US & World News Archives - Page 24 of 74

Pfizer Says 3 COVID Shots Protect Children Under 5

May 23, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP) — Three doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots. The news comes after months of anxious waiting by parents desperate to vaccinate their babies, toddlers and…

78,000 Pounds Of Infant Formula Arrives In US

May 23, 2022

The Associated Press,

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis, the first of several flights expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children. President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed…

Biden’s Approval Dips To Lowest Of Presidency: AP-NORC Poll

May 20, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP) — President Joe Biden’s approval rating dipped to the lowest point of his presidency in May, a new poll shows, with deepening pessimism emerging among members of his own Democratic Party. Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of Biden’s performance as president, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research, dipping from already negative ratings…

Congress OKs Latest $40B To Help Ukraine Repulse Russia

May 19, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a $40 billion infusion of military and economic aid for Ukraine and its allies on Thursday as both parties rallied behind America’s latest, and quite possibly not last, financial salvo against Russia’s invasion. The 86-11 vote gave final congressional approval to the package, three weeks after President Joe Biden requested a smaller $33 billion version and after a…

House Approves Bill To Take Aim At Gasoline ‘Price Gouging’

May 19, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A closely divided House approved legislation Thursday to crack down on alleged price gouging by oil companies and other energy producers as prices at the pump continue to soar. A bill backed by House Democrats would give President Joe Biden authority to declare an energy emergency that would make it unlawful to increase gasoline and home energy…

FDA Head: Baby Formula Factory Could Reopen By Next Week

May 19, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration told lawmakers Thursday that a shuttered baby formula factory could be up and running as soon as next week, though he sidestepped questions about whether his agency should have intervened earlier at the plant at the center of the national shortage. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf faced a bipartisan grilling from House…

More Americans Apply For Jobless Benefits Last Week

May 19, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for jobless aid last week, but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits is at a 53-year low. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 218,000 for the week ending May 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally track the number of layoffs. The four-week average for claims, which smooths…

Grand Jury Indicts Man In Buffalo Supermarket Shooting

May 19, 2022

The Associated Press,

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white man accused of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket appeared briefly in court Thursday after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge. Assistant district attorney Gary Hackbush said the indictment of Payton Gendron, 18, was handed up Wednesday. Gendron, wearing orange clothing and mask, was silent throughout the proceeding…

Biden Invokes Defense Production Act For Formula Shortage

May 18, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant. The Defense Production Act order requires suppliers of formula manufacturers to…

Stocks Fall Sharply As Target’s Woes Renew Inflation Fears

May 18, 2022

The Associated Press,

NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,000 points Wednesday, as big earnings misses by Target and other major retailers stoked investors’ fears that surging inflation could cut deeply into corporate profits. The broad sell-off erased gains from a solid rally a day earlier, the latest volatile day-to-day swing for stocks in recent weeks amid…

Interrogation, Uncertainty For Surrendering Mariupol Troops

May 18, 2022

The Associated Press,

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Nearly 1,000 last-ditch Ukrainian fighters who had held out inside Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant have surrendered, Russia said Wednesday, as the battle that turned the city into a worldwide symbol of defiance and suffering drew toward a close. Meanwhile, the first captured Russian soldier to be put on trial by Ukraine on war-crimes charges pleaded guilty to killing…

US Soccer Equalizes Pay In Milestone With Women, Men

May 18, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation announced separate collective bargaining agreements through December 2028 with the unions for both national teams on Wednesday, ending years of often acrimonious negotiations. The…

Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In George Floyd Killing

May 18, 2022

The Associated Press,

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. As part of the plea deal, Thomas Lane will have a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder dismissed. Lane, along with J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, has already been convicted on federal…

Powell: Fed To Keep Hiking Rates Until It Controls Inflation

May 17, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday underscored the Federal Reserve’s determination to keep raising interest rates until there is clear evidence inflation is steadily falling — a high-stakes effort that carries the risk of causing an eventual recession. The Fed’s increases in its benchmark short-term rate typically lead, in turn, to higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses,…

Nearly 43,000 People Died On US Roads Last Year, Agency Says

May 17, 2022

The Associated Press,

DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. Transportation Secretary…

FDA Clears COVID Booster Shot For Healthy Kids Ages 5 To 11

May 17, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP) — U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward. Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants — and some people, including those 50 and…

In Buffalo, Biden Condemns Racism, Mourns New Victims

May 17, 2022

The Associated Press,

BUFFALO (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects Tuesday at a makeshift memorial to the 10 people killed in the white supremacist attack in Buffalo, confronting again the forces of hatred he once said called him back to seek the White House. Just off Air Force One, the first couple laid a bouquet of…

Abbott Says Agreement Reached To Reopen Baby Formula Plant

May 16, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Baby formula maker Abbott said Monday it has reached an agreement with U.S. health regulators to restart production at its largest domestic factory, though it will be well over a month before any new products ship from the site to help alleviate the national shortage facing parents. Abbott did not immediately detail the terms of the agreement with the…

US Deaths From COVID Hit 1 Million, Less Than 2 1/2 Years In

May 16, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP) — The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil…

