U.S./World category, Page 709
Hawaii to lift last U.S. state mask mandate by March 26
HONOLULU — The last statewide mask mandate in the U.S. will be lifted by March 26, Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday. No states will require masks indoors after 11:59 p.m. March 25. Hawaii is the last to drop the pandemic safety measure, with Oregon’s and Washington state’s indoor mask...
Ukraine war highlights internal divides in Mideast nations
BAGHDAD — In a neighborhood of Iraq’s capital, a gigantic poster of Vladimir Putin with the words, “We support Russia,” was up for few hours before a security force arrived and hurriedly took it down. Then came the security directive: All public displays of Putin’s pictures shall be banned. In...
Photo gallery: Tulips, hugs for Ukrainian refugees on women’s holiday
The mouth of a harried woman who has just fled war-battered Ukraine curves up in a tentative smile when a Romanian immigrations officer hands her a purple tulip he has plucked from a bouquet. A glimmer of hope and gratitude appear on the face of another woman as she clutches...
Jury picked for Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A jury was selected Tuesday for the trial of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, extraordinary allegations of violence planned against an elected official that led the presiding judge to advise: “This isn’t your average criminal case.” Opening statements...
As war in Ukraine intensifies, U.S. gasoline hits record $4.17
The average price of gasoline in the U.S. hit a record $4.17 per gallon Tuesday as the country banned Russian oil imports after its invasion of Ukraine. The national average rose by 10 cents per gallon in one day, and it’s up 55 cents since last week, according to AAA...
Proud Boys leader charged with conspiracy in Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — The leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Proud Boys former chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio wasn’t there...
Octopus ancestors lived before era of dinosaurs, study shows
WASHINGTON — Scientists have found the oldest known ancestor of octopuses — an approximately 330 million-year-old fossil unearthed in Montana. The researchers concluded the ancient creature lived millions of years earlier than previously believed, meaning that octopuses originated before the era of dinosaurs. The 4.7-inch (12-centimeter) fossil has 10 limbs...
U.S. banning Russian oil imports as Biden warns of ‘costs’
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, but he acknowledged it will bring costs to Americans, particularly at the gas pump. The action follows pleas by Ukrainian President...
Biden executive order on cryptocurrency expected this week
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on cryptocurrency this week that will mark the first step toward regulating how digital currency is traded. The move comes as administration officials have raised concerns in recent weeks about Russia’s use of cryptocurrency to evade the impact...
People flee embattled Ukrainian cities along safe corridors
LVIV, Ukraine — Evacuations of people fleeing embattled Ukrainian cities along safe corridors began Tuesday, while U.N. officials said the exodus of refugees from Russia’s invasion reached 2 million. The Russian onslaught has trapped people inside cities that are running low on food, water and medicine amid the biggest ground...
Scientists: Spider could spread to much of East Coast
ATLANTA — Researchers say a large spider native to East Asia that proliferated in Georgia last year could spread to much of the East Coast. The Joro spider’s golden web took over yards all over north Georgia in 2021, unnerving some residents. The spider was also spotted in South Carolina,...
1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting outside Iowa high school
DES MOINES, Iowa — One person was killed and two others were critically wounded Monday after gunfire that appeared to come from a passing vehicle struck them outside an Iowa school, authorities said. Des Moines police said in a news release that potential suspects have been detained in the shooting...
Biggest stock slide on Wall Street since ’20 as oil surges
NEW YORK — Wall Street had its biggest drop in more than a year Monday as another leap for oil prices threatened to squeeze inflation’s grip on the global economy. The S&P 500 fell 3%, its biggest decline in 16 months, after a barrel of U.S. oil surged to $130...
Fox News defense reporter challenges war comments on air
NEW YORK — Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin couldn’t hold back when following a retired U.S. Army colonel on the air recently, saying she barely had time to correct all of his “distortions.” She tried, though. And it wasn’t for the first time or the last time. Griffin,...
Republican ‘unforced errors’ threaten path to Senate control
WASHINGTON — As the prospect of a red wave grows, a series of Republican missteps including recruiting stumbles, weak fundraising and intense infighting is threatening the GOP’s path to the Senate majority. Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey dealt his party its latest setback late last week by announcing he would...
Russia dangles prospect of safe corridors; Ukraine skeptical
LVIV, Ukraine — Safe corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with skepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks. With the invasion well into its second week,...
High court won’t review decision freeing Bill Cosby from prison
The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The high court declined prosecutors’ request to hear the case and reinstate...
U.S. assures nervous Baltics of NATO protection against Russia
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday assured Lithuania and Latvia of NATO protection and American support as he made quick visits to two of the three Baltic states that are increasingly on edge as Russia presses ahead with its invasion of Ukraine. Along with Estonia, which Blinken will...
U.S. weighs acting without allies on ban of Russian oil importsVideo
The Biden administration is considering whether to prohibit Russian oil imports into the United States without the participation of allies in Europe, at least initially, according to two people familiar with the matter. The administration has yet to decide on a U.S. import ban, with the timing and scope of...
Netflix, TikTok block services in Russia to avoid crackdown
Netflix and TikTok suspended most of their services Sunday in Russia as the government cracks down on what people and media outlets can say about Russia’s war in Ukraine. TikTok said Russian users of the popular social media app would no longer be able to post new videos or livestreams...
Firefighters battle 2 massive wildfires in Florida Panhandle
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Veterans at a nursing home were evacuated, joining residents from hundreds of homes, as firefighters and emergency workers battled two massive wildfires Sunday in an area of the Florida Panhandle that was still recovering from destruction caused by a Category 5 hurricane more than three years...
Officials: 7 dead after tornadoes tear through central IowaVideo
WINTERSET, Iowa — Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa, destroying homes and knocking down trees and power lines in the state’s deadliest storm in more than a decade, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six...
Truck convoy protesting covid-19 mandates begins beltway circuit
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A large group of truck drivers who object to covid-19 mandates drove two loops around the beltway surrounding Washington deliberately moving slowly to impact traffic and make their feelings known to lawmakers in the nation’s capitol. People crowded onto overpasses, waving at the “People’s Convoy” and holding...
Trump’s praise of Putin, ‘America First’ view tested by war
WASHINGTON — From the earliest days of his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump aggressively challenged the pillars of Republican foreign policy that defined the party since World War II. He mocked John McCain’s capture during the Vietnam War, validated autocrats with his platitudes, questioned longtime military and security alliances and...
Whitmer plot underlines growing abuse of women officials
Angry over covid-19 restrictions such as the closing of gyms, people from several states met in Ohio in June 2020 to plot ways to overthrow government “tyrants,” prosecutors say. Within a week, they chose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a target. The plan, as outlined in a federal court indictment,...
