All posts tagged: U.S. News®

President Trump to Stump for Sen. Darline Graham Days Ahead of South Carolina’s GOP Senate Runoff

President Trump to Stump for Sen. Darline Graham Days Ahead of South Carolina’s GOP Senate Runoff

Published by Sam Flores

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to South Carolina on Friday to make a last-minute appeal for Sen. Darline Graham, his chosen candidate to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, ahead of a Republican runoff next week. Voters will decide Tuesday whether Graham or Rep. Ralph Norman will be Republicans’ nominee on the November ballot. The Myrtle Beach rally is the sort of campaign trail occasion that Trump hasn’t done as much of this year, compared with past midterms, making it a signal of the importance Trump is placing on a win for his pick. It’s also an opportunity for the president to wade into friendly territory ahead of the midterm elections that leave his party’s control of Congress hanging in the balance. South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in decades, its House delegation has only one Democrat and Trump’s own victory in the 2016 presidential primary here helped propel him toward the nomination and ultimately the White House. In the scramble of a special Republican …

Jury Says the New York Times Defamed Alabama Basketball Player With Incorrect Story About Shooting

Jury Says the New York Times Defamed Alabama Basketball Player With Incorrect Story About Shooting

Published by Sam Flores

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama jury on Thursday awarded $9.25 million in damages after finding that The New York Times defamed a college basketball player by incorrectly reporting that he was at the scene of a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa. Kai Spears, who played for the University of Alabama men’s team, sued the Times in 2023 after it published a report, citing a person familiar with the investigation, that indicated he was a passenger in a car involved in the shooting. The Times reported that the person had spoken “on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.” Days later, the Times acknowledged its error in an editor’s note and corrected the story. The eight-person jury delivered its verdict after a nine-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Matt Glover, an attorney for Spears, said he was pleased with the decision and believes “this verdict will improve journalism throughout the country.” The Times was reviewing its legal options after losing in court, spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said. “We’re disappointed …

Michigan Reports About 3% Weekly Rise in Cyclosporiasis Cases as Outbreak Begins to Slow

Michigan Reports About 3% Weekly Rise in Cyclosporiasis Cases as Outbreak Begins to Slow

Published by Sam Flores

Aug 20 (Reuters) – Michigan’s health department on Thursday reported ⁠14,277 ⁠cases linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak, ⁠up 368 or about 3% from a week earlier, with the slower pace ​of increase pointing to signs that the outbreak could be starting to ease. The department previously said the increase largely ‌reflected a backlog in processing reports and ‌that new cases were slowing. Michigan has been the state hardest hit by the multistate outbreak of the ⁠parasitic illness, reporting ⁠two related deaths, both in people with significant underlying health conditions. “The outbreak does ​seem to have peaked and now slowed down in terms of new cases. The peak of 3,585 (reported on week through July 12) is almost 19 times higher than the last reported week, so that is a big drop,” said Jeffrey ​Griffiths, professor of public health and medicine, Tufts University. The drop in cases in Michigan could be because ⁠the food ⁠that is the vector for ⁠the infection has ​all been eaten, or removed from markets, or aged out, Griffiths added. The recent …

US to Send Hospital Ship to Peru as El Nino Threat Looms

US to Send Hospital Ship to Peru as El Nino Threat Looms

Published by Sam Flores

LIMA, Peru (AP) — The United States will send a military hospital ship to Peru’s Pacific coast next year to help Peru cope with the effects of the El Nino climate phenomenon as part of a broader collaboration with the South American country, U.S. Ambassador to Peru Bernie Navarro announced Wednesday. Espá indicated that a road map had been developed, which includes assistance in the form of equipment, expertise, and overflights to prevent, mitigate and respond to the phenomenon. The amount of U.S. aid was not disclosed. Espá also met with U.S. business leaders interested in investing in mining and infrastructure projects. Navarro said in Spanish that the meeting’s objective was to understand Peru’s needs and how to provide support with a rapid response. He noted that aid following the recent earthquake in Colombia would have been faster with better coordination. Navarro indicated that the hospital ship USNS Comfort, which was already in Peru in 2018 and 2019, will arrive in the northern Pacific coast of Peru in February 2027, when El Nino is expected …

Trump Picks Top White House Aide Dr. Heidi Overton to Lead FDA

Trump Picks Top White House Aide Dr. Heidi Overton to Lead FDA

Published by Sam Flores

Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, has been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday. Overton is a medical doctor and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council who has worked on several of Trump’s second-term health initiatives. She has become a trusted administration figure and a champion of the Republican president’s goals. If confirmed by the Senate, Overton will have to balance a raft of competing priorities, including Trump’s fixations, the anti-regulatory interests of traditional Republicans and the anti-corporate posture of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May. International Criminal Court criticizes US sanctions on senior staffers The ICC called the latest sanctions a “flagrant attack” on its independence and vowed to continue seeking justice for atrocities around the world. The ICC said in a statement that when “judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.” …

