NEW YORK — The U.S. winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in 15 years. One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, that number was clearly higher than the peak of...
More Active Duty Troops Will Head to US-Mexico Border, Bringing the Total to 3,600
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will deploy roughly 1,500 more active duty soldiers to the southern border to support President Donald Trump’s expanding crackdown on immigration, a U.S. official said Friday. That would eventually bring the total to about 3,600 active duty troops at the border. The order has been approved,...
Spring Training Preview: Dodgers Are Favored to Be MLB’s First Repeat Champion
Miguel Rojas gladly gave up his No. 11 to Roki Sasaki and went back to 72, his jersey as a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie in 2014. “I'm not asking for anything. I have everything that I want in life,” the 35-year-old infielder said. "All I ask for him is trying...
Justice Department Won’t Release Names of FBI Agents Who Worked on Jan. 6 Riot Cases
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has agreed to refrain from publicly identifying any FBI agents whose conduct is under review as President Donald Trump's administration examines the investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, according to a court filing Friday....
Aliens, Sloths and Silliness: Super Bowl Ads Offer Laughs, Celebs and Surprises to Win Over Viewers
NEW YORK — Eugene Levy's trademark eyebrows fly off for Little Caesars. A tongue dances to Shania Twain to promote Nestle's Coffee Mate Cold Foam. And Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunite at Katz's Deli in an ad for Hellmann's. A frenzied mix of silliness and celebrities is hitting the...
Mother Pleads for Britain’s Help in Freeing Son From Egyptian Prison
LONDON — Laila Soueif is a mathematician, a university professor, a political activist. But as she slumped in a folding chair outside the gates of the British prime minister's office on day 129 of a hunger strike, she was just a mother — a mom trying to win freedom for...
Clean Energy Interests Shift Focus to Money and Jobs
WASHINGTON — Saving the planet is so 2024. Clean energy leaders across the globe are now tailoring their messages to emphasize the greener side of green: wealth-building. It's an idea that sells far better in the new world of nationalism and tycoon leaders. Messaging from the U.S. renewable energy industry...
Russia Claims Capture of Eastern Ukraine Town; Kyiv Officials Silent
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that its forces had captured the coal mining town of Toretsk in their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenses are creaking. Ukrainian officials did not immediately make any comments on the Russian claim. A Ukrainian officer in...
Search Underway Along Alaska’s Western Coast for Plane Carrying 10 People
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Rescuers searched Friday for any sign of a plane that went missing while carrying 10 people across Alaska’s Norton Sound south of the Arctic Circle. The U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules crew searched the area between White Mountain and Nome but did not find the missing plane,...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Slips as Consumers Worry About Inflation
U.S. stocks are falling Friday after a discouraging report suggested U.S. consumers are bracing for much higher inflation, while a separate update gave a mixed picture of the U.S. job market. The S&P 500 was 0.6% lower and close to wiping out what had been a modest gain for the...