U.S./World category, Page 385
Matthew Perry died from effects of drug ketamine, coroner says
LOS ANGELES — Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old “Friends” actor released Friday. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of...
Dozens stranded in stuck elevators as lights flicker in brief NYC power outage
NEW YORK — Lights flickered, subway service was disrupted and firefighters rescued scores of people trapped in elevators after a small explosion at an electrical facility caused a momentary power outage in New York City. The brief outage just before midnight Thursday affected most of the city, officials said. “Essentially,...
Jury awards $148 million in damages to Georgia election workers over Rudy Giuliani’s 2020 vote lies
WASHINGTON — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment. The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss...
Court upholds $75,000 in fines against Alex Jones for missing Sandy Hook case deposition
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut appeals court on Friday upheld $75,000 in fines against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for missing a deposition in the lawsuit by Sandy Hook families, which led to a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones for repeatedly calling the 2012 Newtown school shooting a hoax. The state...
Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher in Virginia gets 2 years in prison for child neglect
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for felony child neglect, nearly a year after her son used her gun to critically wound the educator. Friday’s sentencing was the second time Deja Taylor was...
Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said. The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was...
U.S. homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses
WASHINGTON — The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness to its highest reported level as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday. About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness, the most since...
A Kentucky family gets an early gift: a baby owl in their Christmas treeVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — One Kentucky family got a little something extra when they picked out their Christmas tree this year: a baby owl. Lexington resident Michele White told WDKY-TV that it’s a tradition for the family to pick out a Christmas tree every year and this year seemed no different....
Prince Harry’s phone hacking victory is a landmark in the long saga of British tabloid misconduct
LONDON — Prince Harry’s victory against Mirror Group Newspapers on Friday over what a British judge called “habitual” illegal activity is a landmark moment in the long and twisting saga of lawbreaking by Britain’s tabloid press. Judge Timothy Fancourt ruled that Mirror newspapers had hired private investigators to snoop for...
Prince Harry claims vindication in court victory as judge finds British tabloid hacked his phoneVideo
LONDON — Prince Harry’s phone was hacked by journalists and private investigators working for the Daily Mirror who invaded his privacy by snooping on him unlawfully, a judge ruled Friday, delivering an historic victory for the estranged royal who broke from family tradition to take on the British press. Phone...
Plane crashes, catches fire on North Carolina highway; 2 escape serious injuries
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A small plane crashed on a western North Carolina highway and caught fire Thursday night, but the two people on board escaped life-threatening injuries, authorities said. A single-engine Diamond DA-40 crashed on Interstate 26 near Asheville Regional Airport around 8:15 p.m. with two people on board, the...
2 attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels strike container ships in vital Red Sea corridor
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said. The missile attack on the MSC Palatium III...
EU struggles to unify around a Gaza cease-fire call but work on peace moves continues
BRUSSELS — As the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount, a number of European Union leaders sought on Friday to use growing concern about Israel’s military offensive against Hamas to convince their partners to rally around a united call for a ceasefire. “The killing of innocent civilians really...
U.S., Israel discuss when to scale back Gaza combat, agree fight will take months, envoy says
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The U.S. and Israel have discussed a timetable for scaling back intense combat operations in the war against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months, an envoy said Friday, amid growing American unease about the mounting death toll in Gaza. U.S. national...
Man, daughter find remains of what could be a ship that ran aground during Peshtigo Fire in 1800s
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Wisconsin archaeologists are crediting a man and daughter with discovering the remains of what could be a ship that ran aground during the deadly Peshtigo Fire more than 150 years ago. Tim Wollak and his 6-year-old daughter, Henley, of Peshtigo, were fishing on Lake Michigan in...
Jurors deciding how much Rudy Giuliani must pay for lies in a Georgia election workers’ case
WASHINGTON — Jurors began deliberating Thursday to decide how much Rudy Giuliani must pay two former Georgia election workers for spreading lies about them that led to a barrage of racist threats and upended their lives. The jury left for the day without announcing a decision and were expected to...
Former Michigan GOP spokesperson testifies fake elector defendants were misled
A former communications director for the Michigan GOP testified Thursday that he believes an attorney for then-President Donald Trump’s campaign “took advantage” of some of the 15 Republicans who face forgery and another charges for allegedly serving as false electors. Anthony Zammit testified during the second day of a preliminary...
Students treated after eating gummies from bag with fentanyl residue, sheriff’s office says
AMHERST, Va. — A group of Virginia elementary school students sought medical attention this week after eating gummy bears from a bag that contained residue that tested positive for fentanyl, according to the county sheriff’s office. Seven students at Central Elementary School experienced a reaction after eating the gummy bears...
Against the odds, European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine
BRUSSELS — The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, a momentous moment and stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. European Council President Charles...
Ohio boy, 13, charged after allegedly planning mass shooting in a synagogue
CANTON, Ohio — A 13-year old boy from Canton, Ohio, has been charged with allegedly planning a mass shooting of a local Jewish synagogue. The teenager, who is unnamed in court documents because he is a minor, is charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He’s accused of...
Men charged with killing 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, to sell on black market
Two men killed about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, during a “killing spree” on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere, then sold eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials, a federal grand jury indictment says. The men worked with...
EPA begins formal review of vinyl chloride, toxic chemical that burned in Ohio train derailment
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has initiated a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train derailment earlier this year in eastern Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency said it will review risks posed...
Bull on tracks disrupts trains between Newark and New YorkVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — A loose bull in New Jersey’s largest city found its way onto train tracks, snarling rail traffic for a while Thursday before it was captured, authorities said. The ruddy brown bull with long, dark-tipped horns stood on the tracks at Newark Penn Station, prompting a police response...
Ex-FBI counterintelligence official gets over 4 years in prison for aiding Russian oligarch
NEW YORK — A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered Thursday to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions on Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt on a wealthy rival after he finished his government career. Charles McGonigal, 55, was sentenced to...
Retail sales rise 0.3% in November as Americans hit gas rather than brakes on spending
NEW YORK — Americans picked up their spending from October to November unexpectedly as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring the power of shoppers despite elevated prices. Retail sales rose 0.3%, in November from October, when sales were down a revised 0.2% according to the Commerce Department on Thursday....
