U.S./World category, Page 876
Biden team readies wider economic package after virus relief
WASHINGTON — Looking beyond the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill, President Joe Biden and lawmakers are laying the groundwork for another top legislative priority — a long-sought boost to the nation’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure that could run into Republican resistance to a hefty price tag. Biden and his...
Fraud overwhelms pandemic-related unemployment programs
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the floodgates set to open on another round of unemployment aid, states are being hammered with a new wave of fraud as they scramble to update security systems and block scammers who already have siphoned billions of dollars from pandemic-related jobless programs. The fraud is fleecing...
Virginia lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana in 2024
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to a bill that will legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales of the drug would also begin. With a compromise bill clearing the House and Senate, Virginia becomes the first Southern state to vote...
2nd former aide accuses Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment
NEW YORK — A second former aide has come forward with sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who responded with a statement Saturday saying he never made advances toward her and never intended to be inappropriate. Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration...
About 30 vehicles involved in pileup on icy Montana bridge
Dozens of vehicles crashed into each other Saturday on an icy interstate highway bridge over the Yellowstone River outside Billings, Montana, making the span appear like a wrecking yard with mashed cars and trucks. The pileup involved about 30 vehicles, the Montana Highway Patrol said on Twitter. No fatalities were...
Saudi Arabia says it intercepts missile attack over capital
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia said Saturday it intercepted a missile attack over its capital and bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of airborne assaults it has blamed on Yemen’s rebel Houthis. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen’s years-long war announced the...
Lady Gaga’s dogs recovered safely after theft, shooting
LOS ANGELES — Lady Gaga’s two French bulldogs, which were stolen by thieves who shot and wounded their walker, were recovered unharmed Friday, Los Angeles police said. A woman brought the dogs to the LAPD’s Olympic Community Police Station, just northwest of downtown, around 6 p.m, said Capt. Jonathan Tippet,...
House passes Biden’s $1.9-trillion covid-19 relief bill
WASHINGTON — The House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage. The new president’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities...
Nevada governor proposes giving tech firms power to govern
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada’s governor on Friday unveiled a proposal that would allow technology companies to establish jurisdictions with powers similar to those of county governments, arguing the state needed to be bold to diversify its economy and pushing back against those who have likened the idea to company...
Fire visible across Los Angeles burns commercial yard, buses
COMPTON, Calif. — A huge fire visible across Los Angeles burned stacks of pallets in a commercial yard and buses parked in a neighboring lot Friday. The inferno erupted in Compton before dawn and created a massive column of smoke that rose high into the sky and spread widely across...
Official: 3 dead in small plane crash in northeast Georgia
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A single-engine plane bound for Florida crashed after takeoff Friday evening from an airport in northeast Georgia, killing the three people aboard, authorities said. The Cessna 182 crashed around 6:50 p.m. approximately two miles northeast of the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman...
In latest attack on Asians, woman dragged by car in robbery
OAKLAND, Calif. — A woman was dragged by a car in Oakland’s Asian business district during a robbery that her husband says left her bruised and shaken, marking the latest in a series of attacks against people of Asian descent in the San Francisco Bay Area and in other parts...
Tennessee: Vaccines stolen, given to children in 1 county
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s top health officials revealed Friday that the state has requested federal law enforcement investigate alleged theft of coronavirus vaccine doses in the state’s most populous county. They also announced that a volunteer in Shelby County improperly vaccinated two children despite the shot not being cleared for...
U.S. advisers endorse single-shot covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson
WASHINGTON — U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option to fight the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to quickly follow the recommendation and make J&J’s shot the third vaccine...
FAA seeks $27,500 from passenger it says hit air attendant
Federal officials are seeking a $27,500 civil penalty against an airline passenger who allegedly struck a flight attendant who asked the passenger and a companion to leave the plane after a dispute over wearing a face mask. The confrontation on board a Delta Air Lines flight departing from Miami International...
U.S. implicates Saudi crown prince in Jamal Khashoggi’s killing
WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday. The finding could escalate pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew...
Judge rules Arizona Senate can access 2020 election ballots
PHOENIX — A judge has ruled that the Arizona Senate can get access to 2.1 million ballots from Arizona’s most populous county so it can audit results of the 2020 election that saw Democrat Joe Biden win in the state. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason’s decision Friday comes...
Fire visible across Los Angeles burns commercial yard, buses
COMPTON, Calif. — A huge fire visible across Los Angeles burned stacks of pallets in an commercial yard and buses parked in a neighboring lot early Friday. The inferno erupted in Compton before dawn and created a massive column of smoke that rose high into the sky and spread widely...
Cat that vanished 15 years ago is reunited with owner
LOS ANGELES — A cat that went astray about 15 years ago has been reunited, older and maybe wiser, with its owner. Brandy, a brown tabby, was reunited Monday afternoon with Charles, who adopted her as a 2-month-old kitten in 2005. “It’s amazing. I think it’s unbelievable,” he said Thursday....
NYC schools chancellor exits, citing virus’ personal toll
NEW YORK — New York City’s Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced Friday he will step down, citing the coronavirus pandemic’s personal toll on his family. He will be replaced by Bronx Executive Superintendent Meisha Ross Porter, who will become the first Black woman to lead the nation’s largest public school...
Explosion strikes Israeli-owned ship in Mideast amid tension
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations,...
Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls taken in mass abduction
LAGOS, Nigeria — Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation. Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack at the...
UN: Carbon-cutting pledges by countries nowhere near enough
The newest pledges by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions are falling far short of what’s needed to limit global warming to what the Paris climate accord seeks, a new United Nations report finds. So the U.N.’s climate chief is telling nations to go back and try harder. Most countries...
Militia official: US strike in Syria kills 1, wounds several
WASHINGTON — A U.S. airstrike in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, killing one fighter and wounding several others, an Iraqi militia official said Friday, signaling the first military action undertaken by U.S. President Joe Biden. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a...
Jet pilot reports missile-like object ‘go right over the top of us’ in New Mexico skies
SANTA FE, N.M. — American Airlines has said one of its pilots flying a passenger jet sent a radio transmission reporting an unidentified object flying at high speeds in skies above northern New Mexico during a flight last Sunday from Cincinnati to Phoenix. A recording of the pilot’s transmission was...
