WASHINGTON — As the Biden administration grapples with an increasingly tense and unstable situation in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region this weekend for the fourth time in three months on a tour expected to focus largely on easing resurgent fears that the...
17-Year-Old Kills a Sixth-Grader, Wounds 5 in Iowa School Shooting
PERRY, Iowa — A 17-year-old opened fire at a small-town Iowa high school on the first day of school after the winter break, killing a sixth-grader and wounding five others as students barricaded in offices and fled in panic. The suspect, a student at the school in Perry, died of...
SF Finally Installs Nets to Stop Golden Gate Bridge Suicides
SAN FRANCISCO — Kevin Hines regretted jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge the moment his hands released the rail and he plunged the equivalent of 25 stories into the Pacific Ocean, breaking his back. Hines miraculously survived his suicide attempt at age 19 in September 2000 as he struggled...
Blast Kills 12, Mostly Children, in Gaza Area Declared a Safe Zone by Israel
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike flattened a home Thursday in an area of southern Gaza that the military had declared a safe zone as Israeli troops pressed their assault in the nearby city of Khan Younis. Palestinian hospital officials said the blast killed at least 12 people, almost...
Jeffrey Epstein Sex Scandal Documents: Read Them for Yourself
NEW YORK — The release of dozens of previously sealed court documents from a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein might disappoint online sleuths who anticipated explosive new information. The 40 documents released late Wednesday largely mention figures whose names were already known, including high-profile friends of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken...
Trump’s Vows to Deport Millions Undercut by His White House Record and One Family’s Story
Noelia Sanchez was born in the rolling farmlands of southwest Missouri, where her Mexican parents worked as seasonal farmworkers in the 1950s. When she was 1, Noelia and her mother, Aurora, who had no work documents, were rounded up with dozens of other immigrants in a Texas town near the...
Rescuers Race Against Time in Search for Survivors in Japan After Powerful Quakes Leave 73 Dead
SUZU, Japan — Japanese rescue workers and canine units searched urgently through rubble Wednesday ahead of predicted bitter cold and heavy rain in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes killed at least 73 people in western Japan. Fifteen people were listed as officially missing...
Imam Killed Outside New Jersey Mosque. Shooter Remains at Large.
A New Jersey imam was gunned down outside his mosque before dawn Wednesday, leaving authorities hunting for a shooter and saying they've found no evidence yet that an anti-Muslim bias played a part in the shooting. Imam Hassan Sharif was in his car when he was shot more than once...
Jewish Protesters Calling for Cease-Fire in Gaza Disrupt First Day of California Legislative Session
SACRAMENTO — Hundreds of protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza interrupted the first day of California's legislative session on Wednesday, forcing the state Assembly to adjourn just moments after convening. Lawmakers had just listened to the opening prayer and said the Pledge of Allegiance when protesters wearing matching black...
Jeffrey Epstein Court Records Set for Release, but They Aren’t a Client List
NEW YORK — Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that a judge is about to release a list of clients or co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. There is no such list...