The House Oversight Committee intends to subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents about disruptions in mail delivery operations that are now central to questions over the ability to handle an onslaught of mail-in ballots expected for the November election. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the committee chair, sent a memo Monday saying DeJoy blew past lastRead more
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday rolled back Obama administration rules limiting levels of toxic materials in wastewater released from coal plants, its latest effort to slash environmental regulations for the coal industry as the Trump administration’s first term winds down. The EPA finalized “effluent limitations” for two types of waste from coal plants, a savingsRead more
When the New York Police Department fired an officer last year for putting Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, the officer’s union argued that there was little, if any, precedent within the department’s internal disciplinary system for such a penalty. Now, the nation’s largest police department is spelling out potential ramifications for officer misconduct, unveiling onRead more
With mass protests in Belarus showing no signs of letup following contested presidential elections August 9, the country’s longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko is turning to Russia for his political survival. But behind the Kremlin’s response lies a mix of geopolitical and domestic concerns, as Charles Maynes reports from Moscow. Camera: Ricardo Marquina, Agencies ProducedRead more
Nine weeks from the national U.S. election, President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, sparred Monday over blame for street violence linked to racial injustice and police treatment of minorities that erupted in recent days. Trump tweeted Monday that he plans Tuesday to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, where protests turned violent last weekRead more
A Lebanese diplomat was appointed to form a new government on Monday after winning the backing of major political parties in the crisis-hit country, which is still reeling from a devastating explosion that killed and wounded thousands of people. President Michel Aoun asked Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, to form a new government after he secured 90Read more
Rail officials say thousands of passengers were trapped overnight on high-speed TGV trains that were halted by electrical problems in southwestern France. SNCF, the national rail authority, apologized Monday for what it called “a series of electrical supply incidents” that started Sunday afternoon and disrupted service to Paris. SNCF officials said a train from Hendaye, aRead more
Parts of Pakistan’s commercial hub, Karachi, continued to be submerged Monday, days after record-breaking rainfall caused heavy flooding.”Normal rainfall in Karachi in the month of August is 68 millimeters (6.8 centimeters). This year, we have recorded 587.5 millimeters (58.75 centimeters) so far,” said Muhammad Riaz, the director general of Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.Last Thursday, the cityRead more
India’s former President Pranab Mukherjee died Monday following weeks of hospitalization and a COVID-19 diagnosis. He was 84.Mukherjee was admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on Aug. 10 to remove a blood clot in his brain after he suffered a fall. There, he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease causedRead more
Major mosques and churches reopened in Cairo over the weekend after a more than five-month shutdown. This comes as the number of Egypt’s new COVID-19 cases rise again after weeks of decline.Only a handful of people in this crowded church are wearing masks, despite the priest imploring worshipers to take precautions against the coronavirus.After theRead more
High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. CanSino Biologics’ vaccine, approved for military use in China, is a modified form of adenovirus type 5, or Ad5. The company isRead more
Forty percent of Americans back President Donald Trump’s threat to ban videosharing app TikTok if it is not sold to a U.S. buyer, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national poll, suggesting that many support the effort to separate the social media upstart from its Chinese parent.The poll published Monday, which surveyed 1,349 adult respondents across theRead more
The man who was fatally shot in Portland, Oregon, as supporters of President Donald Trump skirmished with Black Lives Matter protesters was a supporter of a right-wing group called Patriot Prayer, which doesn’t have a big national footprint but is well known in the Pacific Northwest. Patriot Prayer’s founder, Joey Gibson, has held pro-Trump rallies repeatedlyRead more
Italian Police say at least three migrants were killed, six were injured and one is missing after their boat caught fire in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Italy Sunday. Coast Guard video shows the boat in flames and sailors frantically yelling instructions as they try to rescue the migrants in the water. Police say theRead more
High-ranking U.S. and Israeli delegations flew from Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday for a visit to Abu Dhabi, the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates. The flight passed over Saudi Arabia’s airspace — another first for an Israeli commercial flight. Israel and the UAE agreed to establish diplomatic relations earlier this month, with theRead more
Israeli police on Sunday demonstrated a new laser system intended to intercept explosive-laden, wind-guided balloons launched from the Gaza Strip.The new system has an accuracy rate of 90%, Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said, adding that the purpose of it is to protect communities, and prevent deaths and injuries.Israeli military said earlier Sunday that itRead more
Sunday brought continued protests in the northwestern city of Portland, Oregon, along with pledges from the state’s governor to both reinforce police and address the underlying issues that have driven months of demonstrations against racial injustice.One group of protesters went Sunday to a building used by law enforcement, and like many nights during the demonstrations,Read more
In Montenegro, pollster CEMI forecast that the pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of President Milo Djukanovic is narrowly ahead of the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian alliance For the Future of Montenegro after Sunday’s parliamentary election.As neither of the two main political parties will secure the necessary simple majority of 41 deputies in the 81-seat parliamentRead more