Suspect in shooting of National Guard members facing 1st-degree murder charge
WASHINGTON — The charges against the man who authorities say shot two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in...
Eel populations are falling, and new protections were defeated. Japan and the U.S. opposed them
SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Eels are the stuff of nightmares — slimy, snakelike creatures that lay millions of eggs before dying so their offspring can return home to rivers and streams. They’ve existed since the time of the dinosaurs, and some species are more poorly understood than those ancient animals. Yet...
Death toll from floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra rises to 174Video
PADANG, Indonesia — The death toll from flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island Friday rose to 174 on Friday with 79 people missing, authorities said. Rescuers were hampered by damaged bridges and roads and a lack of heavy equipment. The death toll in North Sumatra province rose to...
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency arrests 8 over apartment tower fire that’s left 128 dead
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said on Friday it arrested eight people connected to the renovation of the high-rise apartments that were engulfed in a massive fire that left 128 people dead. The seven men and one woman, from 40 to 63 years old, include scaffolding subcontractors, directors...
Israeli forces kill at least 13 in southern Syria raid, officials and residents say
DAMASCUS, Syria — Israeli forces in southern Syria raided a village and opened fire when they were confronted by residents on Friday, killing at least 13, Syrian officials said, as Israel fights on a number of fronts while the shaky ceasefire in Gaza moves forward. Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in...
Trump vows to ‘permanently pause’ migration from poor nations in anti-immigrant social media screed
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump vowed on Thanksgiving to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations in a blistering late-night, anti-immigrant screed posted to social media. The extended rant came in the wake of the Wednesday shooting of two National Guard members who were deployed to patrol Washington,...
Here’s what to know about the federal ban threatening the market for THC-infused drinks and snacks
MINNEAPOLIS — The production lines at Indeed Brewing moved quickly, the cans filling not with beer, but with THC-infused seltzer. The product, which features the compound that gets cannabis users high, has been a lifeline at Indeed and other craft breweries as alcohol sales have fallen in recent years. But...
Israeli forces kill Palestinian men in West Bank after they appear to surrender
JERUSALEM — Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed “in cold blood.” The Israeli military said it was investigating. The killings, captured in videos shown on two...
Floodwaters subsiding in southern Thailand as deaths exceed 80
BANGKOK — The death toll from severe flooding in southern Thailand climbed to more than 80 people as floodwaters began to subside Thursday, officials said. About 1 million households and more than 3 million people have been impacted by floods triggered by torrential rains in 12 southern provinces, the Department...
Trump says 1 of 2 West Virginia National Guard members shot by Afghan national has died
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the suspect, who had worked with the CIA in his native country, a “savage monster.” As part of a...
Scientists capture crackling sounds of what they believe is lightning on Mars
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover, a French-led team reported Wednesday. The researchers documented 55 instances of...
Putin sees U.S. peace plan as starting point as he warns Ukraine’s army to withdraw
U.S. proposals to end the war between Russia and Ukraine offer a starting point for talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, as he told Ukrainian forces to pull back or be overrun by Russia’s bigger army. “We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters at...
What’s open on Thanksgiving? Not much, as many stores wait for Black Friday
WASHINGTON — With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the holiday shopping season this week, Americans will again gather for Turkey Day meals before knocking off items on their Christmas gift lists. Most big U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day. However, many will open early the following day, Black...
Indonesia intensifies search for victims after floods and landslides kill 69 people
MEDAN, Indonesia — Rescuers searched Thursday in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island left 69 people dead and 59 missing. Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province...
What to know about the Hong Kong apartment fire, which has killed at least 94
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s worst fire in memory was still smoldering in several apartment towers Thursday as firefighters struggled to rescue dozens of people who remained unaccounted for. At least 94 people were known to have died in the blaze that broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court in...
Afghan national charged in Guard ambush shooting drove across U.S. to carry out attack, officials say
WASHINGTON — An Afghan national who worked with the CIA in his native country and immigrated to the U.S. in 2021 drove from Washington state to the nation’s capital where he shot two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C., U.S. officials said Thursday. The suspect had worked...
Telescope in Chile captures stunning new picture of a cosmic butterfly
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butterfly. The National Science Foundation’s NoirLab released the picture Wednesday. Snapped last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in...
Trump says he’s barring South Africa from participating in next year’s G20 summit near Miami
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year at his Miami-area club and will stop all payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a U.S. government representative at this...
2 Virginia brothers allegedly plotted to kill ICE agents, Homeland Security says
Two brothers in Virginia have been arrested after an off-duty police officer overheard the men allegedly discussing plans to kill immigration officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. John Wilson Bennett and Mark Booth Bennett, both U.S. citizens, were arrested late last week on allegations they were planning...
Utah death row inmate with dementia dies 3 months after court blocked his execution
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man who was spared execution this fall after developing dementia during his 37 years on death row died Wednesday of apparent natural causes, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was set to die by firing squad in September, but...
Canada’s prime minister announces supports for lumber, steel sectors hit by U.S. tariffs
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday new supports for the steel and lumber industries hit hard by U.S. tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and softwood lumber, long subject to U.S. tariffs, is currently taxed at 45% after the Trump administration’s hike...
Under a cloud, the Olympic flame begins its journey to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece — The Olympic flame began its journey Wednesday to the Milan Cortina Winter Games — missing a little of its usual magic. Bad weather lashing western Greece forced organizers to move the torch-lighting ceremony indoors, from Olympia’s ancient stadium and temples to a nearby museum. The flame...
Skill games avoid regulation again in Pa. as gambling lobby war intensifies
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — This year’s state budget didn’t pull slot-like skill games out of their legal limbo in Pennsylvania, despite...
2 National Guard members shot in an ambush attack just blocks from the White HouseVideo
WASHINGTON — Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were hospitalized...
Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau appear on state TV saying they have seized power
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau — Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau appeared on state television saying they have seized power in the country, following reports of gunshots near the presidential palace on Wednesday, three days after national elections were held. “The High Military Command for the reestablishment of national and public order decides to immediately...
