U.S./World category, Page 512
Biden declares ‘Kyiv stands’ in surprise visit to Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war” days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. “One year...
Pete Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern to support Ohio community
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment led to the release of chemicals and residents expressing...
North Korea fires short-range missiles after making threats
In its second weapons test in three days, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Monday, rekindling regional animosities over U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The weapons firings follow an intercontinental ballistic missile launch Saturday and North Korea’s threats to...
Memphis police say 1 dead, 10 injured in overnight shooting
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One person was killed and 10 were injured early Sunday after a shooting in Tennessee, according to a news release from the Memphis Police Department posted on Twitter. Police released photos of three men they said are persons of interest shortly before noon on Sunday. One of...
Detectives treating Los Angeles bishop’s death as homicide
LOS ANGELES — A Roman Catholic bishop in Southern California was shot and killed Saturday just blocks from a church, a slaying of a longtime priest hailed as a “peacemaker” that’s stunned the Los Angeles religious community, authorities said. Detectives are investigating the death of Bishop David O’Connell as a...
3 teenage girls and gunman dead in Texas shooting
GALENA PARK, Texas — Authorities say three teenage girls, including one who was pregnant, were fatally shot by man who also sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl who later escaped then fatally shot himself. No names have been released. The killings occurred at the home of the gunman’s girlfriend in the...
Michigan State struggles with uncertain return to classes
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz is still haunted by what he witnessed last Monday night, when a gunman entered his classroom in Berkey Hall, killing two of his students in what he describes as “12 minutes of terror.” “Those images haunt me. The images of those...
Biden’s test: Sustaining unity as Ukraine war enters Year 2
WASHINGTON — One year ago, President Joe Biden was bracing for the worst as Russia massed troops in preparation to invade Ukraine. As many in the West and even in Ukraine doubted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions, the White House was adamant: War was coming and Kyiv was woefully outgunned....
Health care vaccine mandate remains as some push for an end
LOWRY CITY, Mo. — At Truman Lake Manor in rural Missouri, every day begins the same way for every employee entering the nursing home’s doors — with a swab up the nose, a swirl of testing solution and a brief wait to see whether a thin red line appears indicating...
Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. president, enters hospice care at home
ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter, who at 98 years old is the longest-lived American president, has entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, a statement from The Carter Center confirmed Saturday. After a series of short hospital stays, the statement said, Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at...
U.S.: Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine
MUNICH — The United States has determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday, insisting that “justice must be served” to the perpetrators. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris said the international community has both a moral and a strategic interest...
China’s top diplomat renews criticism of U.S. balloon downing
MUNICH — China’s top diplomat on Saturday renewed Beijing’s criticism of the United States for shooting down what Washington says was a Chinese spy balloon, arguing at a conference in Germany that the move doesn’t point to U.S. strength. Beijing insists the white orb shot down off the Carolina coast...
Turmoil in courts on gun laws in wake of justices’ ruling
WASHINGTON — A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment is upending gun laws across the country, dividing judges and sowing confusion over what firearm restrictions can remain on the books. The high court’s ruling that set new standards for evaluating gun laws left open many questions, experts...
North Korea fires missile as U.S., S. Korea prepare for drills
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbors, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises. According to the South Korean and...
FBI records deepen mystery of dig for Civil War-era gold
CLEARFIELD, Pa. — The court-ordered release of a trove of government photos, videos, maps and other documents involving the FBI’s secretive search for Civil War-era gold has a treasure hunter more convinced than ever of a coverup — and just as determined to prove it. Dennis Parada waged a legal...
Why balloons are now in the public eye — and military crosshairs
WASHINGTON — Wafting across the United States and into the attention of an alarmed national and global public, a giant Chinese balloon has changed Americans’ awareness of all the stuff floating in the air and how defense officials watch for it and respond. President Joe Biden said Thursday that the...
NYC police cruiser kills pedestrian in multivehicle accident
NEW YORK — A New York City police cruiser struck and killed a 52-year-old woman in a multivehicle accident while responding to an emergency call, police said. The crash happened at about 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Far Rockaway section of Queens. Officials said the police SUV had its emergency...
1st class of Ukraine fighters finishes advanced U.S. training
ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT — The first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has finished a five-week advanced U.S. training course in Germany on sophisticated combat skills and armored vehicles that will be critical in the coming spring offensive against the Russians, the Pentagon said Friday. Pentagon press secretary Brig....
2 train derailments have similar risks, different outcomes
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Police Chief Jason Wright feared the worst as he rushed to the scene of a freight train derailment in Michigan’s Van Buren Township, mindful of a fiery rail crash this month in Ohio that led to evacuations and a toxic chemical release. Instead, the situation a...
Sheriff: Gunman kills 6, including ex-wife, in Mississippi
ARKABUTLA, Miss. — A lone gunman killed six people including his ex-wife and stepfather Friday at multiple locations in a tiny rural community in northern Mississippi, the sheriff said, leaving investigators searching for clues to what motivated the shocking rampage. Armed with a shotgun and two handguns, 52-year-old Richard Dale...
Murdaugh prosecutors reveal flurry of steps after killings
Alex Murdaugh’s cellphone showed a sudden flurry of activity just before he drove away in his SUV some 16 minutes after investigators think his wife and son were killed, a state agent testified Friday at the disgraced South Carolina lawyer’s double murder trial. GPS data from Murdaugh’s SUV and cellphone...
Military finishes recovering Chinese balloon debris
WASHINGTON— The U.S. has finished efforts to recover the remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, and analysis of the debris so far reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy balloon, U.S. officials said Friday. Officials said the U.S. believes that...
Dog vs. shark standoff thrills tourists on Bahamas boat tour
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The sight of a massive hammerhead shark was a rare treat for 32 travelers on a tour boat in the Bahamas this week. But then, something stranger still: A dog dove from a nearby dock to confront the monstrous sea creature. Tourists aboard the four-hour...
5 Memphis officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges in the violent arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, with his mother saying afterward that none of them would look her in the eye in court. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills...
U.S. says IS commander killed, troops wounded in NE Syria raid
BEIRUT — The U.S. military said Friday a helicopter raid led by its forces in northeast Syria left a senior leader with the Islamic State group dead and four American service members wounded. The military added in the short statement that the operation was conducted Thursday night in partnership with...
