U.S./World category, Page 183
FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods
U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. Food and Drug Administration officials granted a 2022 petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates, who urged the...
Russian missile attack forces Ukraine to shut down power grid
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia on Wednesday launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid in some areas despite freezing winter weather, officials said. The Russian Defense Ministry said that it launched a strike on...
FDA floats plan to make cigarettes nonaddictive, but its fate rests with Trump
WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Wednesday released a far-reaching proposal to make cigarettes far less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates that is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon. The proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration comes in the final...
2 private lunar landers head toward the moon in a roundabout journey
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a two-for-one moonshot, SpaceX launched a pair of lunar landers Wednesday for U.S. and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business on Earth’s dusty sidekick. The two landers rocketed away in the middle of the night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the latest in a stream...
Fire tornadoes are a risk under California’s extreme wildfire conditions
As if they aren’t already facing enough, firefighters in California also could encounter fire tornadoes — a rare but dangerous phenomenon in which wildfires create their own weather. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that the combination of high winds and severely dry conditions have created a “particularly dangerous situation”...
As Los Angeles burns, Hollywood’s Oscar season turns into a pledge drive
When the Palisades Fire broke out in Los Angeles last Tuesday, Hollywood’s awards season was in full swing. The Golden Globes had transpired less than 48 hours earlier and a series of splashy awards banquets followed in the days after. But the enormity of the destruction in Southern California has...
Relief, 21st-century style: As wildfires burn, GoFundMe becomes a repository of harrowing stories
NEW YORK — They seem endless, these sapping stories of loss. A grandfather starts over in his 90s. A family loses their dream home. People who were already struggling are dealt new, brutal blows. As California’s massive wildfires burn, a barrage of GoFundMe campaigns for victims have become an outlet...
A ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ is forecast for fire-scarred Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES — Millions of Southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, along with a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed...
Supreme Court will hear Texas anti-pornography law that challengers say violates free-speech rights
WASHINGTON — A Texas anti-pornography law is going before the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a collision of free speech rights, regulation of online content and the protection of children. Texas is among more than a dozen states with similar laws aimed at blocking young children and teenagers from viewing...
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon detained in major law enforcement operation
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency didn’t have the authority to investigate his actions but saying he complied to prevent violence. Yoon, the country’s first sitting president...
Italy, Albania and UAE ink clean energy cooperation deal
ROME — Italy, Albania and the United Arab Emirates signed a three-way clean energy cooperation deal Wednesday that calls for the Gulf country’s expertise to be put to use in Albania to produce solar, wind and other renewable energy, some of which would then be transferred to Italy via an...
Few U.S. adults confident Justice Dept. and FBI will act fairly under Trump, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — As President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, prepares for questioning from senators on Wednesday, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” confident that the Department of Justice will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during his second term, a poll...
SEC sues Elon Musk, saying he didn’t disclose Twitter ownership on time before buying it
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued billionaire Elon Musk, saying he failed to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock in a timely manner in early 2022, before buying the social media site. As a result, the SEC alleges, Musk was able to underpay “by at least $150 million” for...
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey proposes $8 billion investment in transportation over 10 years
BOSTON — The Bay State will spend upward of $8 billion over the next 10 years improving its roads, bridges and regional transportation services if a proposal announced by the governor Tuesday is passed by the legislature. Gov. Maura Healey, speaking from Union Station in Worcester, said that the investment...
Pete Hegseth asked to define ‘jagoff’ at Senate confirmation hearing
The term “jagoff” is more than just an insult in Pittsburgh. Here, it holds great cultural significance. But that’s not what Pete Hegseth was trying to convey during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth, a combat veteran and former Fox News host, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary....
Speaker Johnson orders U.S. Capitol flags raised to full height for Trump’s inauguration
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order as a result of the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take...
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday is notifying Congress of its intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island. Senior U.S. administration...
A look at the terms — and tensions — in the Israel-Hamas draft ceasefire deal
CAIRO — If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed. In this first phase Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza, and...
Michelle Obama will skip Trump inauguration, but ex-Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush will be there
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will...
NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region
BRUSSELS — NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance’s leader said on Tuesday. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the mission dubbed Baltic...
Irregular migration into the European Union fell sharply last year, border agency says
WARSAW, Poland — The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell significantly in 2024, according to the bloc’s border control agency Frontex, something which it attributed to intensified cooperation against smuggling networks. The Warsaw-based agency said in a statement that its preliminary data for last year reveal...
Why hundreds of miners are still trapped and starving in an abandoned South Africa mine
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration. Authorities launched...
Blinken will make a case for post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion. Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for...
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, officials say
CAIRO — Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that...
Dire fire warning for Los Angeles area pushed back as wind eases
LOS ANGELES — Easing wind delivered a brief but much-needed reprieve to firefighters Tuesday as they battled two massive blazes burning in the Los Angeles area, and the National Weather Service pushed back its unusually dire warning of critical fire weather until early the following day. Forecasters said the winds...
