threw a snowball at his car said he didn’t expect the driver to retaliate. “I didn’t think twice,” 13-year-old Nicholas Johnson told “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday. Johnson said he didn’t see the driver react...
Army warns about fraudulent text messages about a military draft
The Army has issued a fact check on fake texts. The Army released a statement this week saying it has been made aware of fraudulent text messages that have informed people they have been selected for the military draft, even though the United States did away with the draft in...
Prince Harry and Meghan to ‘step back’ as senior UK royals
In a stunning declaration, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, said they are planning “to step back” as senior members of the royal family and “work to become financially independent.” A statement issued by the couple Wednesday evening also said they intend to “balance” their time between the U.K....
Trump vows new sanctions on already heavily sanctioned IranVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration will immediately impose new economic sanctions on Iran in response to Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq. “As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on...
Teacher in Kentucky pleads guilty to filming students in school bathroom
MURRAY, Ky. — A former teacher at a Kentucky high school admitted to filming students in a bathroom. Mark Allen Boggess, 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Calloway Circuit Court to eight counts of possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and eight counts of voyeurism, the Murray Ledger...
U.S. sanctions South Sudan’s vice president over abuses
JOHANNESBURG — The United States has imposed sanctions on South Sudan’s First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, citing his involvement in serious human rights abuses. The statement Wednesday is one of the sharpest actions taken by the United States against the South Sudan government amid Washington’s frustration over the country’s...
Injured man walking to Philadelphia hospital is killed in hit-and-run
PHILADELPHIA — A man who was walking to the hospital after he was stabbed during a dispute was struck killed by a hit-and-run driver in Philadelphia, authorities said. Karon Underwood, 36, was struck around 10:20 p.m. Monday just blocks from the hospital. One driver saw him and was able to...
Prosecutor won’t seek death penalty in Waffle House shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing four people at a Tennessee Waffle House. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office said in a court filing that it would seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for Travis Reinking, The...
