U.S./World category, Page 879
U.S. allows emergency covid-19 vaccine in bid to end pandemic
WASHINGTON — The U.S. gave the final go-ahead Friday to the nation’s first covid-19 vaccine, marking what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans. Shots for health workers and nursing home residents are expected to begin in the coming days after...
U.S. executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard. Alfred Bourgeois, 56,...
Paper apologizes for endorsing congressman backing overturn
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida newspaper apologized Friday for endorsing the reelection of a Republican congressman who supported a lawsuit that tried to have the Supreme Court overthrow the will of the voters in the presidential election. The Orlando Sentinel in an editorial said “to its horror,” U.S. Rep. Michael...
Veterans groups call for Wilkie’s dismissal after scathing audit
WASHINGTON — Three major veterans’ groups on Friday called for the immediate dismissal of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie following a scathing government audit that found he had acted unprofessionally if not unethically in the handling of a congressional aide’s allegation of sexual assault at a VA hospital. Iraq and...
Supreme Court rejects Republican attack on Biden victory
HOUSTON — The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court and subvert the will of voters. The high court’s order...
White House threatens FDA chief’s job over vaccine approval
WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday pressed Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn to grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day or face possible firing, two administration officials said. The vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and...
Demoralized health workers struggle as virus numbers surge
Doctors and nurses around the U.S. are becoming exhausted and demoralized as they struggle to cope with a record-breaking surge of covid-19 patients that is overwhelming hospitals and prompting governors to clamp back down to contain the virus. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday banned indoor dining in New...
Senate sends Trump defense bill he has vowed to veto
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday approved a wide-ranging defense policy bill, sending it to President Donald Trump, despite his threat to veto the bill because it does not clamp down on big tech companies he claims were biased during the election. The final vote was 84-13, mirroring a similarly...
Visa, Mastercard won’t allow charges for services on Pornhub
Mastercard and Visa said Thursday they would block their customers from using the credit cards to make purchases on Pornhub following accusations the pornographic website showed videos of rape and underage sex. They reacted following an investigation by opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times that also alleged...
5 years on, signs that Paris climate accord is working
The forecast for global warming is looking a little less bleak in the long term, but not so rosy in the short term. With numerous countries pledging to clean up their act and projected temperature rises now smaller than they once were, scientists and diplomats say the outlook for mid-to-late...
Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, women
A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that “last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.” Republican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian...
Biden, Harris named Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were named Time magazine’s Person of the Year on Thursday night, besting President Donald Trump, front-line health care workers and racial justice protesters as the year’s most influential newsmakers. Time picked Biden and Harris over three other finalists — President Trump, front-line...
Obama reunion? Joe Biden fills Cabinet with former White House leaders
President-elect Joe Biden is getting the old gang back together. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and other senior staff, the incoming Biden administration has a distinctly Obama feel. There’s Denis McDonough, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff who Biden announced on Thursday would be nominated...
Trump administration plans 2nd execution in as many days
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration plans to continue its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard. Lawyers...
California’s health order falling on many deaf ears
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — In the Southern California oceanside city of Manhattan Beach, one arm of government is urging residents to stay home except for essential needs while another is encouraging them to get out and shop and even providing places where they can sit down to relax, eat takeout...
U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa...
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped a defamation lawsuit against his former employer, Liberty University. A judge granted a motion this week to dismiss the case in a move that left open the possibility of Falwell refiling a similar one later, The News & Advance reported Thursday. Court...
5 bicyclists killed, 3 injured in crash on Nevada highway
BOULDER CITY, Nev. — Five bicyclists were killed and three others injured in a crash Thursday involving a box truck on U.S. Highway 95 north of Searchlight, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said. Authorities said the truck driver remained on the scene and commercial units were called to inspect the vehicle’s...
U.S. B-52H bombers fly to Middle East in mission to deter IranVideo
WASHINGTON — In a new show of military might, two American bomber aircraft flew from the United States to the Middle East on Thursday, in a round-trip mission that U.S. officials said covered a wide swath of the region and was a direct message of deterrence to Iran. The flight...
Watchdog faults VA Secretary Robert Wilkie over handling of sex assault report
WASHINGTON — Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the congressional aide who made the complaint and his staff worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility, according to an...
Northern lights a ‘big miss,’ U.S. space forecaster says
PORTLAND, Maine — An initially promising U.S. forecast for the northern lights has gone bust. Stargazers in the continental 48 states have essentially zero chance of seeing the astronomical phenomenon this week, the head of operations at the U.S. government’s space weather prediction center said Thursday. Curtains of color paint...
Gun restrictions face uphill battle even under Biden
The gun debate in America will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under President Donald Trump in which gun control advocates developed a long wish list for reform amid a spate of large-scale mass killings in places like Las Vegas, El...
Baby elephant dies suddenly, just before 2nd birthday
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A baby elephant at a Syracuse zoo died from a virus just before his second birthday . The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse announced the death of Ajay, an Asian elephant calf, on Wednesday. He died from Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus, which poses a high risk to...
Trump announces Israel-Morocco to normalize relations
WASHINGTON — Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations, President Donald Trump said Thursday, marking the fourth Arab-Israeli agreement in four months. As part of the deal announced near the end of Trump’s term, the United States will recognize Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region. Trump said...
U.S. jobless claims jump to 853,000 amid resurgence of virus
WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September, evidence that companies are cutting more jobs as new virus cases spiral higher. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications increased from 716,000 the previous week. Before the...