Reversing Trump, Biden Acts To Deploy US Troops To Somalia

May 16, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order to deploy U.S. troops to Somalia amid heightened concerns about the country’s Islamic extremist rebels, known as al-Shabab. The move is a reversal of President Donald Trump’s late-term decision to remove nearly all 700 special operations forces that had been operating there. Biden’s decision, confirmed by a senior administration official, comes after Defense Secretary…

Biden Offers Logistics Support To Ease Formula Shortage

May 16, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from parents and politicians, President Joe Biden is offering formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support to ease the nationwide shortage of baby formula, as the administration works to bring the largest domestic plant back on line after it was shut down early this year due to safety issues. The White House said it…

Authorities: 1 killed, 5 Hurt In California Church Shooting

May 15, 2022

The Associated Press,

LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. (AP) — One person was killed and four others were critically wounded in a shooting Sunday at a Southern California church, authorities said. Deputies detained one person and recovered a weapon following the shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said on Twitter. A fifth injured person suffered minor…

Most Great Barrier Reef Coral Studied This Year Was Bleached

May 15, 2022

The Associated Press,

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — More than 90% of Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth such mass event in seven years in the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, Australian government scientists said. Bleaching is caused by global warming, but this is the reef’s first bleaching event during a La Niña weather pattern, which is associated…

UPDATE – U.S. Attorney: FBI Investigating Buffalo, NY Shooting as Hate Crime, Racially Motivated Extremism

Investigators believe the gunman may have been streaming the shooting through a camera affixed to his helmet, one of the officials said.

May 14, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson) UPDATE: BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)- The gunman was identified as Payton Gendron of Conklin, a New York state community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not permitted to speak publicly on the matter and did so on the condition of anonymity. UPDATE: US attorney says FBI…

Baby Formula Shortage Fueling Spike In Milk Bank Interest

May 13, 2022

The Associated Press,

The U.S. baby formula shortage has sparked a surge of interest at milk banks around the U.S. with some mothers offering to donate breast milk and desperate parents calling to see if it’s a solution to keep their babies fed. It’s a pathway that won’t work for every formula-fed baby, especially those with special dietary needs, and it comes with challenges because…

Moon Goes Blood Red This Weekend: ‘Eclipse For The Americas’

May 13, 2022

The Associated Press,

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A total lunar eclipse will grace the night skies this weekend, providing longer than usual thrills for stargazers across North and South America. The celestial action unfolds Sunday night into early Monday morning, with the moon bathed in the reflected red and orange hues of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises for about 1 1/2 hours, one…

Musk Puts Twitter Buy On Hold, Casting Doubt On $44B Deal

May 13, 2022

The Associated Press,

DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk said Friday that his plan to buy Twitter is “temporarily on hold,” raising fresh doubts about whether he’ll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition. Musk tweeted that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. Musk has been vocal about his desire to clean up Twitter’s problem with “spam…

EXPLAINER: What’s Behind The Baby Formula Shortage?

May 12, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many parents are hunting for infant formula because of a combination of short- and long-term problems that has hit most of the biggest U.S. brands. Millions of babies in the U.S. rely on formula, which is the only source of nutrition recommended for infants who aren’t exclusively breastfed. Here’s a look at what’s behind the problem and what parents…

Astronomers Capture 1st Image Of Milky Way’s Huge Black Hole

May 12, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s first image of the chaotic supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy doesn’t portray a voracious cosmic destroyer but what astronomers Thursday called a “gentle giant” on a near-starvation diet. Astronomers believe nearly all galaxies, including our own, have these giant black holes at their bustling and crowded center, where light…

Jan. 6 Panel Subpoenas McCarthy, Four Other GOP Lawmakers

May 12, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House panel issued subpoenas Thursday to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers in its probe into the violent Jan. 6 insurrection, an extraordinary step that has little precedent and is certain to further inflame partisan tensions over the 2021 attack. The panel is investigating McCarthy’s conversations with then-President Donald Trump the day of the attack…

Democrats’ Effort To Secure Roe V. Wade Falls To Filibuster

May 11, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation’s partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action. The almost party-line tally promises to be the first of several efforts in Congress…

Biden Sees Bigger Role For US Farms Due To Ukraine War

May 11, 2022

The Associated Press,

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as he visited a family farm Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the administration believes could also help to reduce grocery bills at home. “I stand here today to thank American…

US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 107,000 Last Year, CDC Says

May 11, 2022

The Associated Press,

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Wednesday. The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one U.S. overdose death every 5 minutes. It marked a 15% increase from the previous record, set the year before….

