U.S./World category, Page 857
Keystone XL pipeline halted as Biden revokes permit
TORONTO — Construction on the long disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline halted Wednesday as incoming U.S. President Joe Biden revoked its permit on his first day in office. The 1,700-mile pipeline was planned to carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing...
China hopes for cooperation, better relations under Biden
BEIJING — China on Thursday expressed hope the Biden administration will improve prospects for people of both countries and give a boost to relations after an especially rocky patch, while getting in a few final digs at former Trump officials. “I think after this very difficult and extraordinary time, both...
Twin suicide bombings rock central Baghdad, at least 28 dead
BAGHDAD — Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 73 others, officials said. The rare suicide bombing attack hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a...
Powerball jackpot winner worth $731.1M sold in Maryland
DES MOINES, Iowa — A single Powerball ticket sold in Maryland is the winner of an estimated $731.1 million jackpot, the first to get the top prize in months. Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another shot at a giant jackpot Wednesday night that earlier had been...
Military helicopter crash kills 3 in training exercise in New York
MENDON, N.Y. — Three National Guard members on a training flight were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in a farmer’s field in western New York. The craft, a UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter, crashed around 6:30 p.m. in Mendon, N.Y., a rural town south of Rochester, officials said....
Inauguration sows doubt among QAnon conspiracy theorists
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — For years, legions of QAnon conspiracy theory adherents encouraged one another to “trust the plan” as they waited for the day when President Donald Trump would orchestrate mass arrests, military tribunals and executions of his Satan-worshipping, child-sacrificing enemies. Keeping the faith wasn’t easy when Inauguration Day...
Protesters gather, damage Democratic headquarters in OregonVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — A group of protesters carrying anti-President Joe Biden and anti-police signs were marching Wednesday in Portland, Ore., streets and damaged the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Oregon, police said. Some in the group of about 150 people smashed windows and spray-painted anarchist symbols at the political...
Proud Boys organizer arrested in Florida for riot at U.S. Capitol
ORLANDO — Two Florida men, including a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested Wednesday for taking part in the siege of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, authorities said. Joseph Biggs, 37, was arrested in central Florida and faces charges of obstructing an official...
Connecticut man charged with pinning officer during U.S. Capitol attackVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut man seen in a widely viewed video pinning an officer into a doorway during the attack on the U.S. Capitol has been charged with assaulting police officers, federal authorities said Wednesday. Patrick McCaughey III, 23, of Ridgefield, was arrested Tuesday in South Salem, N.Y., on...
Next up: $730M Powerball prize after no Mega Millions winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players will have another shot at a giant jackpot tonight as a $730 million Powerball prize is on the line. The Powerball jackpot is the fifth-largest ever, and it will come only a day after nobody won the even-larger...
China hits Trump officials with travel bans, business restrictions on their way out
WASHINGTON — China imposed sanctions on nearly 30 former Trump administration officials moments after they left office on Wednesday. In a statement released just minutes after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, Beijing slapped travel bans and business restrictions on Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, national security adviser Robert O’Brien...
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman: ‘Even as we grieved, we grew’Video
The country has a new president and may well have a new literary star. In one of the inauguration’s most talked about moments, poet Amanda Gorman summoned images dire and triumphant Wednesday as she called out to the world “even as we grieved, we grew.” The 22-year-old Gorman referenced everything...
Indian village cheers for Kamala Harris during swearing-in as U.S. vice president
THULASENDRAPURAM, India — Residents of a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to a Hindu temple, setting off firecrackers and praying and as they watched Kamala Harris, who has strong roots to the village, take her oath of office and become the U.S. vice president on Wednesday. Groups...
Photos: The inauguration of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
“The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” Biden said. “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day in history...
Football great Brian Urlacher’s brother pardoned by Trump
CHICAGO — The brother of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who faced federal charges that he recruited for a multi-million dollar illegal offshore gambling ring, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump. Casey Urlacher, the mayor of the tiny Chicago suburb of Mettawa, was among those pardoned...
Germany to ban practice of killing newly hatched male chicks
BERLIN — The German government plans to ban the practice of killing male chicks after they hatch, which results in the death of around 45 million birds per year in the country. The Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that will prohibit the practice from Jan. 1 next year. Government spokeswoman...
EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top officials breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday that Joe Biden will be taking over as president of the United States, but they warned that the world has changed after four years of Donald Trump and that trans-Atlantic ties will be different in the...
Biden takes the helm as president: ‘Democracy has prevailed’
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed” and summoning American resilience and unity to confront the deeply divided nation’s historic confluence of crises. Biden took the oath at a U.S. Capitol that had been battered...
Trump frees former aides from ethics pledge, lobbying ban
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, in one of his final acts of office, released current and former members of his administration from the terms of their ethics pledge, which included a five-year ban on lobbying their former agencies. The ethics pledge was outlined in one of Trump’s first executive orders,...
Retired NYC firefighter surrenders in U.S. Capitol riot sweep
NEW YORK — A retired New York City firefighter and a state court employee were swept up Tuesday in the federal investigation of the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Former firefighter Thomas Fee surrendered to face charges in Washington of disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building without permission during...
Self-described ‘Oath Keepers’ militia members jailed on riot charges
CINCINNATI — Federal authorities said Tuesday that they’ve charged a leader in a paramilitary group with conspiracy and related counts after he and some of the group’s members helped storm the U.S. Capitol. Thomas Edward Caldwell, 65, of Virginia, was the first person to be charged with conspiracy as a...
2 National Guard members made extremist statements about inaugurationVideo
WASHINGTON — Twelve U.S. National Guard members have been removed from securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration after vetting by the FBI, including two who made extremist statements in posts or texts about the Wednesday event, Pentagon officials said. There were no specific threats to Biden. Two U.S. officials told The...
Monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction
SAN FRANCISCO — The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted precipitously to a record low, putting the orange-and-black insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday. An annual winter count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies, a massive decline from the tens...
U.S. soldier arrested in plot to blow up NYC 9/11 Memorial
A U.S. Army soldier was arrested Tuesday in Georgia on terrorism charges after he spoke online about plots to blow up New York City’s 9/11 Memorial and other landmarks and attack U.S. soldiers in the Middle East, authorities said Tuesday. Cole James Bridges of Stow, Ohio, was in custody on...
Trump in final parting shot hits Venezuela with sanctions
CARACAS, Venezuela — The Trump administration issued a parting shot to Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday, announcing a sweeping round of stiff financial sanctions that target a network accused of moving oil on behalf of the president’s alleged frontman. The U.S. Treasury Department hit three individuals, 14 business entities...
