Новости за 03.04.2024

Donald Trump has routinely faced protesters as a candidate eight years ago and during his presidency. Thousands regularly demonstrated outside his rallies, blasting his immigration proposals and inflammatory rhetoric. More had voiced their disapproval inside. But as he runs again for a second term on an agenda that is arguably more extreme than the one he ran on then, mass protests are a thing of the past. Instead, it is Trump’s rival, President Joe Biden, who is routinely interrupted and confronted... Читать дальше...

Maryland lawmakers have announced an agreement to resolve differences over proposed tax and fee increases. Top legislative leaders declined to elaborate on details until a news conference later Wednesday. But the agreement appeared to take a far more modest revenue approach than an initial $1.3 billion package proposed by lawmakers in the Maryland House. Senate leaders said that was unnecessary now, as well as too high during uncertain economic times and an election year featuring an unusually competitive... Читать дальше...

Nebraska’s Republican governor is calling on state lawmakers to move forward with a “winner-take-all” system of awarding Electoral College votes. His call Tuesday comes only months before what is shaping up to be a hotly contested presidential election. Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district. Both have done so in recent presidential elections. Both states’ lawmakers have also made moves to switch to a winner-take-all system and have found themselves frustrated. Читать дальше...

The company that owns New Jersey’s three nuclear power plants says it will seek federal approval to operate them for another 20 years. The power plants run by PSEG Nuclear LLC provide nearly half of New Jersey’s electricity. A licensing extension represents a potential hedge against not enough offshore wind projects being available to meet the state’s needs. It would enable the plants to run beyond 2050. PSEG Nuclear wants to extend licenses for the Salem Generating Station Units 1 and 2 and the Hope Creek Generating Station. Читать дальше...

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert underwent surgery Tuesday in Colorado for a blood clot in her leg. The congresswoman's campaign said she is expected to make a full recovery. Boebert, a MAGA rabble-rouser, has represented the same Colorado House district since 2020. She is also running in the Republican primary race to fill former Rep. Ken Buck’s seat in a different district across the state. The congresswoman was admitted to a hospital in northern Colorado on Monday after severe swelling in her left leg. Читать дальше...

Biden made the announcement Wednesday during a nationally televised appearance.

A floating crane that’s been hauling away shattered steel from a collapsed Baltimore bridge played a much different role during the Cold War. In the early 1970s, it helped to build a specialized ship that would raise a portion of a sunken Soviet submarine. The barge’s powerful crane hoisted into the ship the heavy machinery that was vital to the high-stakes heist. The equipment included a mechanical claw and a heavy duty hydraulic system. The crane barge was called the Sun 800 back then. But it's since been christened the Chesapeake 1000. Читать дальше...

U.S. safety regulators have closed an investigation into complaints that steering wheels can fall off of some Toyota SUVs without seeking a recall.

A new poll finds that most Americans share many core values on what it means to be an American despite the country’s deep political polarization. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 9 in 10 U.S. adults say the right to vote, the right to equal protection under the law and the right to privacy are important or very important to the U.S.’s identity as a nation. The findings are striking because they come at a time of extreme partisanship when political agreements seem rare. Читать дальше...

Inflation has fallen again in Europe, to 2.4% in March. It's welcome news for consumers since spikes in food prices have eased. The annual figure for the 20 countries that use the euro currency has come in below what financial markets expected and marks a decline from 2.6% in February. The figures released Wednesday mean the European Central Bank is getting closer to achieving its goal of 2% inflation. Analysts say the decline keeps the ECB on track for an interest rate cut in June. The pressure... Читать дальше...

Asian shares are mostly declining after Wall Street broke its record-breaking run-up. Benchmarks dropped in Wednesday afternoon trading in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Analysts say the worries that rattled Wall Street may spread to Asia. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1%, and the Nasdaq composite gave back 1%, as expectations grew that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates fewer times than expected this year. Concerns have also grown that the... Читать дальше...

Officials say the aftermath of last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio doesn’t qualify as a public health emergency because widespread health problems and ongoing chemical exposures haven’t been documented. The Environmental Protection Agency never approved that designation after the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment even though the disaster forced the evacuation of half the town of East Palestine and generated many health fears. EPA's response coordinator says the agency's tests... Читать дальше...

