U.S./World category, Page 357
Gun victims’ re-created voices are being sent to lawmakers who support the NRA
PARKLAND, Fla. — Joaquin “Guac” Oliver died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but federal lawmakers who oppose tighter gun regulations began getting phone calls in his voice on Wednesday, lambasting them for their position. The families of Oliver and five others killed with guns are using artificial...
GOP Speaker Johnson says House won’t be ‘rushed’ to approve aid for Ukraine as $95B package stalls
WASHINGTON — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday the U.S. House will not feel “rushed” to pass the $95.3 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, signaling a further stall over sending military hardware and munitions Kyiv badly needs to fight Russia. Johnson made the remarks behind...
Date night strike: Thousands of U.S., UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for fair compensation and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber and Lyft drivers planned daylong strikes in Pittsburgh; Chicago; Philadelphia; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut;...
Harvey Weinstein is appealing 2020 rape conviction. New York’s top court to hear arguments
NEW YORK — Nearly four years after Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sent to prison, New York’s highest court will hear arguments Wednesday in his quest to overturn the landmark #MeToo-era verdict. Weinstein’s lawyers are asking the state’s Court of Appeals in Albany to dismiss the disgraced movie...
Ukrainian military says it sank Russian landing ship in Black Sea
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it used high-tech naval drones to sink a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian authorities. The Caesar Kunikov amphibious ship sank 2.5 miles off Alupka, a city on the southern edge of the...
Gaza cease-fire and hostage release talks appear to stall as Netanyahu blames Hamas
JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas suffered a setback on Wednesday as Israel reportedly recalled its negotiating team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of hobbling the high-stakes negotiations by sticking to “delusional” demands. Netanyahu’s remarks came hours after local media reported that...
Pond hockey in New Hampshire brightens winter for hundreds. But climate change threatens the sport
MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and the guys he plays social hockey with in Massachusetts make the trek up to New Hampshire to play in an outdoor tournament many believe embodies the sport in its purest form. They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith each...
Amid artificial intelligence boom, AI girlfriends — and boyfriends — are making their mark
NEW YORK — A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t...
Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know
Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday,...
1 person killed, 5 injured when vehicle crashes into emergency room in Austin, TexasVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A car crashed into a Texas hospital’s emergency room Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring five other people, including a child with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The car smashed into the lobby of the ER at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center shortly after 5:30 p.m., fire...
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin released from hospital, has resumed his full duties
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday and has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December to treat prostate cancer. He was taken back to Walter Reed on...
Chicago to stop using controversial gunshot detection technology this year
CHICAGO — Chicago won’t renew its ShotSpotter contract and plans to stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced Tuesday. The system, which relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and network of microphones to identify gunshots, has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias...
Fake Michigan Certificate of Votes mailed to U.S. Senate after 2020 presidential vote, official says
A fake Certificate of Votes was submitted to the U.S. Senate following Michigan’s 2020 presidential election, an official testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing for six people facing forgery and other charges for allegedly serving as false electors. The “purported” Certificate of Votes didn’t match an official document signed by...
Paramount to lay off hundreds of staffers in cost-cutting effort
Layoffs are hitting Paramount Global. The media giant that owns the famed Paramount Pictures movie studio, plus CBS, Nickelodeon and other networks, will eliminate roughly 800 jobs as part of a broad streamlining effort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment. There is...
Notre Dame cathedral’s spire revealed in Paris as reconstruction continues after fireVideo
PARIS — Scaffolding that shrouded the top of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire in April 2019 is being removed, marking a milestone in its reconstruction. As the shell at the summit has been taken down in recent days, it has revealed the cathedral’s new spire for the first...
Flight attendants hold airport rallies to protest lack of new contracts, pay raises
Three separate unions representing flight attendants at major U.S. airlines are picketing and holding rallies at 30 airports on Tuesday as they push for new contracts and higher wages. The flight attendants are increasingly frustrated that pilots won huge pay raises last year while they continue to work for wages...
Mental health emerges as a dividing line in abortion rights initiatives planned for state ballots
CHICAGO — The weeks after Kaniya Harris found out she was pregnant were among the hardest in her life. Final exams were fast approaching for the college junior. Her doctors told her she had an ovarian cyst, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy was high. The wait times for abortion...
New Orleans’ Carnival season marks Fat Tuesday with celebrities and pretend monarchsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Festivities marking Mardi Gras, the climactic day of New Orleans’ Carnival season, hit full swing early Tuesday, with costumed revelers gathering on the narrow streets of the French Quarter and families and tourists lining major thoroughfares to watch parades. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club handed...
Ukraine needs nearly $9 billion to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry, UN agency says
PARIS — Ukraine will need nearly $9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry following Russia’s invasion and war, the United Nations’ cultural agency said Tuesday. UNESCO estimated that the country’s interlinked culture and tourism sector have lost over $19 billion in revenue during...
U.S. inflation slows but remains elevated in sign that price pressures are easing only gradually
WASHINGTON — Consumer inflation in the United States cooled last month yet remained elevated in the latest sign that the pandemic-fueled price surge is only gradually and fitfully coming under control. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 0.3% from December to January, up...
Quick-moving winter storm brings snow to Northeast, disrupting travel and schoolsVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — A quick-moving winter storm battered cities in the Northeast with snowfall, sending huge waves crashing into the New England coastline and forcing New York City schools into glitch-filled remote learning reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic. Airlines canceled or delayed flights while accidents were reported...
White House rules out cognitive test for Biden’s upcoming physical, saying he’s ‘sharp’
President Joe Biden’s annual doctor’s physical is coming up soon, but it won’t include a cognitive test for the 81-year-old democrat seeking a second term. As Fox News reports, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday the mental acuity exam isn’t necessary, as determined by Biden’s physician, Dr....
4 dead, 5 in critical condition after drive-by shooting at a Puerto Rico bar
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Four people were killed and five others were in critical condition after a drive-by shooting at a streetside bar in Puerto Rico, police said Tuesday. Authorities believe the shooting late Monday is tied to drug trafficking. While Puerto Rico has long served as a transit...
Trump’s threat to NATO allies draws little condemnation from GOP
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s claim that he once told a NATO ally that he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to “delinquent” members of the group sent shockwaves through Europe over the weekend. But in Washington, most Republicans downplayed or defended remarks that seemed to invite...
Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage release talks, officials say
CAIRO — Israel and Hamas are making progress toward a deal that aims to bring about a cease-fire and free hostages held in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the talks, as key meetings continue Tuesday between the sides in the Egyptian capital. Talks...
