U.S./World category, Page 160
The Trump administration sets the stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in a new memo
WASHINGTON — Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump’s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government. The memo expands the Republican president’s effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described...
Supreme Court seems likely to rule for Ohio woman claiming job bias because she’s straight
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Wednesday to side with an Ohio woman who claims she suffered sex discrimination from her employer because she is straight. The outcome of the case could remove an additional requirement that some courts apply when members of a majority group, including those who...
A Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles, a first for the U.S. in a decade
LUBBOCK, Texas — A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious — but preventable — respiratory disease since 2015. The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread...
U.S. and Ukraine have agreed on a preliminary economic deal, Ukraine’s prime minister says
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Wednesday that Ukraine and the United States have reached preliminary agreement on a broad economic deal that includes U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals amid its three-year war with Russia. After days of negotiations, Ukraine and the U.S. will sign...
American Airlines flight discontinues landing to avoid departing plane at Washington National
ARLINGTON, Va. — An American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport discontinued its landing, performing a go-around at an air traffic controller’s instruction to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The maneuver involving American Flight 2246...
The U.S. is missing again as G20 finance chiefs meet in South Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 developed and developing nations gathered in South Africa on Wednesday for a two-day meeting marked by the absence of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and several other high-profile figures. Bessent’s absence follows a boycott...
Russian, U.S. diplomats to meet in Istanbul to discuss operation of embassies
Diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Wednesday. The meeting comes on the heels of Russia-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia last week, which marked an extraordinary shift in U.S. foreign...
Southwest Airlines flight abruptly rises to avoid another plane crossing Chicago runway
CHICAGO — Pilots on a Southwest Airlines flight attempting to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport were forced to climb back into the sky to avoid another aircraft crossing the runway on Tuesday morning. Airport webcam video posted to X shows the Southwest plane approaching a runway just before 9 a.m....
Israel, Hamas agree on new exchange, leaving fragile ceasefire intact
JERUSALEM — Israeli and Hamas officials said Tuesday they have reached an agreement to exchange the bodies of dead hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, keeping their fragile ceasefire intact for at least a few more days. Israel has delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners since...
Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk’s DOGE are expected to produce no savings
Nearly 40% of the federal contracts President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money, the administration’s own data shows. The Department of Government Efficiency, run by Trump adviser Elon Musk, published an updated list Monday...
Mystery illness in Congo has killed more than 50 people hours after they felt sick
KINSHASA, Congo — An unknown illness first discovered in three children who ate a bat has rapidly killed more than 50 people in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, health experts say. The interval between the onset of symptoms — which include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding — and...
Ukraine, U.S. agree on framework economic deal, Ukrainian officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include the exploitation of rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were...
White House says it ‘will determine’ which news outlets cover Trump, rotating some traditional ones
The White House said Tuesday that its officials “will determine” which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close — a sharp break from a century of tradition in which a pool of independently chosen news organizations go where the chief executive does and hold him accountable on...
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer a threat to Earth, scientists say
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Scientists have finally given the all-clear to Earth from a newly discovered asteroid. After two months of observations, scientists have almost fully ruled out any threat from the asteroid 2024 YR4, NASA and the European Space Agency said Tuesday. At one point, the odds of a...
Federal judge in Seattle blocks Trump’s effort to halt the refugee admissions system
SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to halt the nation’s refugee admissions system Tuesday. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by major refugee aid groups, who argued that Trump’s executive order suspending the federal refugee resettlement program ran afoul of the system Congress...
Couple forced to sit next to dead body on airline flight to Italy
After a passenger died midway through a Qatar Airways flight, an Australian couple was forced to sit next to the corpse for the remainder of the trip. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on their way to Venice, Italy, from Melbourne when a woman onboard their flight walked out of...
Police are investigating assault allegations against Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Mills of Florida
WASHINGTON — Police in Washington, D.C., are investigating assault allegations against Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, but an official said the case has been sent back for further investigation and might never result in charges. Officers were called Wednesday afternoon to a residence in the Wharf neighborhood “for...
Supreme Court throws out Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip’s murder conviction and death sentence
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and averted multiple attempts by the state to execute him. The justices found that Glossip’s trial violated his constitutional rights because prosecutors did...
American woman in custody after newborn thrown from Paris hotel window
A young American woman on a European trip was taken into custody after she allegedly threw a newborn out of a hotel window in Paris, killing the baby, authorities said Tuesday. The baby was reportedly thrown from a second-floor window of a hotel on Monday morning, according to the Paris...
Delta CEO promotes DEI initiatives as ‘merit-based’ following Trump executive orders
Amid the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back DEI initiatives across the federal government, many companies have dropped their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, from Disney and Google to Amazon. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which is a federal contractor, is threading a needle: It’s promoting its DEI initiatives as merit-based...
Trial begins in Germany for 4 alleged Hamas members accused of seeking weapons caches across Europe
BERLIN — A trial began Tuesday in Germany for four alleged Hamas members suspected of organizing weapons caches across Europe. The country’s top prosecutor accuses the men of membership in a foreign terrorist organization. It’s a pilot case for prosecutors, German news agency dpa reported. “For the first time in...
UK to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, Starmer says 2 days before Trump meeting
LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Tuesday to raise U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027, saying Europe is in a new era of insecurity that requires a “generational response.” The announcement came two days before Starmer is due at the White House to try...
Pope Francis’ health crisis sparks prayers from thousands outside the Vatican
VATICAN CITY — Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions. The 88-year-old Francis has pneumonia in both lungs and remains...
What to know about air traffic control towers after a midair collision in Arizona prompts questions
Tens of thousands of planes take off, land and perform touch-and-goes at the Marana Regional Airport in southern Arizona every year. Without an air traffic control tower, it’s a calculated dance that requires communication by pilots. Two small planes collided in midair over one of the runways on the outskirts...
Trump says Canada and Mexico tariffs are ‘going forward’ with more import taxes to come
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that his tariffs on Canada and Mexico are starting next month, ending a monthlong suspension on the planned import taxes that could potentially hurt economic growth and worsen inflation. “We’re on time with the tariffs, and it seems like that’s moving along very...
