DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the country's defense minister said Friday, describing a campaign that will require dismantling a vast network of tunnels used by the territory's militant rulers. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke...
On Day 2 of Multistate Search for Mass Killing Suspect, Maine Residents Shelter Behind Locked Doors
LEWISTON, Maine — Shocked and fearful Maine residents kept to their homes Friday as hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched intensely for Robert Card, an Army reservist who authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in the worst mass killing in state history. Much...
Expert: Number of Adults and Kids Who Have Gotten the New COVID Shots ‘Abysmal’
NEW YORK — A month after federal officials recommended new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten a shot. One expert called the rates “abysmal.” The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from...
Biden a No-Show on the New Hampshire Primary Ballot. What Happens Next?
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden wasn't successful in unseating New Hampshire from the first-in-the-nation primary slot it has held for more than a century, but his campaign’s announcement this week that he won’t appear on the state’s 2024 primary ballot has nonetheless added a new wrinkle to the contest and...
US Government Says It Plans to Go After Legal Goods Tied to Illegal Fentanyl Trade in New Strategy
SAN DIEGO — As overdose deaths continue at a record pace, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a new government-wide strategy Thursday involving scores of agencies that will target the precursor materials used by traffickers to make fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border...
An Increase in Harassment Against Jewish and Muslim Americans Has Been Reported Since Hamas Attacks
Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they’ve seen large increases in reports of harassment, bias and sometimes physical assaults against members of their communities since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Increased Reports of Harassment and Violence The Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations saw increases in reported...
Many Israelis Are Furious at Their Government’s Chaotic Recovery Efforts After Hamas Attack
JERUSALEM — More than two weeks after Hamas militants rampaged through a string of sleepy farming towns, many Israelis are furious at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, not just for failing to prevent the attack, but for failing to come to their aid afterward. Government Infighting and Lack of Aid...
Senate Confirms Biden’s Nominee to Run the Federal Aviation Administration
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 98-0 to approve President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief. Michael Whitaker is a former deputy FAA administrator and most recently served as chief...
Maine’s Governor Says 18 People Killed and 13 Injured in Mass Shootings Wednesday
LEWISTON, Maine — Maine’s governor says 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in shootings in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills made the remarks at a press conference Thursday. A man shot and killed the victims at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston and then fled into the night,...
US Economy Accelerated Last Quarter as Consumers Shrugged off Fed Rate Hikes
WASHINGTON — The nation’s economy expanded at a robust 4.9% annual rate from July through September as Americans defied higher prices, rising interest rates and widespread forecasts of a recession to spend at a brisk pace. The Commerce Department said the economy expanded last quarter at the fastest pace in nearly...