U.S./World category, Page 780
Prosecutor: Bank CEO sought ‘power’ with $16M Paul Manafort loans
NEW YORK — A Chicago bank owner traded $16 million in loans to ex-President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager in a bid for a prestigious position in Trump’s administration, a prosecutor told jurors in an opening statement Wednesday before a defense attorney assured them that the banker committed no crimes. “This...
Probation for ex-VA hospital doc who admitted fondling women in West Virginia
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A former physician at a West Virginia’s veterans hospital was sentenced to probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to touching two female staffer’s breasts without permission. The sentencing of Dr. Kenneth C. Ramdat, 65, of Silver Spring, Md., comes a month after a former nursing assistant at the...
Pentagon leaders reject accusations that U.S. military is ‘woke’Video
WASHINGTON — The top uniformed officer hit back at allegations that the U.S. military is being indoctrinated with so-called critical race theory and seminars about white anger after two Florida Republicans argued that anti-extremism and anti-racist teachings could be detrimental to the troops. “I personally find it offensive that we...
Border Patrol chief, who supported wall, is leaving job
CALEXICO, Calif. — The chief of the Border Patrol said Wednesday he was leaving his job after less than two years in a position that lies in the crosshairs of polarizing political debate. Rodney Scott wrote to agents that he will be reassigned. “I will continue working hard to support...
Antivirus pioneer John McAfee found dead in Spanish prison
MADRID — John McAfee, the creator of McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in his jail cell near Barcelona in an apparent suicide Wednesday, hours after a Spanish court approved his extradition to the United States to face tax charges punishable by decades in prison, authorities said. The eccentric cryptocurrency...
Jim Bakker, his church settle lawsuit over covid-19 claims
O’FALLON, Mo. — Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accuses the TV pastor of falsely claiming a health supplement could cure the coronavirus. Missouri court records show that a settlement agreement was filed Tuesday. It calls for refunds to...
Jury selection begins in Capital Gazette newspaper shooting case
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland judge carefully focused on asking potential jurors Wednesday whether they believed they could be fair and impartial in weighing the plea of guilty but not criminally responsible by a man who killed five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper nearly three years ago. Judge Michael...
No jail time in 1st Capitol riot sentence; Oath Keeper pleads guilty
An Indiana woman on Wednesday became the first defendant to be sentenced in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and avoided time behind bars, while a member of the Oath Keepers extremist group pleaded guilty in a conspiracy case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a major...
Big U.S. banks to employees: Return to the office vaccinated
New York-based Morgan Stanley said this week that all employees will be required to attest to their vaccination status. Those who are not vaccinated will be required to work remotely, which could potentially put their jobs at risk, since the bank’s top executives have said they want everyone back in...
Kamala Harris to visit U.S.-Mexico border area regarding migrationVideo
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris will make her first visit on Friday to the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office, following criticism from members of both parties for failing to go earlier despite her role leading the Biden administration’s response to a steep increase in migration. Harris will visit the...
Injuries, arrests mar 5-day ‘Redneck Rave’ at Kentucky park
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. — Dozens of people face criminal charges or suffered injuries during a five-day party in south central Kentucky billed as a “Redneck Rave.” Blue Holler Offroad Park in Edmonson County hosted the event last week that organizers said would feature “mud, music and mayhem,” the Lexington Herald-Leader...
Can ET see us? Study finds many stars with prime Earth view
Feeling like you are being watched? It could be from a lot farther away than you think. Astronomers took a technique used to look for life on other planets and flipped it around — so instead of looking to see what’s out there, they tried to see what places could...
‘Super-hero’ in Spider-Man outfit meets pope at Vatican
VATICAN CITY — While Pope Francis is usually the star at Vatican gatherings, Spider-Man, or at least an Italian who dresses up like the character, was the attention-grabber among the public lined up in rows during the pontiff’s weekly Wednesday audience. Matteo Villardita, 28, dons the comic-book and movie super-hero...
Supreme Court limits when police can enter home without warrant
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday put limits on when police officers pursuing a fleeing suspect can enter a home without a warrant. The high court ruled that when officers are pursuing someone suspected of a misdemeanor, a less serious crime, they cannot always enter a home without a...
Russia says warning shots deter U.K. warship; London denies it
MOSCOW — The Russian military said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs Wednesday to force a British destroyer away from an area in the Black Sea near Crimea that Moscow claims as its territorial waters, but Britain denied that account and insisted its ship...
Warren Buffett resigns from Gates Foundation
NEW YORK — Warren Buffett resigned Wednesday as trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which says it will announce plans in July to answer questions raised about its leadership structure as it deals with the divorce of its two founders. The announcement from Buffett comes weeks after Bill...
U.S. gives more asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico another shot
SAN DIEGO — Thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were dismissed or denied under a Trump administration policy that forced them to wait in Mexico for their court hearings will be allowed to return for another chance at humanitarian protection, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday. Registration begins Wednesday for asylum-seekers...
St. Louis shooting kills 3 people, leaves 4 others wounded
ST. LOUIS — A shooting in St. Louis left three people dead and four others wounded, authorities said. Police were called about 7:30 p.m. Monday to the city’s Greater Ville neighborhood in north St. Louis. Two men were found dead outside a convenience store, police Chief John Hayden said. A...
Nearly 900 Secret Service employees were infected with covidVideo
WASHINGTON — Roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to government records obtained by a government watchdog group. Secret Service records show that 881 people on the agency payroll were diagnosed with covid-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021, according to documents obtained...
Virginia hopes to remove time capsule along with Lee statue
RICHMOND, Va. — If a court clears the way, the state of Virginia expects to remove not just a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue but also a little-known piece of history tucked inside the massive sculpture’s base: a 134-year-old time capsule. Historical...
Background checks blocked a record high 300,000 gun sales
SALT LAKE CITY — The number of people stopped from buying guns through the U.S. background check system hit an all-time high of more than 300,000 last year amid a surge of firearm sales, according to new records obtained by the group Everytown for Gun Safety. The FBI numbers provided...
How Big Tech created a data ‘treasure trove’ for police
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When U.S. law enforcement officials need to cast a wide net for information, they’re increasingly turning to the vast digital ponds of personal data created by Big Tech companies via the devices and online services that have hooked billions of people around the world. Data compiled by...
Weather Service: Suburban Chicago tornado had 140 mph winds
CHICAGO — A tornado that swept through Chicago’s western suburbs, damaging more than 100 homes and injuring several people, was packing 140 mph winds when it hit the heavily populated area, the National Weather Service said. A weather service team that surveyed the aftermath of Sunday night’s tornado found that,...
As passengers return to air travel, bad behavior skyrockets
Air travel can be difficult in the best of times, with cramped planes, screaming babies, flight delays and short tempers. Throw in a pandemic, and the anxiety level can rise quickly. That has led to confrontations with flight attendants and other unruly behavior, including occasional fights that get captured and...
Taliban besiege key Afghan city with U.S. set to exit
Civilians in Afghanistan have taken up arms to push back against the Taliban as the militants fight for control of a crucial northern city and make deeper territorial inroads with the U.S. set to withdraw all troops by September. The insurgents are battling to take control of strategic cities in...
