U.S./World category, Page 861
Toyota fined for failing to report, fix emissions defects
DETROIT — Toyota will pay $180 million to settle U.S. government allegations that it failed to report pollution control system defects in its vehicles for a decade. The company also agreed in court to investigate emissions-related defects quickly and report them to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a timely...
Trump impeachment trial could begin on Inauguration Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could begin on Inauguration Day, just as Democrat Joe Biden takes the oath of office in an extraordinary end to the defeated president’s tenure in the White House. The trial timeline and schedule are largely set by Senate procedures and will start as...
Flint water probe brings charges against ex-Gov. Rick Snyder, others
FLINT, Mich. — A new investigation of the Flint water disaster led to charges against nine people, including former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and key members of his administration, who are accused of various crimes in a calamitous plan that contaminated the community with lead and contributed to a fatal...
U.S. unemployment claims jump to 965,000 as virus takes toll
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the...
Lady Gaga to sing anthem at Biden’s inauguration
Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee announced today that Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will appear during his Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem while Lopez will provide a musical performance. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States...
Vatican: Pope Francis receives coronavirus vaccine
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has confirmed Pope Francis received the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday. No photos of the 84-yer-old pontiff receiving the shot have been released. The pope has advocated that everyone should get the vaccine, calling it an “ethical option” performed not only for...
34 House Democrats call for investigation into Jan. 5 tours by fellow members ahead of Capitol attackVideo
WASHINGTON — Rep. Mikie Sherrill and 33 other House members want an investigation into access given by fellow House lawmakers to visitors to the Capitol on Jan. 5 before the violent attacks on Congress the next day. The New Jersey Democrat alleged Tuesday night that members of Congress led guests...
Lawmaker wants Dolly Parton statue at Tennessee Capitol
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A statue of country music icon Dolly Parton could be added to the Capitol grounds in Nashville, Tenn., if one state lawmaker gets his way. Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle introduced a bill Tuesday that aims to honor Parton “for all that she has contributed to this...
UN watchdog confirms another Iranian breach of nuclear deal
BERLIN — The United Nations’ atomic watchdog agency confirmed Thursday that Iran has informed it that the country has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal, which would be another violation of the landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Iran maintains its plans to conduct research and development...
Fire destroys hundreds of homes in Rohingya refugee camp
DHAKA, Bangladesh — A fire raced through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes, officials said. No casualties were reported. The UNHCR said more than 550 homes sheltering about 3,500 people as well as 150 shops were either totally or partially destroyed in...
West Texas flower shop owner Jenny Cudd charged in Capitol riotVideo
DALLAS — A West Texas flower shop owner who posted a video on Facebook bragging about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office being broken into during the U.S. Capitol riot last week was arrested Wednesday, federal officials said. The FBI arrested Jenny Cudd and another Midland resident, Eliel Rosa, in connection...
Ex.-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder charged in Flint water crisisVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a...
Soldiers flow into Capitol in a scene reminiscent of the Civil WarVideo
WASHINGTON — Soldiers took up positions in the U.S. Capitol in a scene reminiscent of Civil War deployments as Washington braced for the inauguration of a new president and a vote to impeach the current one. With more than 20,000 National Guard units summoned, the Capitol and its park-like campus...
Mix of extremists who stormed Capitol isn’t retreatingVideo
BOISE, Idaho — As rioters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol, the seat of American democracy became a melting pot of extremist groups: militia members, white supremacists, paramilitary organizations, anti-maskers and fanatical supporters of President Donald Trump, standing shoulder to shoulder in rage. Experts say it was the culmination of...
Authorities: Man in ‘Camp Auschwitz’ shirt at Capitol riot arrested
NORFOLK, Va. — A man photographed wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt during the U.S. Capitol riot last week was arrested Wednesday in Virginia, authorities said. Robert Keith Packer, 56, was arrested in Newport News, where he lives. He was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and...
FBI, Justice Department leaders stay out of sight after riotVideo
WASHINGTON — A law enforcement press conference this week on the U.S. Capitol riot was notable not only for news that sedition charges were being contemplated but also because of who was not there: the highest-ranking leaders of the FBI and the Justice Department. Since loyalists of President Donald Trump...
Italy puts over 320 on trial for ‘ndrangheta mob tiesVideo
LAMEZIA TERME, Italy — A trial with more than 320 defendants began Wednesday in southern Italy against the ‘ndrangheta crime syndicate, arguably the world’s richest criminal organization that quietly amassed power as the Sicilian Mafia lost influence. Expected to take at least a year, the trial is taking place in...
Kansas game warden frees tangled deer with single gunshotVideo
WICHITA, Kan. — A Kansas game warden is getting attention for a video that shows him firing a single shot from a handgun to disentangle the antlers of two whitetail stags. The Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism agency released the video from the warden’s body camera showing his sharpshooting skills...
Flint families welcome water crisis charges, seek healing
FLINT, Mich. — Flint mother Ariana Hawk struggled to find words. Bittersweet came to mind, as did frustrated. “I literally could have cried,” said Hawk, sitting in her car after learning former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration were expected to be charged in a water crisis...
U.S. Space Command site will be located in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. Air Force is expected to announce Huntsville, Ala., as the location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters, according to Alabama’s governor. Gov. Kay Ivey said that Huntsville’s Redstone Region is set to house the headquarters. The governor said she was informed of the decision Wednesday...
Internet ‘blackout’ in Uganda on eve of tense election
KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan authorities appeared to cut off internet access in the country Wednesday night on the eve of a tense presidential election, while a lawyer for leading opposition candidate Bobi Wine said all contact had been lost with him. “Confirmed: Uganda is now in the midst of a...
Ivanka Trump’s global women’s program halfway toward goal
WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump’s global women’s development program is about halfway toward its goal of helping 50 million women in developing countries advance economically by 2025. That’s according to an annual report for the U.S. government’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative released Wednesday as the program nears its two-year...
Airbnb to block, cancel reservations in D.C. next week
NEW YORK — Airbnb says it will be blocking and cancelling reservations in the Washington, D.C. area during the week of the presidential inauguration. The decision, announced Wednesday, came two days after it said it was reviewing reservations in the area ahead of next week’s presidential inauguration and said it...
Soldiers repel rebels at Central African Republic capital
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Security forces in Central African Republic repelled attacks by rebels trying to seize the capital early Wednesday after intense fighting on the city’s outskirts, officials said. The rebels are protesting the re-election on Dec. 27 of President Faustin-Archange Touadera. Following the Jan. 4 announcement of...
Mega Millions jackpot rises to $750 million after no winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players will have a shot Friday night at the fifth-largest jackpot in U.S. history after no tickets matched all the numbers in the latest Mega Millions drawing. The jackpot for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions was $625 million and lottery officials say it’s rising to an...