Musk Says He Would Reverse Twitter’s Ban Of Donald Trump

May 10, 2022

The Associated Press,

LONDON (AP) — Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitter’s permanent ban of former President Donald Trump if the Tesla CEO follows through with his plan to buy the social media company. Musk, speaking virtually at a Future of the Car summit hosted by the Financial Times, said Twitter’s Trump ban was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the…

Pandemic Gets Tougher To Track As COVID Testing Plunges

May 10, 2022

The Associated Press,

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year — the opposite of what…

Fugitive Inmate Captured After Manhunt, Ex-Jail Officer Dead

May 9, 2022

The Associated Press,

ASSOCIATED PRESS — A former Alabama jail official has died after shooting herself when she and the murder suspect she was accused of helping to escape were captured Monday in Indiana after more than a week on the run, according to officials. The capture ended the manhunt through three states but did not resolve the mystery of why Vicky White,…

Sheriff: Ex-Jail Official, Inmate She Helped Escape Caught

May 9, 2022

The Associated Press,

ASSOCIATED PRESS — A former Alabama jail official and the murder suspect she is accused of helping escape from custody were apprehended Monday in Indiana after more than a week on the run, law enforcement officials said. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said the two fugitives were caught near Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals pursued their pickup truck….

AP Analysis Finds Growing Number Of Poor, High-Hazard Dams

May 8, 2022

The Associated Press,

Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam at El Capitan Reservoir is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water, enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year. Today, it’s three-quarters empty, intentionally kept low because of concerns it could fail under the strain of too much water. During “a big…

Jill Biden Pays Surprise Visit to Ukraine, Meets First Lady

May 8, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool) UZHHOROD, Ukraine (AP) – Jill Biden spent several hours in Ukraine on Sunday, driving from the border with Slovakia to a town 10 minutes away to see first lady Olena Zelenska on Mother’s Day. Biden is the latest high-profile American to enter Ukraine during the war, while Zelenska’s public appearance was her first since Russia invaded…

Biden: US Sending Another $150M in Assistance for Ukraine

May 6, 2022

The Associated Press,

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russia’s invading forces. Biden says the latest spending means his administration has “nearly exhausted” what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more…

US Added 428,000 Jobs In April Despite Surging Inflation

May 6, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added 428,000 jobs in April, extending a streak of solid hiring that has defied punishing inflation, chronic supply shortages, the Russian war against Ukraine and much higher borrowing costs. Friday’s jobs report from the Labor Department showed that last month’s hiring kept the unemployment rate at 3.6%, just above the lowest level in a half-century….

Karine Jean-Pierre To Be Next White House Press Secretary

May 5, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, with incumbent Jen Psaki set to leave the role next week. Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year for several months after Biden was…

WHO: Nearly 15 Million Deaths Associated With COVID-19

May 5, 2022

The Associated Press,

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of 6 million. Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. In a report Thursday, the U.N. agency’s…

How Higher Fed Rates Stand To Affect Americans’ Finances

May 4, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Record-low mortgages below 3%, reached last year, are long gone. Credit card rates will likely rise. So will the cost of an auto loan. Savers may finally receive a yield high enough to top inflation. The substantial half-point hike in its benchmark short-term rate that the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday won’t, by itself, have much immediate effect…

Ukrainian Fighters: Russian Forces Storming Mariupol Plant

May 3, 2022

The Associated Press,

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces Tuesday began storming the steel mill containing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, Ukrainian defenders said, just as scores of civilians evacuated from the bombed-out plant over the weekend reached relative safety in Ukrainian-held territory. Osnat Lubrani, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said that thanks to the evacuation effort, “101 women, men,…

Biden Blasts ‘Radical’ Draft, Warns Other Rights Threatened

May 3, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted what he called a “radical” leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, warning that a “whole range of rights” are in jeopardy if it holds. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the…

Report: Draft Opinion Suggests Supreme Court Will Overturn Roe v. Wade

May 2, 2022

The Associated Press,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggests that earlier this year a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a report published Monday night in Politico. It’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter. The Associated Press…

Mysterious Pediatric Liver Disease Found in Minnesota

The cases have no known connection, although a link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated.

April 30, 2022

The Associated Press,

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Department of Health said it’s investigating several severe cases of hepatitis among children and has reported the cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC continues to investigate cases of the sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children that has health authorities in several countries racing to find answers. The illness is…

Local Rotary Club Member Returns from Work with Ukrainian Refugees in Poland

Rotary Clubs in Poland, coupled with others across the world, have helped raise $150,000 of the $300,000 needed to start a mental health center.

April 26, 2022

Arman Rahman,

DULUTH, Minn.- A member of the Duluth Skyline Rotary Club returned from Poland to continue raising money to establish a mental health center for Ukrainian refugee kids caught up in the turmoil of Russia’s invasion of their country. Bob Sherman traveled to Poland in March to see firsthand the needs of the millions of Ukrainian refugees who fled there. It…

Biden to Speak at Memorial in Minneapolis Sunday for Former VP Mondale

White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden wanted to attend because of the “important, personal relationship” he had with Mondale.

April 26, 2022

The Associated Press,

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – President Joe Biden plans to speak at a memorial service on Sunday for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who died last April at age 93. The service was delayed by the pandemic. Biden will travel to Minneapolis for the event at the University of Minnesota. Biden has described Mondale as a “dear friend and mentor” and “one…

US & World News

Investigators believe the gunman may have been streaming the shooting through a camera affixed to his helmet, one of the officials said.

The cases have no known connection, although a link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated.

Rotary Clubs in Poland, coupled with others across the world, have helped raise $150,000 of the $300,000 needed to start a mental health center.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden wanted to attend because of the “important, personal relationship” he had with Mondale.

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