U.S./World category, Page 42
Woman indicted after she secretly used fentanyl to rob 4 men, killing 3, prosecutors say
A 38-year-old woman was indicted on felony charges in New York after prosecutors say she used fentanyl-laced drugs to paralyze and rob four men, killing three of them. Tabitha Bundrick, 38, is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with nearly a dozen counts of murder, robbery, burglary...
Pope Leo names Italian bishop to lead powerful Vatican office
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo named a relatively unknown Italian cleric on Friday to lead the Vatican office responsible for selecting Catholic bishops around the world, in the first major appointment of the pontiff’s nearly 5-month tenure. Archbishop Filippo Iannone, 67, has largely led a behind-the-scenes career in Church law....
Slovakia amends constitution to promote ‘national identity’
Slovakia’s laws will take precedence over EU legislation in matters concerning “national identity,” including issues of family and gender, under a constitutional change approved by parliament on Friday. Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has taken an increasingly anti-liberal position on social issues while forging closer ties with Russia and China...
Trump’s energy pivot accelerates U.S. solar and wind power mergers, asset sales
The Trump administration’s rapid retreat from renewable energy has kicked off consolidation and asset sales among smaller U.S. solar and wind power companies as they scramble to stay afloat, industry insiders and analysts said. President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has overhauled tax credits and sharply shortened...
Ukraine’s military chief says Russia’s 2025 offensives have failed
KYIV — Russia’s spring and summer offensives this year have failed to meet their goals, Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said, adding that Russia was firing twice as much artillery as Ukraine on the battlefield. “It can be said that the Russians’ spring and summer campaign has effectively been disrupted,”...
Parents of girl missing from Camp Mystic flooding ‘devastated’ by reopening plan
The parents of a girl who was among the victims who perished in flooding waters at Texas’ Camp Mystic in July have condemned the camp’s plans to reopen while their daughter’s body remains missing. At least 27 campers and counselors from the all-girls summer camp were killed along the Guadalupe...
Suspect in Dallas shooting sought to ‘terrorize’ ICE agents, officials sayVideo
DALLAS — The sniper who opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas left behind notes saying he acted alone in an attack intended to kill and “terrorize” ICE agents, whose work he viewed as “human trafficking,” officials said on Thursday. Although one person held in...
Trump signs memorandum aimed at investigating liberal groups, says George Soros ‘likely’ target
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Thursday aimed at marshalling federal law enforcement to investigate liberal groups, citing concerns about domestic terrorism as he ramps up efforts to go after political opposition. “This is the first time in American history that there is an all of government effort...
FBI ex-chief James Comey criminally charged as Trump targets critics
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday, in a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against his political enemies. If convicted, Comey could face up to five years in prison. He faces charges of making false statements and...
‘Time to stop’: Trump vows Israel will not annex West Bank
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a viable Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has...
Trump says U.S. will distribute aid to farmers until tariffs kick in to their benefitVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would give proceeds from tariff revenues to farmers. “We’re going to take some of that tariff money and give it to our farmers,” Trump said at the White House. The U.S. farm economy is slumping this year because of...
Fed’s Lisa Cook urges Supreme Court to reject Trump’s bid to fire her
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her, telling the justices the Republican president’s unprecedented move would destroy the central bank’s independence and disrupt financial markets. Lawyers for Cook filed a written response opposing the Justice Department’s...
Hegseth abruptly summons top military commanders to a meeting next week in Virginia
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military’s top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter. The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering next...
Israeli strikes kill at least 17 Palestinians in Gaza as leaders ramp up pressure for a ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel struck houses and tents in central and southern Gaza on Thursday, crushing families inside and killing at least 17 Palestinians, including 10 children and three women, local health officials said, as international pressure for a ceasefire continued to grow. On the sidelines of the...
Palestinian president: Hamas will have no role in governing postwar Gaza
UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinian president, speaking over video after the United States revoked his visa, told world leaders Thursday that his people “reject” the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the militant group would have no role in governing Gaza after war ends and must hand over...
Starbucks to close hundreds of stores, lay off 900 workers as part of turnaround plan
Starbucks said Thursday it’s closing hundreds of U.S. and Canadian stores and laying off 900 nonretail employees as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround. The Seattle coffee giant said store closures would start immediately. The company wouldn’t give a number of stores that are closing, but it...
U.S. economy expanded at a surprising 3.8% pace in significant upgrade of 2nd quarter growth
WASHINGTON — An uptick in consumer spending helped the U.S. economy expand at a surprising 3.8% from April through June, the government reported in a dramatic upgrade of its previous estimate of second-quarter growth. U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded in the...
U.S. home sales remained sluggish in August despite late-summer mortgage rate slide
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained sluggish in August, even as a late-summer slide in mortgage rates brought home loan borrowing costs to a 10-month low. Existing home sales slipped 0.2% last month from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million units, the National Association of...
Gaza-bound flotilla says it was attacked by drones; Italy and Spain send help
ATHENS, Greece — Activists in a flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza said Wednesday that some of their boats were attacked by drones south of Greece, prompting Spain and Italy to send navy vessels for possible rescues. The Global Sumud Flotilla said it was attacked during the night...
Paris court rules former President Sarkozy will have to go to prison even if he appeals
PARIS — A Paris court sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to 5 years in prison and — in a major surprise — said he’ll be incarcerated even if he appeals, after finding him guilty Thursday in his trial for alleged illegal campaign financing by Libya. Sarkozy said he was...
Ukrainians cautious after Trump shifts stance, saying they can win the war against Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainians were cautious Wednesday in their response to a surprise pivot in U.S. President Donald Trump’s views on their prospects for defeating Russia’s invasion, after he said they could win the three-year war and retake land captured by Moscow. Russian officials, meanwhile, said developments on the battlefield...
Trump says he was victim of ‘triple sabotage’ at U.N. and Secret Service is looking into the matter
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was the victim of “three very sinister events” during his time at the United Nations on Tuesday and that the Secret Service will be looking into the issues. The president was attending the U.N. General Assembly, where he gave a speech...
Judge rules feds can’t require states to cooperate on immigration to get disaster money
BOSTON — A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled on Wednesday that it’s unconstitutional to require states to cooperate on immigration enforcement actions to get funding for disasters, which is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general in May filed a federal...
Justice Department to try to charge ex-FBI Director James Comey
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is preparing to ask a grand jury as soon as Thursday to indict former FBI Director James Comey on allegations that he lied to Congress as prosecutors approach a legal deadline for bringing charges, according to two people familiar with the matter. Officials are hoping...
Pentagon adds exemptions to requirement for all troops to get the flu shot
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has stepped back from the policy that requires all troops to get the flu shot every year by introducing exemptions for reservists and proclaiming that the shot is only necessary in some circumstances for all service members, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press....
