U.S./World category, Page 414
Hunter Biden judge agrees to drop old gun count after indictment replaces scuttled plea deal
WASHINGTON — A gun count that had been part of a collapsed plea deal in the Hunter Biden case was dismissed Wednesday as a judge signed off on a prosecution request. The order from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika formally removes a gun possession charge that has now been replaced...
Abortion rights and marijuana questions expected to drive Ohioans to polls as early voting begins
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heavier-than-normal turnout is expected Wednesday as early voting begins in Ohio’s closely watched off-year election to decide the future of abortion access and marijuana legalization in the state. Of greatest interest nationally is Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment giving every person “the right to make and...
Dozens of flights canceled after fire rips through parking garage at London’s Luton Airport
LONDON — Thousands of travelers faced disruption as all flights were suspended Wednesday at London’s Luton airport after a fire tore through a newly built parking garage, destroying vehicles and partially collapsing the structure. Four firefighters and an airport employee were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation after the...
Apartment fire in northwestern Spain kills 4 people, including 3 children
VIGO, Spain — Three children and an adult died Wednesday and nine people were injured in a fire in an apartment building believed to be occupied by squatters in Spain’s northwestern city of Vigo, officials said. Spain’s state news agency EFE said the dead included a woman and three of...
ACT test scores for U.S. students drop to new 30-year low
High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test. Scores have been falling for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated...
As strikes devastate Gaza, Israel forms unity government to oversee war sparked by Hamas attackVideo
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined with a top political rival Wednesday to create a wartime Cabinet to oversee the fight to avenge the gruesome weekend attack by Hamas militants. In the sealed-off Gaza Strip, Palestinian suffering mounted as Israeli bombardment demolished neighborhoods and the only power plant...
Rep. George Santos faces new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards
NEW YORK — A new indictment filed Tuesday charged U.S. Rep. George Santos with stealing the identities of donors to his campaign and then using their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. Prosecutors said some of that stolen money ended up in his...
Lidia makes landfall as Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph wind near Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta resort
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Lidia made landfall as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm Tuesday evening with winds of 140 mph near Mexico’s Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Lidia’s eye appeared to have reached land near Las Penitas in the western state of...
Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip to punish HamasVideo
JERUSALEM — Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighborhood by neighborhood on Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants. Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to...
Canadian auto workers, GM reach tentative contract agreement, ending strike that began at midnight
TORONTO — General Motors and the union representing Canadian auto workers reached a tentative contract agreement Tuesday, ending a strike that began just after midnight. About 4,300 striking workers at two GM factories and a parts warehouse will return to work Tuesday afternoon and will vote on the three-year deal...
Atlanta police chief fires officer after traffic stop led to Black deacon’s death
ATLANTA — Atlanta’s police chief on Tuesday fired an officer who shocked a 62-year-old Black church deacon with a stun gun during a dispute over a traffic ticket, leading to the man’s death. Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Officer Kiran Kimbrough didn’t follow department procedures Aug. 10 when he didn’t...
Hamas got around Israel’s surveillance prowess by going dark
Facing one of the most sophisticated surveillance states on the planet, Hamas simply went dark. The militant group’s attack on Saturday caught Israel’s national security apparatus completely off guard — a shocking fact given the scope of the incursion, which included attacks by sea, air and land, and pushed deep...
Biden’s 2nd try at student loan cancellation moves forward with debate over the plan’s details
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s second attempt at student loan cancellation began moving forward Tuesday with a round of hearings to negotiate the details of a new plan. In a process known as negotiated rulemaking, 14 people chosen by the Biden administration are meeting for the first of three hearings...
Fraud trial: Trump acknowledged penthouse size at 11,000 square feet, not 30,000 he later claimed
NEW YORK — Donald Trump signed a document 30 years ago that gave the true size of his New York penthouse which was later listed as far larger on financial statements, according to evidence Tuesday at the former president’s civil business fraud trial. The evidence appeared in an email attachment...
Israeli survivors recount terror at music festival, where Hamas militants killed at least 260
JERUSALEM — The night was a getaway. Thousands of young men and women gathered at a vast field in southern Israel near the Gaza border to dance without a care. Old and new friends jumped up and down, reveling in the swirl of the bass-heavy beats. Maya Alper was standing...
Wall Street Journal reporter loses appeal in Russia and will stay in jail until the end of November
MOSCOW — A Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in Russia on espionage charges lost his appeal against his arrest Tuesday, meaning he will stay in jail until at least the end of November. Evan Gershkovich, wearing a blue shirt, T-shirt and jeans, appeared in a glass defendant’s cage...
Future of electric vehicles looms over negotiations in the U.S. autoworkers strike
WAYNE, Mich. — On the picket lines at a Ford factory west of Detroit, many striking workers don’t think the electric vehicle revolution is coming for their jobs — at least not in the near future. But just in case, they’re backing United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain’s quest to...
Car rams into Chinese consulate in San Francisco and police fatally shoot driver, officers say
SAN FRANCISCO — A car rammed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday, coming to a stop in the lobby and creating a chaotic scene that ended with police shooting the driver, who later died at the hospital, officials said. San Francisco police said they didn’t know why...
Powerball jackpot soars to $1.73 billion as lottery losing streak continues
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.73 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Monday and won the giant prize. The winning numbers announced were: 16, 34, 46, 55, 67 and the Powerball 14. There has been no winner for 35 consecutive drawings,...
Biden interviewed as part of special counsel investigation into handling of classified documents
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has been interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents, the White House said late Monday. It’s a possible sign that the investigation is nearing its end. Special counsel Robert Hur is examining the improper retention of classified documents by...
Native Americans celebrate their histories and cultures on Indigenous Peoples Day
Native people celebrated their history on Monday with events across the U.S. marking Indigenous Peoples Day, from a sunrise gathering in Minneapolis to a rally in Maine. The ceremonies, dances and speeches came two years after President Joe Biden officially commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day. At the time, he said the...
U.S. raises the death toll to 9 Americans killed in the weekend Hamas attacks on Israel
WASHINGTON — The State Department said Monday that at least nine American citizens have been killed in the weekend Hamas attacks on Israel, raising the toll from four. It said an undetermined number of American citizens remain missing and unaccounted for. On Sunday, an official said that number was fluid...
What to know as Israel declares war, bombards Gaza Strip after unprecedented Hamas attack
JERUSALEM — The Israeli government promised Monday to hunt down Hamas fighters and to punish the Gaza Strip following a surprise weekend attack killed more than 700 people in Israel, including at least 260 at a crowded music festival that became the scene of one of the country’s worst civilian...
Major airlines suspend flights to Israel after massive attack by Hamas ignites heavy fighting
NEW YORK — Major airlines have suspended flights to Israel after the nation declared war following a massive attack by Hamas. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines suspended service as the U.S. State Department issued travel advisories for the region citing potential for terrorism and civil unrest. American...
Workers at Mack Trucks go on strike after rejecting tentative contract deal
DETROIT — Union workers at Mack Trucks went on strike Monday after voting down a tentative five-year contract agreement that negotiators had reached with the company. The United Auto Workers said 4,000 unionized workers walked out at 7 a.m., adding to labor turmoil in the industry that has ensnared all...
