WASHINGTON — In the coming days, the U.S. military in the eastern Mediterranean is expected to jab one end of a hulking metal dock — the length of five U.S. football fields — into a beach in northern Gaza. And that may be the end of the easy part for...
Family of Navy Veteran Settles for $7.5M After Fatal Police Restraint
SAN FRANCISCO — Family members of a Navy veteran who died in 2020 after a police officer pressed a knee to his neck for nearly five minutes while he was in a mental health crisis have settled a federal lawsuit against the Northern California city of Antioch for $7.5 million,...
‘Mad Max’ Has Lived in George Miller’s Head for 45 Years. He’s Not Done Dreaming Yet.
CANNES, France — Only recently has George Miller realized just how influential his medical education was to the world of “Mad Max.” Miller was briefly a doctor before finding filmmaking and his twin brother, whom he attended university with, remained one. As a resident at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney,...
US Military Reports First Drop in Sexual Assaults After Years of Increase
WASHINGTON — The number of reported sexual assaults across the military decreased last year, and a confidential survey found a 19% drop in the number of service members who said they had experienced some type of unwanted sexual contact, according to new figures obtained by The Associated Press. Both are...
Fewer US Overdose Deaths Were Reported Last Year, But Experts Are Still Cautious
NEW YORK — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Provisional Data and Expert Reactions Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the...
Billionaire Frank McCourt Assembles Consortium to Acquire TikTok
Billionaire businessman and real estate mogul Frank McCourt said he’s putting together a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business, adding to the number of investors hoping to benefit from a new federal law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the popular platform or face a ban. The announcement, made Wednesday, said...
On the Eve of His Visit to China, Putin Says Russia Is Prepared to Negotiate Over Ukraine
BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Open to Dialogue “We are open to...
Manhunt Underway in France for Gang That Killed 2 Officers in Prison Break
PARIS — A massive search was underway in France on Wednesday for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing two prison officers, seriously injuring three others and freeing the inmate they were escorting. The prime minister vowed the gang would be caught, saying, “They will pay.” “We are tracking...
Astronomers Find the Biggest Known Batch of Planet Ingredients Swirling Around Young Star
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the biggest known batch of planet-making ingredients swirling around a young star. Discovery of a Colossal Disk The diameter of this colossal disk is roughly 3,300 times the distance between Earth and the sun, with enough gas and dust...
Red Lobster Closes Dozens of Locations After ‘Endless Shrimp’ Losses. Did Fresno Dodge the Cut?
NEW YORK — Dozens of Red Lobster locations across the U.S. are on the chopping block. Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced this week that it would be auctioning off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed as part of the seafood chain's “footprint rationalization.” The locations...