U.S./World category, Page 903
Man faces state, federal charges in death of Houston officer
HOUSTON — A man accused of fatally shooting a Houston police officer during a domestic disturbance call is facing both state and federal charges and could face the death penalty, authorities announced on Wednesday. In state court, Elmer Manzano is facing a capital murder charge for the death of 65-year-old...
Court orders California to cut San Quentin inmates by half
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California appeals court has ordered state corrections officials to cut the population of one of the world’s most famous prisons to less than half of its designed capacity, citing officials’ “deliberate indifference” to the plight of inmates during the coronavirus pandemic. State prison officials said Wednesday...
Remains found in search for 1921 Tulsa race massacre victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — At least 10 bodies were found Wednesday in an unmarked mass grave at a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma’s state archaeologist said. “What we were finding was an indication that we were inside a...
James Randi, dazzling magician and skeptic, dies at 92
James Randi, a magician who later challenged spoon benders, mind readers and faith healers with such voracity that he became regarded as the country’s foremost skeptic, has died, his foundation announced. He was 92. The James Randi Educational Foundation confirmed the death, saying simply that its founder succumbed to “age-related...
Whitmer: Michigan at ‘dangerous moment’ as virus cases spike
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Wednesday that Michigan on average has more confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month. The number of covid-19 cases had been gradually rising for months prior...
Police: 43 bank hostages freed in ex-Soviet republic Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia — Police in the ex-Soviet nation of Georgia said 43 people were freed after an armed assailant took them hostage in a bank Wednesday, an announcement that came shortly after local media reported the gunman escaped and remained at large still holding three hostages. An armed man took...
Google antitrust lawsuit: 5 key takeaways
WASHINGTON — The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against Google on Tuesday marks the first major antitrust enforcement case against a technology company since a case against Microsoft began in 1998 and ended in a settlement with the government in 2002. The Justice Department is accusing Google of using...
Ireland focuses on Christmas as it enters new lockdown
DUBLIN — Ireland is already focused on Christmas. It’s a major national priority. Unless the country can get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, there won’t be much Christmas cheer this year in Galway, Cork or Dublin. With infections on the rise, the government has imposed a tough new lockdown that...
Man accused of threatening Biden, Harris in note to neighbor
BALTIMORE — A Maryland man was charged Wednesday with making death threats against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris in a letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the candidates. James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, told investigators...
UK-EU trade talks back on after the bloc’s olive branch
BRUSSELS — The British government and the European Union will resume stalled trade negotiations in London, the U.K. government said — days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the talks over. Johnson declared the talks at an end last week, accusing the bloc of expecting Britain to make all the...
Police: 3 dead, 1 critically hurt in Houston club shooting
HOUSTON — Three people were killed in a shooting at a Houston nightclub where about 30 people had gathered for an open mic night and authorities were searching early Wednesday for suspects, police said. Police had been called to the DD Sky Club at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday on reports...
U.S. officials: OxyContin maker to plead to 3 criminal charges
WASHINGTON — Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion, Justice Department officials told The Associated Press. The company will...
U.S. surgeon general to be in court on Hawaii virus citation
HONOLULU — The U.S. surgeon general is set to be arraigned Wednesday in a virtual court hearing in Hawaii on charges he illegally entered a public park that was closed because of the coronavirus. The criminal complaint against Jerome Adams, who was on Oahu in August helping with surge testing...
Pope Francis endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary film
ROME — Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty,...
Nigeria protesters break curfew amid gunfire, chaos in Lagos
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s anti-police protesters stayed on the streets in Lagos on Wednesday, breaking the government curfew following a night of chaotic violence in which demonstrators were fired upon, sparking global outrage. Shots were fired Wednesday as young demonstrators set up barricades by the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos,...
EU says U.K. ‘can’t have cake, eat it, too’ but eyes new talks
BRUSSELS — The European Union struck a defiant tone Wednesday as the standoff over resuming post-Brexit trade negotiations with the United Kingdom intensified, telling London that “you cannot have your cake and eat it, too.” But the bloc’s chief negotiator offered an olive branch to Britain by saying that both...
Exhibits damaged at major Berlin museums, unclear by whom
BERLIN — A large number of art works and artifacts at some of Berlin’s best-known museums were smeared with a liquid by an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators earlier this month, police said Wednesday. The “numerous” works in several museums at the Museum Island complex, a UNESCO world heritage site in...
San Francisco officials let people sue over racist 911 calls
SAN FRANCISCO — Fed up with white people calling 911 about people of color selling water bottles, barbecuing or otherwise going about their lives, San Francisco leaders unanimously approved hate crime legislation giving the targets of those calls the ability to sue the caller. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday...
Feds say U.S. colleges ‘massively’ underreport foreign funding
A scathing report from the Trump administration on Tuesday concluded that top U.S. universities have “massively underreported” funding they accept from China, Russia and other nations described as “foreign adversaries.” The Education Department released the report amid its effort to enforce a 1986 law requiring U.S. universities to disclose gifts...
California will allow fans at pro sports but not Disneyland
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will let fans back in outdoor stadiums for pro sporting events in counties with low coronavirus infection rates but isn’t ready to allow Disneyland and other major theme parks to reopen, the state’s top health official said Tuesday. San Francisco and neighboring Alameda and Santa Clara...
Trump tweets clip of ’60 Minutes’ host Lesley Stahl without mask at White House, threatens to air interview early
NEW YORK — He’s tick, tick ticked. President Donald Trump posted video of “60 Minutes” anchor Lesley Stahl appearing maskless after interviewing him Tuesday — then threatened to scoop CBS by airing their recent interview ahead of schedule. “Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White...
U.S. spacecraft swoops onto asteroid to snap up sample
NEW YORK — A NASA spacecraft on Tuesday conducted the U.S. space agency’s first sample collection from an asteroid as part of seven-year-long voyage. The event, which lasted around 4 1/2 hours, saw Osiris-Rex approaching Bennu at tortoise speed, about 0.19 miles per hour, and then touching down on the...
An electric Hummer? Battery-powered trucks head to showrooms
DETROIT — Seven auto companies have plans to roll out new battery-powered pickup trucks over the next two years, aiming to cash in on a popular and lucrative market for expensive vehicles. General Motors is among them, and on Tuesday its GMC brand introduced a new electric Hummer pickup, with...
Top Minneapolis police official demoted over ‘white boys’ comment
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo demoted a high-ranking deputy over the weekend after the deputy’s comments in a Star Tribune article prompted an internal backlash. Art Knight, who had served as Arradondo’s chief of staff, was quoted using the term “white boys” in a story that ran in...
Human remains found in search for Tulsa massacre victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — One set of human remains, and perhaps a second, have been found in a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said Tuesday. “We do have one confirmed individual and the possibility of a second”...
