U.S./World category, Page 1202
Dad wants mercy in 5 kids deaths; prosecutor calls for death
COLUMBIA, S.C. — If jurors are unsure whether a South Carolina father should get the death penalty for killing his five children, a prosecutor says they should just consider the five garbage bags where he left their bodies in rural Alabama. Solicitor Rick Hubbard told a jury Thursday that 37-year-old...
Pelosi: No debt increase until spending limits are raised
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Democratic-controlled House won’t pass must-do legislation to increase the government’s borrowing cap until the Trump administration agrees to boost spending limits on domestic programs. The California Democrat said she’ll agree to increase the so-called debt ceiling, which is needed to avoid a market-cratering...
Honda lawnmower gets new Guinness record hitting 100 mph in 6 seconds
If you need to cut your lawn fast, this mower may be for you. The new Honda Mean Mower V2 set a Guinness World Records for fastest acceleration for a lawnmower, by averaging 0 to 100 mph in just 6.285 seconds. The record was set May 7 at a race...
25 officers injured in Memphis after marshals kill fugitive
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Armed officers and an angry crowd faced off after a Tennessee man was fatally shot by U.S. Marshals in a working-class Memphis neighborhood. People in the crowd threw rocks and bricks, with 25 officers suffering mostly minor injuries during the tense clash Wednesday night in the Frayser...
Suicide bomber kills 9 in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber walked up to an Afghan police vehicle in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, and detonated an explosive device that killed three police and six civilians on Thursday, said provincial health department official Shoaib Sahak. He said another 13 people were wounded, some...
Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-U.S. tensions
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were damaged in suspected attacks on Thursday, leaving one ablaze and the other adrift and forcing sailors to evacuate in the latest mysterious incident involving tankers amid heightened tensions between the U.S and Iran. The...
San Francisco prosecutors turn to AI to reduce racial bias
SAN FRANCISCO — In a first-of-its kind experiment, San Francisco prosecutors are turning to artificial intelligence to reduce racial bias in the courts, adopting a system that strips certain identifying details from police reports and leaves only key facts to govern charging decisions. District Attorney George Gascon announced Wednesday that...
Mothers: Air Force failed when child sex assaults reported
To the mothers, the 13-year-old boy appeared largely unsupervised as he roamed among the clusters of townhomes on the U.S. Air Force base in Japan. It would have been unremarkable — the neighborhood was full of kids — except that young girls were starting to report the boy had led...
Catholic bishops approve new sex-abuse reporting hotline
BALTIMORE — U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to create a new national sex-abuse hotline run by an independent entity, a decision that represents one of the church’s most tangible steps yet in confronting its sex-abuse crisis. The hotline, which would field allegations that bishops committed abuse or covered it up,...
Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets
LONDON — Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into the Washington’s political scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a deputy assistant secretary of...
Utah police: Deputy shooting suspect left home with a gun
LOS ANGELES — The Utah man accused of shooting an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Monday and killing another man an hour earlier had told his family he wanted to “make it on his own or die,” police said Wednesday. The family of Rhett Nelson, 30, contacted St. George...
3 life sentences without parole for man who killed 3 Muslims
DURHAM, N.C. — Moments after a North Carolina man pleaded guilty to gunning down three Muslim university students, a prosecutor played a cellphone video of the slayings in court Wednesday as one of the victims’ relatives fainted, others wept and a man cursed the confessed killer openly. Craig Stephen Hicks,...
Federal hate crime charges filed in black church fires
NEW ORLEANS — The son of a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy is facing federal hate crime charges in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches this year. Holden Matthews , 21, was charged in a six-count federal indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The indictment charges Matthews with three counts...
Nevada law prevents most employers from rejecting pot-users
LAS VEGAS — Two backers of a pioneering Nevada law to prevent employers from rejecting job-seekers based on a pre-employment marijuana test cast the effort Wednesday as an anti-discrimination measure in a state where recreational pot sales are booming and rules about legal marijuana consumption are evolving. The law, which...
Dallas law firm places winning bid for Robert E. Lee statue
AUSTIN, Texas — A Dallas-based law firm placed the winning $1.435 million bid for a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the city put in an online auction almost two years after removing it from a state park. Holmes Firm PC made the top offer for the bronze...
Maine becomes 8th state to legalize assisted suicide
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine legalized medically assisted suicide Wednesday, becoming the eighth state to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office. Oregon was the first state to...
1st black priest in U.S., ex-slave, positioned for sainthood
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Pope Francis on Wednesday deemed the first known black Roman Catholic priest in the United States to be “venerable,” positioning the former slave for possible sainthood. The pontiff’s designation of the Rev. Augustine Tolton as venerable, meaning the church intensely scrutinized his life and recognizes it as...
After emotional testimony from 9/11 responders, House panel votes to replenish victim fund
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously in support of a bill that would give fresh money to a compensation fund for those who are sick or dying from illnesses linked to their work amid the toxic debris at 9/11 attack sites. The vote comes a day...
Feds: 81-year-old robbery suspect wanted to return to prison
PHOENIX — An 81-year-old man who has spent most of his adult life behind bars for stealing from banks said he robbed a credit union in Tucson months after his release from prison because his monthly $800 Social Security payment wasn’t enough to live on, according to court records. Robert...
Journalist killed in southern Mexico, another kidnapped
A reporter was shot dead in the southern state of Tabasco, her newspaper said Wednesday, the latest in a string of journalist killings in one of the world’s most lethal countries for the profession. Another reporter was kidnapped by a pair of armed men in the nearby state of Veracruz....
New Mexico city famous for UFO event trademarks new logo
ROSWELL, N.M. — A New Mexico city known for its proximity to arguably the most famous UFO event in the United States has trademark protection for its alien-inspired logo. The city of Roswell said Tuesday it received its requested trademark certification from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office. The...
Badly made fake license plate leads to arrest in California
MOORPARK, Calif. — A big-rig truck driver has been arrested after authorities spotted a phony license plate on his rig. How could they tell? Well, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department says the 1960s-style yellow-on-black plate had wobbly letters and numbers. Also, instead of “CALIFORNIA,” it read “CALIFAS.” The department said...
Watchdog: Abuse and neglect in nursing facilities unreported
WASHINGTON — Nursing facilities have failed to report thousands of serious cases of potential neglect and abuse of seniors on Medicare even though it’s a federal requirement for them to do so, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday that calls for a new focus on protecting frail patients. Auditors...
Canadian store shames shoppers into not using plastic bags
One Canadian grocery story has come up with a pretty ingenious way of discouraging its customers from using plastic bags: shame. The East West Market in Vancouver, British Columbia, is looking to push the green agenda. To that effort, they ordered plastic bags with some rather embarrassing logos on them...
‘Straight, country boy’ turns pickup rainbow for Pride month
HULBERT, Okla. — Self-described “straight, country boy” Cody Barlow believes duct tape really can fix anything, including bigots. The 28-year-old college student from Hulbert, Okla., recently decorated the tailgate of his pickup truck like a Pride flag with a bold message: “NOT ALL COUNTRY BOYS ARE BIGOTS.” Barlow’s Facebook post...
