U.S./World category, Page 159
Transgender troops are now being identified for removal under Pentagon orders
WASHINGTON — The military services have 30 days to figure out how they will seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force — a daunting task that may end up relying on troops self-reporting or tattling on their colleagues. A memo sent to Defense Department...
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious viruses. Here’s what to know and how to avoid it
Measles is rarely seen in the United States, but Americans are growing more concerned about the preventable virus as cases continue to rise in rural West Texas. This week, an unvaccinated child died in the West Texas outbreak, which involves more than 120 cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control...
Trump says he’s confident Putin will ‘keep his word’ if there’s a deal to end the war in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are “very well advanced” and he expressed confidence that Russian leader Vladimir Putin won’t press to restart the war if a truce can be reached. Trump made the comments at the start of a White...
At least 11 dead, 65 injured in Congo after blasts at M23 rebel leaders’ rally, rebels say
BUKAVU, Congo — At least 11 people have died and 65 others injured after explosions hit a rally on Thursday being held by M23 rebel group leaders in the captured city of Bukavu, eastern Congo. “The attack caused 11 deaths and verifications are underway. The author of the attack is...
FBI accuses North Korean-backed hackers of stealing $1.5B in crypto from Dubai-based firm
ROME — The FBI has accused North Korean-linked hackers of conducting one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency publicly known, seizing some $1.5 billion worth of ethereum from a Dubai-based firm. The theft earlier this month targeting Bybit, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, represents yet another involving a...
FDA flu shot meeting is abruptly canceled
A planned meeting of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration committee to recommend the makeup of seasonal flu shots for the 2025-26 influenza season was abruptly canceled Wednesday. That’s according to Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Vaccines and...
Trump plans tariffs on Mexico and Canada for Tuesday, while doubling existing 10% tariffs on China
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at “unacceptable...
Influencer Tate brothers, who face human trafficking charges in Romania, arrive in the U.S.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, arrived Thursday in the U.S. after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers. A spokesperson for the brothers, Mateea Petrescu, said the two landed in Fort...
EU pushes back hard against Trump tariff threats and his caustic comments that bloc is out to get U.S.
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Thursday pushed back hard against allegations by President Donald Trump that the 27-nation bloc was out to get the United States, and warned that it would vigorously fight any wholesale tariff of 25% on all EU products. The tit-for-tat dispute following the comments of...
Number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rises to 242K, highest level in 3 months
Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose to a three-month high last week but remained within the same healthy range of the past three years. The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ending Feb. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected...
USAID workers clear their desks in Trump’s final push to dismantle the agency
WASHINGTON — U.S. Agency for International Development workers — many in tears — carted away belongings through cheering crowds in a final visit to their now-closed headquarters Thursday as the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the congressionally authorized agency moved into its final stages. Notices sent out in mass mailings...
As Trump’s deadline to eliminate DEI nears, few schools openly rush to make changes
WASHINGTON — Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes. Many believe they’re on solid legal ground, and they know it would be all but...
Texas says this doctor illegally treated trans youth. He says he followed the law
EL PASO, Texas — On the Texas border, Dr. Hector Granados treats children with diabetes at his El Paso clinics and makes hospital rounds under the shadow of accusations that have thrown his career into jeopardy: providing care to transgender youth. In what’s believed to be a U.S. first, Texas...
Recent aviation disasters and close calls stoke fears about the safety of flying
All the recent aviation disasters and close calls have people worried about the safety of flying. The midair collision that killed 67 near Washington D.C. last month was the worst disaster. But there was also the plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto, the fiery plane crash...
Thieves nab pricey bulldogs from a Colorado pet store after faking a seizure, sheriff says
DENVER — Thieves nabbed a pair of high-priced bulldogs from a Colorado pet store after a man allegedly faked a seizure to distract employees while an accomplice grabbed the puppies from a pen and ran out, authorities said. The theft, which was captured on surveillance video, happened Sunday. Three men...
Pope Francis shows further slight improvement as he battles pneumonia, the Vatican says
ROME — Pope Francis has shown further slight improvement as he battles double pneumonia, but doctors said Wednesday his prognosis is still guarded. A chest CT scan taken Tuesday evening showed the “normal evolution” of an infection as it is being treated, the Vatican said in its late update. The...
Mississippi judge vacates her order that a newspaper remove its editorial criticizing local leaders
A Mississippi judge on Wednesday vacated her order that a newspaper remove its editorial criticizing local officials, days after a city decided to drop the lawsuit that spurred it. The judge’s order had been widely condemned by free speech advocates as a clear violation of the paper’s First Amendment rights....
Pentagon orders new purge of social media sites to dump diversity, inclusion mentions by March 5
WASHINGTON — Building lethality in the military may be the buzzword for the new Trump administration, but busywork and paperwork have become the reality at the Pentagon, as service members and civilian workers are facing a broad mandate to purge all of the department’s social media sites and untangle confusing...
Private company rockets toward the moon in the latest rush of lunar landing attempts
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private company launched another lunar lander Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moon’s south pole this time with a drone that will hop into a jet-black crater that never sees the sun. Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Athena, caught a lift with SpaceX from NASA’s...
Trump administration sets March 21 deadline for New York to end traffic congestion pricing
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s administration has given New York until next month to comply with its order to halt Manhattan’s new congestion pricing system, but state officials on Wednesday vowed to continue the tolling program, which is meant to thin traffic and pump new revenue into the nation’s...
Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad. The...
Bell tolls as New York marks the anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
NEW YORK — New York City on Wednesday marked the anniversary of the 1993 bombing at the old World Trade Center, when Islamic extremists first attempted to bring down the twin towers with 1,200 pounds of explosives in a parked rental van. Six people, including a pregnant woman, died in...
Egg prices could jump another 41% this year, USDA says, as Trump’s bird flu plan unveiled
WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices for eggs could soar more than 40% in 2025, as the Trump administration offered the first new details Wednesday about its plan to battle bird flu and ease the cost of eggs. With an emphasis on tightening up biosecurity on...
Hamas hands over to Red Cross 4 dead hostages from Gaza, as Palestinians leave Israeli prison
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to end. An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed...
Trump Gaza AI video draws online pushback
Using an artificial intelligence video, President Donald Trump shared his proposals for the potential development of the war-torn Gaza Strip. The video was posted Tuesday evening on Truth Social and then on Instagram. The AI 33-second video depicts Trump as a golden statue, along with mini golden statues for sale,...