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century damaged buildings and left at least four people dead. Damage was reported around the island but tsunami threats in Taiwan and Japan have been lifted. Taiwan authorities said four people died in Hualien County near the epicenter. A five-story building in Hualien appeared heavily damaged and residents were helped out of windows. Scattered minor damage was apparent in Taipei, the capital. Landslides and debris closed highways on the east coast. Schools evacuated students to sports fields... Читать дальше...

In the moments before the cargo ship Dali rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and sent it crumbling into the water, a flurry of urgent warnings crackled over radios and enabled police to block traffic from getting on the span, likely saving lives. But those warnings seemingly didn’t reach the six construction workers who were killed in last week’s collapse of the Baltimore bridge. Their deaths have raised questions about whether the construction company took proper precautions, including keeping... Читать дальше...

As travel continues to boom following pandemic-related slumps, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding the use of technology to process the ever-growing number of passengers. During fiscal year 2023, the agency processed nearly 400 million travelers at the ports of entry. That’s a 24% increase over the previous year. When looking at the country’s top 20 airports by passenger volume, officers processed 31% more travelers while average wait times increased 11%. To speed movement through the airports... Читать дальше...

Voters in four states weighed in on their parties’ presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations. Biden and Trump easily won primaries in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin. Their victories add to their delegate hauls for their party conventions this summer. The outcomes were not surprising but nevertheless offer clues about enthusiasm among base voters for the upcoming 2020 rematch that... Читать дальше...

Thousands of homes and businesses are without power as severe weather roars through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornados. A strong weather system in northeastern Oklahoma with heavy rains produced three suspected tornadoes. The storms were blamed for the death of a 46-year-old homeless woman in Tulsa who died inside a drainage pipe. In Ohio, firefighters rescued two people who were trapped under a bridge when the waters of an Ohio river began rising. Meanwhile in Wisconsin... Читать дальше...

Donald Trump is suing two co-founders of Trump Media & Technology Group, the newly public parent company of his Truth Social platform, arguing that they should forfeit their stock in the company because they set it up improperly. The former president’s lawsuit, which was filed on March 24, follows a complaint filed in February by Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, who asked a Delaware court to block Trump from taking steps the two said would sharply reduce their 8.6% stake in Trump Media.

Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations Wednesday in the corruption trial of a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Buffalo. Joseph Bongiovanni is charged with accepting cash bribes to shield suspects with connections to organized crime. Federal prosecutors say Bongiovanni accepted more than $250,000 in bribes to derail drug investigations and to protect a strip club owned by a childhood friend that prosecutors say was a haven for drug use and sex trafficking. Bongiovanni denies the charges. Читать дальше...

The largest fresh egg producer in the U.S. says it has stopped production at a plant in the Texas Panhandle after bird flu was found in the flock and the same infection was found in Michigan. Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods said Monday it destroyed 1.6 million laying hens and 377,000 pullets at the Texas facility on the Texas-New Mexico border. The state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the infection was found in a commercial poultry facility in Michigan. Cal-Maine says the... Читать дальше...

Houston’s police chief is declining to say if recent revelations that more than 264,000 cases filed with Houston police in the past eight years were dropped speak to broader problems within his agency. During a nearly two-hour meeting Tuesday with reporters and local community leaders, Chief Troy Finners said his department has lost public trust. In February, Finner announced thousands of incident reports, including for sexual assault, were never submitted for investigation. Instead, officers assigned... Читать дальше...

Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a bill that would raise the state’s sales tax by 1 cent to 6.5% on every taxable dollar spent. That would make it among the highest in the country. The bill would raise the state’s current 5.5% sales tax and expanding it to include more services. It would also add new taxes to candy and soda pop and would tax hemp and CBD products at 100%. It has drawn criticism from left-leaning lawmakers who oppose what they see as taxes targeting lower-income resident. It's also... Читать дальше...

A company that provides services for immigrants in federal detention has been ordered to pay more than $811 million in restitution and penalties in a lawsuit alleging it used deceptive and abusive tactics. A judgement filed Tuesday in federal court says Nexus Services must pay restitution to federal authorities and penalties to New York, Virginia and Massachusetts. It must also pay more than $111 million in civil penalties. State and federal officials say the company promised to secure immigrants’... Читать дальше...