U.S./World category, Page 366
Inflation has slowed. Now the Federal Reserve faces expectations for rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell will enter this week’s Federal Reserve meeting in a much more desirable position than he likely ever expected: Inflation is getting close to the Fed’s target rate, the economy is still growing at a healthy pace, consumers keep spending and the unemployment rate is near...
Kate, princess of Wales, is discharged from London hospital after abdominal surgery
LONDON — The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor after being hospitalized for abdominal surgery at a private London clinic, her office at Kensington Palace said Monday. The wife of Prince William underwent planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 16 for an undisclosed condition. The palace did not provide...
X pauses Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images spread
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has blocked searches for Taylor Swift as pornographic deepfake images of the singer have circulated online. Attempts to search for her name on the site resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, “Don’t fret —...
Apparent Israeli strike on area of Syrian capital where Iran-backed fighters operate kills 2
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian media and an opposition war monitor said an apparent Israeli airstrike on a Damascus suburb where Iran-backed fighters have a presence killed two people on Monday. An official from an Iranian-backed group said the strike also caused some material damage. There was no immediate comment from...
Central Park 5 exoneree and council member says police stopped him without giving a reason
New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated group of men known as the Central Park Five, says he was stopped and pulled over by police without being given an explanation. The police stop Friday in New York City casts a renewed light on a police...
Schools are using surveillance tech to catch students vaping, snaring some with harsh punishments
When Aaliyah Iglesias was caught vaping at a Texas high school, she didn’t realize how much could be taken from her. Suddenly, the rest of her high school experience was threatened: being student council president, her role as debate team captain and walking at graduation. Even her college scholarships were...
GOP negotiator defends border proposal amid Trump pressureVideo
A key Republican senator defended an emerging border security deal as a step toward potentially halting illegal immigration, defying persistent pressure by former President Donald Trump to abandon the plan. “I’m looking forward to President Trump getting the opportunity to be able to read it, like everybody else is,” Oklahoma...
Biden says U.S. ‘shall respond’ after drone strike by Iran-backed group kills 3 troops in Jordan
COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by...
Most Americans feel they pay too much in taxes, AP-NORC poll finds
NEW YORK — A majority of taxpayers feel they pay too much in taxes, with many saying that they receive a poor value in return, according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Two-thirds...
Who was St. Brigid and why is she inspiring many 1,500 years after her death?
Devotees of St. Brigid celebrated her Sunday with the return of a relic associated with the so-called matron saint of Ireland. The festivities came about a millennium after her remains were removed from the town of Kildare, where she founded a prestigious abbey and inspired a host of colorful, miracle-filled...
UN chief calls for resumed funding of Palestinian aid agency after allegations of militant ties
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The secretary-general of the United Nations on Sunday called on countries to resume funding the main agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip after a dozen of its employees were accused of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war four months...
Revelers in festive dress fill downtown Tampa, Fla., for annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest
TAMPA, Fla. — Revelers clad in pirate finery packed Tampa’s waterfront Saturday as a flotilla of boats arrived for the city’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest. Led by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the invading pirates docked to make a final demand for the key to the city. Once ashore, the...
Bald eagle found dead after neighbor reports gunshot, Missouri officials say
A bald eagle was found dead in Missouri, officials said. Now, the state’s Department of Conservation is searching for its killer. The bald eagle had a gunshot wound from a rifle when it was discovered south of Salem, Mo., on Jan. 18, officials said. Missouri Department of Conservation officials said...
Donald Trump is on the hook for $88.3 million in defamation damages. What happens next?
NEW YORK — For years, Donald Trump hurled insults at E. Jean Carroll, saying the advice columnist fabricated a sexual assault allegation against him to sell a book. Will Trump keep that up now that he’s been hit with a $83.3 million defamation judgment? A jury on Friday awarded her...
China’s top diplomat at meeting with U.S. official urges Washington not to support Taiwan independence
BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan that Washington should stand by a commitment not to support independence for Taiwan, during their high-level talks in the Thai capital, the Chinese foreign ministry said Saturday. Wang said that Taiwan’s recent election didn’t change the...
U.S. condemns ban on Venezuelan opposition leader’s candidacy and puts sanctions relief under review
CARACAS, Venezuela — The U.S. government on Saturday condemned the decision of Venezuela’s highest court to block the presidential candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado. The Biden administration, however, remained noncommittal about reimposing economic sanctions on Venezuela, which it has threatened to do if the government of President Nicolás...
Greta Thunberg joins hundreds marching in England to protest airport’s expansion for private planes
LONDON — Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined a march in southern England on Saturday to protest the use of private jets and the expansion of an airport. Hundreds of local residents and activists holding banners and placards that read “Ban Private Jets” marched to Farnborough Airport, which mostly serves private...
Alaska Airlines has begun flying Boeing Max 9 jetliners again for the first time Friday
Alaska Airlines has begun flying Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners again for the first time since they were grounded after a panel blew out of the side of one of the airline’s planes. The airline said in a statement that it has completed its final inspection of their group of...
Avian flu is devastating farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’ as outbreaks roil poultry industry
PETALUMA, Calif. — Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens — 550,000 birds — to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in...
Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after ex-employee files sex abuse suit
STAMFORD, Conn. — Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigned Friday from WWE’s parent company t he day after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex. McMahon stepped down from his position as...
Exotic animals including South American ostrich and giant African snail seized from suburban NY home
NORTH BELLMORE, N.Y. — Authorities seized about a hundred animals from a Long Island home packed with exotic species — including a giant African snail, a sulcata tortoise and a South American ostrich, advocates said Friday. The animals, some of which are endangered species, were discovered by state and local...
Will other states replicate Alabama’s nitrogen execution?
ATMORE, Ala. — Alabama’s first-ever use of nitrogen gas for execution could gain traction among other states and change how the death penalty is carried out in the United States, much like lethal injection did more than 40 years ago, according to experts on capital punishment. Alabama Attorney General Steve...
Woman committed to mental institution in Slender Man attack again requests release
WAUKESHA, Wis. — One of two Wisconsin women accused of stabbing a classmate nearly to death almost a decade ago to please internet horror character Slender Man is again asking a judge to release her from a mental institution. Morgan Geyser, 21, petitioned Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren on...
NRA chief Wayne LaPierre takes the stand in his civil trial, defends luxury vacations
NEW YORK — Longtime National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre took the stand in his New York civil trial Friday, defending himself against allegations that he violated the trust of the group’s 5 million members by spending tens of millions of dollars to enrich himself and close associates. Under questioning...
Justice Department finds Cuomo sexually harassed employees, settles with New York state
ALBANY, N.Y. — The U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement with the state of New York on Friday to resolve a sexual harassment investigation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, confirming allegations from the damaging misconduct probe that led to the Democrat’s resignation. The agreement details a series of reforms made...