United Arab Emirates Suspends Trade With Iran After Coming Under Renewed Missile Fire

United Arab Emirates Suspends Trade With Iran After Coming Under Renewed Missile Fire

Published by Sam Flores

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade with Iran on Wednesday after the UAE said it had come under renewed fire from the country — a move that will further isolate the Islamic Republic, which is suffering under U.S. sanctions and a blockade. Incoming ballistic missile fire triggered nationwide warnings Tuesday night for UAE residents to seek shelter, the first time in weeks such an alarm had sounded. Early in the conflict, the UAE regularly came under intense fire from Iran, and most trade between the countries, which had once been important trading partners, ground to a halt. In late June, as hostilities eased, some maritime trade resumed, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. Beyond the trade in domestically produced goods, “the UAE has been very important for Iran as a re-export hub and has helped the country absorb some of the shocks caused by sanctions,” Mohammad Farzanegan, a professor of Middle Eastern economics at Germany’s University of Marburg, told The Associated Press. “Iran therefore depends heavily on the …

Amazon Set to Expand Drone Delivery of Lightweight Packages to 500 US Cities

Amazon Set to Expand Drone Delivery of Lightweight Packages to 500 US Cities

Published by Sam Flores

Millions more people may be able to get smaller, lightweight Amazon packages delivered by drones by the end of the year under a plan the company announced Wednesday to expand the airborne shipping to suburban areas in nearly 500 U.S. cities. Customers could receive the drone deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes, Amazon said in a news release. The drones can carry packages up to 5 pounds. The plan will intensify the battle between Amazon and Walmart to provide consumers with the fastest delivery times. Both giants rely on a mix of drones and drivers to deliver everything consumers have ordered. The goal is not necessarily about cutting costs by replacing drivers and trucks — and drones that can only carry one package at a time would have a hard time doing that. But instead, these companies are using drones as one tool to help keep customers happy with quicker deliveries, banking on a faster delivery system attracting more shoppers. Amazon’s plan would expand its drone delivery operation more than sixfold nationwide into hundreds …

US Stocks Look to Halt Their 3-Day Slide as Pressure From the Bond Market Eases

US Stocks Look to Halt Their 3-Day Slide as Pressure From the Bond Market Eases

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are ticking higher Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will buy more U.S. government bonds in a move that eased pressure on financial markets worldwide. Strong profit reports for the spring from Estee Lauder, Target and other U.S. companies are also helping to support the stock market. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and is on track for its first gain in four days after setting its all-time high last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 169 points, or 0.3%, as of 12:03 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.5%. But Treasury yields fell in the morning after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term Treasurys from Sept. 9 through Nov. 4. The department said it’s doing so “to provide greater liquidity support in longer-dated nominal sectors where there is consistent strong sponsorship from market participants.” These longer-term 10- and 30-year Treasurys are less beholden to the Federal Reserve, which can raise …

Crews Work to Restore Power to Thousands After Lala Raked Hawaii

Crews Work to Restore Power to Thousands After Lala Raked Hawaii

Published by Sam Flores

Crews were working to restore power to thousands of Hawaii residents Tuesday after the outer bands of Lala battered the archipelago over the weekend, causing destructive flooding and killing one person, before weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Crews on the Big Island were working to clear and restore roads. Most public schools across Hawaii reopened but Hawaii County’s non-emergency operations were still suspended, officials said. Tourists were among those impacted by power outages. Sydney Ambrose, a California resident who was visiting Maui with her son and mother, said that they had just sat down to order at a restaurant in Kaanapali on the island’s west side when the power went out. Their hotel also lost power, forcing them to try to sleep without air conditioning in a hot room. Hotel guests gathered on the ground floor to use the few working power outlets to charge their phones and other devices, she said. “We were pretty anxious,” Ambrose said. “My mom was a little bit freaked out.” The storm has since moved west, …

Woman Accused of Plotting to Kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Is Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

Woman Accused of Plotting to Kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Is Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison. Riley English, a 26-year-old transgender woman, said she was in the grips of a mental health crisis and abusing drugs when she drove to Washington in January 2025 and told Capitol police that she was there to kill Bessent on the day of his Senate confirmation. “I never wanted to hurt anyone,” she told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. “I’m not a political person. I’m not a violent person.” Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody. She pleaded guilty in March to two weapons charges. “You’ve had a very difficult life,” Contreras told English. “Hopefully, …