Wall Street will be focused on Coinbase Wednesday with the digital currency exchange becoming a publicly traded company. Coinbase is making its initial public offering of stock with cryptocurrency chatter seemingly everywhere, even at the U.S. Federal Reserve. It is being incorporated into the business plans and accepted by major...
Biden on Afghanistan: ‘Time to End America’s Longest War’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden says the Sept. 11 attacks “cannot explain” why U.S. forces should remain in Afghanistan 20 years later and that “it is time for American troops to come home” from the country's longest war. Biden, in excerpts of a speech to the nation he plans later...
Ponzi Schemer Bernie Madoff Dies in Prison at 82
NEW YORK — Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of an epic securities swindle that burned thousands of investors, outfoxed regulators and earned him a 150-year prison term, died in a federal prison early Wednesday. He was 82. Madoff's death at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, was confirmed...
California Closes Prison That Trains Firefighters
SACRAMENTO — A decade after prison crowding forced California to realign its criminal justice system, the population in what once was the nation's largest state correctional system has shrunk to the point where officials announced Tuesday they will close one of two inmate firefighter training centers. The California Correctional Center...
Judge Refuses Request to Acquit Chauvin in Floyd’s Death
MINNEAPOLIS — The judge at Derek Chauvin’s murder trial Wednesday turned down a defense request to acquit the former officer in George Floyd's death, rejecting claims that prosecutors failed to prove Chauvin's actions killed the Black man. Judge Peter Cahill pressed on with the case after Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson...
‘Prime Suspect’ in Kristin Smart’s 1996 Disappearance Arrested
The “prime suspect” was arrested Tuesday in the 25-year-old disappearance of college student Kristin Smart and the San Luis Obispo sheriff planned to announce “major developments” in the case. Paul Flores, 44, who was the last person seen with Smart before she vanished in 1996, was taken into custody in...
Cop, Police Chief Resign 2 Days After Black Motorist’s Death in Minnesota
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb and the city's chief of police resigned Tuesday, moves that the mayor said he hoped would help heal the community and lead to reconciliation after two nights...
Pressure Builds to Fire Minnesota Officer who Killed Wright
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — The pressure built Tuesday to fire the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed a 20-year-old Black man during an altercation after a traffic stop, a shooting authorities said was a tragic mistake but that family members of Daunte Wright and others pointed to as yet the...
Pope Asks US Bishop to Resign After Cover-Up Investigation
ROME — Pope Francis asked a bishop in the U.S. state of Minnesota to resign after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said Tuesday. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner on Tuesday and...
Official: Iran to Enrich Uranium to 60%, Highest Level Ever
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran will begin enriching uranium up to 60% purity after an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, a negotiator said Tuesday, pushing its program to higher levels than ever before though still remaining short of weapons-grade. The announcement marks a significant escalation after the sabotage...