U.S./World category, Page 889
Anomalies found in data put census deadline in jeopardy
The director of the Census Bureau said Thursday that irregularities have been found during the numbers-crunching phase of the 2020 census, a development that jeopardizes the statistical agency’s ability to meet a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats. The Census Bureau already was facing...
CDC pleads with Americans to not travel for Thanksgiving
NEW YORK — With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. It was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on...
Toomey, Casey propose bill to increase oversight, resources at nursing homesVideo
Bucking the stereotypical lack of bipartisan cooperation in federal politics, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey were exploring weaknesses in the country’s nursing homes long before the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning a June 2019 report examining their federal oversight. This week, they announced a bipartisan bill that aims to enhance...
Astronaut: SpaceX Dragon beats shuttle, Soyuz for launching
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The most experienced astronaut on SpaceX’s newly launched crew said Thursday that riding a Dragon capsule to orbit is like being inside the actual mythical beast, and a lot more fun than NASA’s shuttles or Russian flights. As for the crew’s space rookie, he pulled more...
Polish police criticized for using tear gas on protesters
WARSAW, Poland — Polish police came under criticism on Thursday for using tear gas and force on mostly female and young protesters during the latest in a string of women-led protests against a top court ruling restricting abortion. Political tensions have been extremely high in Poland since the constitutional court...
Illinois man, 81, uses antique walking stick to beat thieves
NILES, Ill. — An 81-year-old retired Marine from suburban Chicago used his grandfather’s antique Irish walking stick to chase off three burglars and deliver one a thump in the head for his trouble. Dan and Barbara Donovan told the Pioneer Press newspaper group that a man in a reflective vest...
Huge Puerto Rico radio telescope to close in blow to science
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. The independent, federally funded agency said...
Brexit trade talks suspended because of covid-19 case
BRUSSELS — The Brexit trade negotiations have been suspended at a crucial stage because an EU negotiator has tested positive for the coronavirus, adding new uncertainty to the talks as a deadline looms. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that together with his U.K. counterpart, David Frost, “we have decided...
Kansas man accused of illegal autopsies faces fraud charges
TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas man accused of performing illegal autopsies has been indicted on 10 counts of federal wire fraud and the government wants to recover more than $1 million in fees paid to him by clients. The indictment accuses Shawn Parcells, 41, of Leawood of falsely leading people...
Democrat concedes, GOP’s Garbarino to succeed King in New York district
NEW YORK — Democrat Jackie Gordon has conceded to Republican Andrew Garbarino in a closely watched battle to succeed a longtime Republican congressman in a swing district on Long Island’s South Shore. Garbarino, a four-term state assemblyman, battled to replace U.S. Rep. Peter King in New York’s 2nd Congressional District....
Report finds Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghans
A shocking Australian military report into war crimes has found evidence that elite Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and civilians. Australian Defence Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said Thursday the shameful record included alleged instances in which new patrol members would shoot a prisoner in order to...
Video shows car driving at Florida deputy in teens’ fatal shootingVideo
COCOA, Fla. — Video released by a Florida sheriff’s office shows two deputies pulling their weapons and one firing at a car as it drives at him in a shooting that killed two Black teenagers. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office released the video Tuesday after the teenagers’ families and their...
Europe has half of world’s 4M new virus cases but sees hope
GENEVA — Europe made up almost half of the world’s 4 million new coronavirus cases last week but recorded a nearly 10% fall in infections compared to the week before, thanks in part to strict government lockdown measures that have fanned some discontent, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday. In...
Judge orders U.S. to stop expelling children who cross border
HOUSTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border alone, halting a policy that has resulted in thousands of rapid deportations of minors during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction sought by...
Mark Madden: Sports consumers dwindling during pandemic
The final round of the Masters bombed on TV. Its rating was the lowest since 1957, down 51% from last year when Tiger Woods won, but also down 57% from 2018. Because of the pandemic, the Masters took place in November and not in April as it usually does. It...
Biden’s DIY transition proceeds without Trump assistance
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Donald Trump’s refusal to cooperate with his successor is forcing President-elect Joe Biden to seek unusual workarounds to prepare for the exploding public health threat and evolving national security challenges he will inherit in just nine weeks. Blocked from the official intelligence briefing traditionally afforded to...
Report: More than 1 million children have been infected with covid-19
More than 1 million children in the United States have been infected with covid-19, according to a report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. The report, released on Monday, shows children now make up 11.5 percent of all cases in the country. The total...
In a stunning reversal, U.S. drops charges against Mexico’s ex-defense chief
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government said Tuesday that it was dropping drug trafficking charges against former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, a stunning turnaround in a prosecution that had deeply angered Mexican authorities. The surprise move came a month after Cienfuegos’ arrest at Los Angeles International Airport. In...
Raids, arrests as German police investigate Dresden jewelry theft
BERLIN — More than 1,500 police carried out a series of searches in Berlin and arrested three people in a massive operation connected to the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a unique collection in Dresden last November, authorities said Tuesday. The operation was coordinated by police and prosecutors in...
Trump cuts troop levels to 2,500 in Iraq and Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said Tuesday the U.S. will reduce troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-January, asserting that the decision fulfills President Donald Trump’s pledge to bring forces home from America’s long wars even as Republicans and U.S. allies warn of the dangers of withdrawing...
Pentagon says it shot down unarmed missile in sea-based test
WASHINGTON — In a first for the Pentagon’s push to develop defenses against intercontinental-range ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States, a missile interceptor launched from a U.S. Navy ship at sea hit and destroyed a mock ICBM in flight on Tuesday, officials said. Previous tests against ICBM targets...
Financially troubled startup helped power Trump campaign
SAN FRANCISCO — President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign was powered by a cell phone app that allowed staff to monitor the movements of his millions of supporters, and offered intimate access to their social networks. While the campaign may be winding down, the data strategy is very much alive,...
Remains found in 1988 identified as West Virginia fugitive
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Remains found in Ohio in 1988 have been identified as a West Virginia fugitive, authorities said. DNA testing was used to identify the remains as John Paul Devaughn, who was wanted for parole violations in West Virginia, WDTV-TV reported, citing the U.S. Marshals Service. Devaughn was convicted...
Head of government agency under pressure to let presidential transition proceed
WASHINGTON — The head of an obscure federal agency that is holding up the presidential transition knew well before Election Day that she might soon have a messy situation on her hands. Before Nov. 3, Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, held a Zoom call with Dave...
Dangerous Hurricane Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coastVideo
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm early in the day,...
