U.S./World category, Page 390
Ohio Republicans propose nixing home grow, increasing taxes in sweeping changes to legal marijuana
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance’s tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month. The changes emerged suddenly in committee just days before the new...
Russia’s Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow’s Mideast clout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a lightning tour intended to raise Moscow’s profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war in Ukraine grinds on. Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of...
FDA is inspecting plant in Ecuador that made lead-tainted fruit pouches
U.S. health officials have launched an inspection of a plant in Ecuador that made the cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to dozens of cases of acute lead poisoning in U.S. children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that contaminated cinnamon is the likely source of the lead. An FDA...
Pitt grad identified as fatal shark attack victim in Bahamas
A University of Pittsburgh alumna was attacked and killed by a shark while vacationing with her husband in the Bahamas. Lauren Erickson Van Wart, a 44-year-old Boston resident, was paddleboarding with her husband on Monday when she was bitten by a shark, according to Royal Bahamas Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson....
A pregnant Texas woman is asking a court to let her have an abortion under exceptions to state’s ban
AUSTIN, Texas — A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday to let her have an abortion, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Texas is one of...
CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks warn that new regulations could harm the economy
NEW YORK — The heads of Wall Street’s biggest banks used an appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to plead with senators to stop the Biden administration’s proposed changes to how banks are regulated, warning that the new proposals could negatively impact the economy at a time of geopolitical turmoil...
Taylor Swift is named Time’s person of the year
NEW YORK — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet. Time magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie,...
Heavy fighting in Gaza halts most aid delivery and leaves civilians with few places to seek safety
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza on Wednesday in intense fighting that has prevented the distribution of vital aid in much of the territory and brought some of the devastation and mass displacement seen in the north to the south. As the focus of...
Sheriff: Gunman’s parents among 6 dead in Texas attacks; he was earlier arrested for family assault
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas man suspected of killing his parents in San Antonio and four others in Austin in a violent trail of separate attacks had cut off his ankle monitor from a previous misdemeanor domestic violence arrest, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect, Shane James, 34, also had been...
Atmospheric river soaks Pacific Northwest with record-breaking rain, unusually warm temperaturesVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — An atmospheric river has brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, closing rail links, schools and roads as it shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in Washington state. Amtrak said Tuesday that no passenger trains will be running between Seattle and Portland,...
Trump’s defense at civil fraud trial zooms in on Mar-a-Lago, with broker calling it ‘breathtaking’
Former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial turned Tuesday to one of the topics that has vexed him most — the value of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. Testifying for Trump’s defense, a Florida real estate attorney said the property could be sold as a home, notwithstanding...
Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats’ for 2024 from election equipment software breachesVideo
ATLANTA — An effort to access voting system software in several states and provide it to allies of former President Donald Trump as they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election has raised “serious threats” ahead of next year’s presidential contest, according to a group of experts who...
Man believed to have fired shots at officers before a Virginia house exploded is dead, police sayVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — The suspect who fired at officers from a duplex in an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood before the home exploded on Monday night is presumed dead, according to authorities. Fifty-six-year-old James Yoo was identified by Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn at a press conference Tuesday as the the...
Vice President Harris breaks nearly 200-year-old record for Senate tiebreaker votes, casts her 32nd
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for casting the most tiebreaking votes in the Senate when she voted Tuesday to confirm a new federal judge in Washington, D.C. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called Harris’ 32nd tiebreaking vote a “great milestone.”...
Texas high school sends Black student back to in-school suspension over his locs hairstyle
A Texas high school sent a Black student back to in-school suspension Tuesday for refusing to change his hairstyle, renewing a monthslong standoff over a dress code policy the teen’s family calls discriminatory. The student, Darryl George, was suspended for 13 days because his hair is out of compliance when...
Iowa man still missing, 2 weeks after semi holding baby pigs was found on highway
DES MOINES, Iowa — David Schultz’s semi-truck was found two weeks ago on a rural highway in northwest Iowa, its trailer still filled with baby pigs he was transporting. Schultz’s wallet and phone were inside, and his jacket was on the side of the road. But Schultz was nowhere to...
Senate approves hundreds of military promotions after Sen. Tuberville ends blockade of nominees
WASHINGTON — The Senate in a single stroke Tuesday approved about 425 military promotions after Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama ended a monthslong blockade of nominations over his opposition to a Pentagon abortion policy. Tuberville had been under pressure from members of both sides of the political aisle to end...
In a rare action against Israel, U.S. says extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from America
WASHINGTON — In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department said Tuesday it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the step after warning Israel last week...
U.S. imposes new round of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a Belgian involved in procuring electronics for the Russian military, his companies and a group of Belarusian firms and people tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted a network led by Belgium-based Hans De Geetere,...
Tom Hanks draws on his love of space for immersive documentary ‘The Moonwalkers’Video
LONDON — You won’t see Tom Hanks on one of those space tourism flights that whisk celebrities and millionaires on a suborbital jaunt for a few hours. He says it wouldn’t be enough time out of this world. “I don’t need to go up and down,” Hanks said Tuesday. “I...
Over 50% of people feel competitive with their neighbors over holiday decorations: survey
You can see it all across America: One person puts up their Christmas decorations, then another person, then another, each with increasingly more lights and wreaths. If this is something you, reader, have seen, you’re not alone in your observation: A new survey on 2023 holiday decorating trends has found...
Brutal killings of women in Western Balkan countries trigger alarm and expose faults in the system
BELGRADE, Serbia — A man in Bosnia killed his wife and streamed the murder live on Instagram. In neighboring Serbia, 27 women were killed in gender-based attacks this year, despite efforts to raise awareness and reverse the trend. Activists in Kosovo say violence against women there is a “national emergency.”...
Prince Harry challenges the decision to strip him of security in Britain after he moved to the U.S.
LONDON — A lawyer for Prince Harry on Tuesday challenged the U.K. government’s decision to strip him of his security detail after he gave up his status as a working member of the royal family and moved to the United States. The Duke of Sussex has claimed that his safety...
Can JetBlue buy Spirit? Trial on deal that could further consolidate industry comes to a head
BOSTON — Lawyers for the Justice Department and JetBlue Airways are scheduled to make closing arguments Tuesday in a trial determining whether JetBlue can buy Spirit Airlines, the nation’s biggest low-fare carrier. The Justice Department argues that the proposed $3.8 billion merger would hurt consumers by eliminating Spirit and its...
Lebanon’s Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valley
BCHARRE, Lebanon — Majestic cedar trees towered over dozens of Lebanese Christians gathered outside a small mid-19th century chapel hidden in a mountain forest to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, the miracle where Jesus Christ, on a mountaintop, shined with light before his disciples. The sunset’s yellow light coming...
