U.K.’s Johnson voices optimism over lockdown easing routeVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that there is a “good chance” that social distancing rules in England will be scrapped on June 21 if coronavirus infections and deaths stay low. Johnson told reporters in the north England town of Hartlepool where he is campaigning before a...
First-grade teacher accused of pushing boy to ground
SHREVEPORT, La. — A northwest Louisiana teacher faces criminal charges over accusations that she pushed a 7-year-old boy to the ground. Local news outlets report that Melody Harris Moffett, a first-grade teacher at Judson Elementary School in Shreveport, was arrested on April 20. She was booked into jail on a...
Are Pa.’s state House and Senate maps gerrymandered? Depends on how you measure them
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — When Amanda Holt was preparing to vote in 2010, she...
Despite virus, Atlantic City casinos reinvesting millions
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — With covid-19 restrictions limiting how many people can gamble inside, and revenue and profits plunging, this might not sound like the best time for Atlantic City’s casinos to be spending big on renovations. And yet they are, looking to a post-pandemic future when gamblers will be...
Germany busts international child porn site used by 400,000
BERLIN — German prosecutors announced Monday they have busted one of the world’s biggest international darknet platforms for child pornography, used by more than 400,000 registered members. Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement together with the Federal Criminal Police Office that in mid-April three German suspects, said to be the...
U.S. begins reuniting some families separated at Mexico border
SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration said Monday that four families that were separated at the Mexico border during Donald Trump’s presidency will be reunited in the United States this week in what Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calls “just the beginning” of a broader effort. Two of the four...
G-7 ministers to hold 1st in-person talks in 2 years
LONDON — Foreign and development ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations will be meeting in London this week in their first face-to-face discussions in two years, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holding talks with British host Dominic Raab later Monday. The withdrawal of troops from...
Bystander rescues child from Maryland bay after 4-car crash
OCEAN CITY, Md. — A bystander jumped over a highway guard rail and into a Maryland bay Sunday to rescue a child who had been thrown from a car and into the water during a crash, according to authorities. The child was ejected from a car on the Route 90...
D.C. should be part of Maryland, not a state, GOP Sen. Susan Collins saysVideo
WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia should become part of Maryland rather than a new state if it wants to ensure congressional representation for its residents, Sen. Susan Collins said. The Maine Republican weighed in Sunday on the issue of statehood after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill...
Fire kills petting zoo animals in Alabama
GADSDEN, Ala. — A spokesperson for an Alabama city says about 75 animals died after a fire at a petting zoo. Birds, reptiles and guinea pigs were among the animals killed in the Sunday morning fire at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden. News outlets report that Gadsden Fire Chief Wil...
Police fatally shoot gunman who killed 2 at Wisconsin casinoVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tribal leaders in northeastern Wisconsin were in shock Sunday hours after a gunman opened fire at their casino complex, killing two people and wounding another in what witnesses described as a hailstorm of bullets. Brown County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Pawlak said the shooting at the Oneida...
3 killed, 27 hospitalized after boat capsizes off San Diego
SAN DIEGO — Three people were killed and more than two dozen others were hospitalized Sunday after a boat capsized and broke apart in rough water just off the San Diego coast during a suspected human smuggling operation, authorities said. Lifeguards, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded around...
Treasury secretary doesn’t see Biden plan creating inflation ‘issue’Video
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s economic plan is unlikely to create inflation pressure in the U.S. because the boost to demand will be spread over a decade, said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “I don’t believe that inflation will be an issue. But if it becomes an issue, we have tools...
North Korea warns U.S. of ‘very grave situation’ over Biden speechVideo
North Korea on Sunday warned that the United States will face “a very grave situation” and alleged that President Joe Biden “made a big blunder” in his recent speech by calling the North a security threat. Last week, Biden, in his first address to Congress, called North Korea and Iran’s...
Adviser suggests Biden still wears mask outside out of habit
WILMINGTON, Del. — One of President Joe Biden’s top White House advisers suggested Sunday that he’s still wearing a mask outdoors out of habit although the latest public health guidance says he doesn’t need it. Questioned about Biden’s practice, senior adviser Anita Dunn told CNN’s “State of the Union” that...
U.S. denies Iran claims of prisoner deal; U.K. plays it down
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States on Sunday immediately denied a report by Iranian state-run television that deals had been reached for the Islamic Republic to release U.S. and British prisoners in exchange for Tehran receiving billions of dollars. It wasn’t immediately clear if the report represented a...
SpaceX returns 4 astronauts to Earth; rare night splashdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Sunday, making the first U.S. crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot. The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3 a.m., ending...
Wyoming backs coal with $1.2M threat to sue other states
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — While most states pursue ways to boost renewable energy, Wyoming is doing the opposite with a new program aimed at propping up the dwindling coal industry by suing other states that block exports of Wyoming coal and cause Wyoming coal-fired power plants to shut down. The law...
Police fatally shoot gunman who killed 2 at Wisconsin casino
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a Wisconsin tribal casino complex a few miles from Lambeau Field, killing two people and wounding another in what witnesses described as a hailstorm of bullets before police shot him to death. Brown County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Pawlak said the...
Many migrants forced to stay in Mexico by Trump remain apart from their children in U.S.
Carmen Ochoa’s three children each live in a different country. Two years ago, the cook from Honduras left her 10-year-old daughter, Greyvy, with her mother in their native land, where her husband, a police officer, was killed in 2008. Ochoa and her two eldest children claimed asylum at the border...
Las Vegas hitting jackpot as pandemic-weary visitors crowd back
LAS VEGAS — To Mike Anger in Midland, Mich., a $100 round-trip airline flight and $260 for five nights at a Las Vegas hotel made it too easy to say yes. “How could I turn that down?” the 39-year-old electrician asked, holding a tall vodka drink, basking in 90-degree temperatures,...
Firefighters rescue man trapped in portable toilet in Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG — Authorities say a man was rescued after a tree that fell during high winds trapped him inside a portable toilet at Gettysburg National Military Park in south-central Pennsylvania. The Barlow Volunteer Fire Department said on its Facebook page that the crew was called to Little Round Top shortly...
How the Gaetz probe grew from sex trafficking to medical marijuana
ORLANDO, Fla. — When Rep. Matt Gaetz vacationed in the Bahamas in 2018, he was joined by a doctor who donated to his campaign and a former colleague in the Florida Legislature. The Republican congressman, Dr. Jason Pirozzolo and Halsey Beshears were united in their enjoyment of politics, fancy travel...
Suicide truck bomber hits Afghan guest house, killing 21
KABUL, Afghanistan — The death toll in a powerful suicide truck bombing that struck a guest house in eastern Afghanistan rose to 21 with as many as 90 others wounded, officials said Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the late Friday night bombing in Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar...
Grand Canyon opens lottery for shooting bison in the park
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The National Park Service is opening a rare opportunity for skilled shooters to help reduce the number of bison roaming the far reaches of northern Arizona. Come Monday, potential volunteers will have 48 hours to submit an application to kill the massive animals at Grand Canyon National...
