U.S./World category, Page 575

MARIETTA, Ga. — Santa may have fewer eyes in homes this Christmas season after a Georgia judge — jokingly — banned the Elf on the Shelf. Cobb County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard posted a mock order on Twitter Thursday banishing these elves. “Tired of living in Elf on...

ITHACA, N.Y. — Bomb threats at three Ivy League college campuses caused evacuations and prompted police responses on Sunday. The threats were received at Cornell, Columbia and Brown universities. In Ithaca, New York, Cornell police cordoned off the center of campus on Sunday after receiving a call that bombs were...

WASHINGTON — Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governor’s offices in key battleground states next year, buoyed by President Joe Biden’s sagging approval ratings, Democratic infighting in Congress and better-than-expected results in elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats were already steeled for tough races, but the upset loss in...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is pushing forward with a massive plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year. But first, he has to make sure workers in his own federal government get the shot. About 4 million federal workers are to be...

Tens of thousands of climate activists marched Saturday through the Scottish city hosting the U.N. climate summit, physically close to the global negotiators inside but separated by a vast gulf in expectations, with frustrated marchers increasingly dismissive of the talks and demanding immediate action instead to slow global warming. The...

A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4...

Archeologists in Pompeii excavating a villa amid the ruins of the 79 A.D. volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient city have discovered a cramped dormitory and storage room that offers “a very rare insight into the daily life of slaves,” officials said Saturday. Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said the...

A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy before being forced out, was christened and launched in San Diego Bay on Saturday. The replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk slid down the shipyard ways after a bottle of champagne was smashed...

The House has passed a $1 trillion bipartisan plan to rebuild roads and bridges, modernize public works systems and boost broadband internet, among other major improvements to the nation’s infrastructure. The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. Once it is signed by Biden, the new law...

An oil tanker truck exploded near Sierra Leone’s capital, killing at least 98 people and severely injuring dozens of others after large crowds gathered to collect leaking fuel, officials and witnesses said Saturday. The explosion took place late Friday when the tanker collided with another truck as it was pulling...

The crowd at a Houston music festival suddenly surged toward the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott, squeezing fans so tightly together that they could not breathe or move their arms, witnesses said Saturday, hours after at least eight people died in the chaos. The pandemonium unfolded Friday...

The House approved a $1 trillion package of road and other infrastructure projects after Democrats resolved a months-long standoff between progressives and moderates, notching a victory that President Joe Biden and his party had become increasingly anxious to claim. The House passed the measure 228-206 late Friday, prompting prolonged cheers...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After nearly a century on its lofty perch, the northern mockingbird may be singing its last melodies as the state bird of Florida. An effort is taking flight to replace the far-ranging musical mockingbird with a bird that is more identifiable as distinctly Floridian. “Part of...

BERLIN — A Russian diplomat has died in Berlin in what the Russian Embassy on Friday called a “tragic accident.” It said the incident involving the embassy employee occurred on Oct. 19, but gave no details of what happened. The Russian Embassy issued its statement after German news magazine Der...

I was 8 months into my career as a photographer at the Centre Daily Times on a chilly Friday night in November when I was sent to the district magistrate’s office on West College Avenue before a high school football game. My assignment: Get a photo of Second Mile founder...

WASHINGTON — A new lawsuit alleges U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley accepted $973,411 in illegal campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association during his 2018 Senate Campaign. The lawsuit, filed by the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of the gun control advocacy group headed by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, alleges...

HAMMOND, Ind. — A man was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of a 13-year-old boy who was killed when shots were fired at a group of trick-or-treaters on Halloween in northwestern Indiana. Desmond Crews, 23, of Gary is also charged with attempted murder in the shooting Sunday in...

NEW YORK — New York prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump’s business dealings have convened a new grand jury to hear evidence in the probe as the previous panel’s term was set to run out, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday. The development comes...

WASHINGTON — The Navy said Thursday it fired the two senior officers of a nuclear-powered attack submarine that was damaged in an underwater collision last month in the South China Sea. A sailor who served as a senior enlisted adviser to the commander and the executive officer was also removed...

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — Two teenagers are being charged as adults in the death of a Fairfield High School teacher, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office said. Investigators said Nohema Graber, a Spanish teacher, was reported missing on Tuesday and her remains were found later that day at the Chautauqua Park in...

WASHINGTON — A Russian analyst who contributed to a dossier of Democratic-funded research into ties between Russia and Donald Trump was arrested Thursday on charges of lying to the FBI about his sources of information, among them an associate of Hillary Clinton. The case against Igor Danchenko is part of...

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The selection of a nearly all-white jury to decide the fate of three men charged with murder for chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery has forced concerns about racial fairness to the forefront of the case before the trial even begins. The trial over the 25-year-old Black man’s...

GENEVA — Top officials at the World Health Organization said Thursday that Europe has seen a more than 50% jump in coronavirus cases in the last month, making it the epicenter of the pandemic despite an ample supply of vaccines. “There may be plenty of vaccine available, but uptake of...