Biden urges G-7 leaders to call out and compete with China
CARBIS BAY, England — Leaders of the world’s largest economies unveiled an infrastructure plan Saturday for the developing world to compete with China’s global initiatives, but they were searching for a consensus on how to forcefully to call out Beijing over human rights abuses.
Go green or go bipartisan? Biden’s big infrastructure choice
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s hopes of channeling billions of dollars into green infrastructure investments to fight climate change are running into the political obstacle of winning over Republican lawmakers who oppose that approach as unnecessary, excessive spending.
Rash of mass shootings stirs US fears heading into summer
CHICAGO — Two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in mass shootings overnight in three states, authorities said Saturday, stoking concerns that a spike in U.S. gun violence could continue into summer as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize.
Victims of Pulse nightclub massacre remembered 5 years later
ORLANDO, Fla. — The 49 people killed in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida were honored in Orlando and around the world on Saturday, the fifth anniversary of the attack.
Teachers wary of new laws limiting instruction on race
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As middle school teacher Brittany Paschall assembled a lesson plan on the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues, she wondered how she might have to go about it differently next year under a new Tennessee state law that prohibits teaching certain concepts of race and racism.
Travel rebound: 2 million people go through US airports
DALLAS — The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.
Aid groups appeal to G-7 for cash to get shots into arms
FALMOUTH, England — Rich nations must do more than just donate surplus vaccines if they hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic, according to public health experts and humanitarian groups that are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging.
Johnson voices caution over next lockdown easing in England
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a strong hint Saturday that the next planned relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in England this month will be delayed as a result of the spread of the delta variant first identified in India.
Pandemic relapse spells trouble for India’s middle class
NEW DELHI — Ram Babu moved from his village to the Indian capital New Delhi in 1980, to clean cars. Soon, he learned to drive and got a job as a tour bus driver. Decades later, he set up his own company, Madhubani Tours and Travels.
Moscow orders new restrictions as COVID-19 infections soar
MOSCOW — Moscow’s mayor on Saturday ordered a week off for some workplaces and imposed restrictions on many businesses to fight coronavirus infections that have more than doubled in the past week.
Justice Dept., Congress probing Trump seizures of Dems’ data
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s internal watchdog launched an investigation Friday after revelations that former President Donald Trump’s administration secretly seized phone data from at least two House Democrats as part of an aggressive leaks probe. Democrats called the seizures “harrowing” and an abuse of power.
Justice Department will review restrictive GOP voting laws
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, vowing to take action on any violations of federal law.
Bills that could force Big Tech breakups unveiled in House
WASHINGTON — A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business.
Biden to return diverted border wall money, spend down rest
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s signature border wall project would lose much of its funding as well as the fast-track status that enabled it to bypass environmental regulations under a Biden administration plan announced Friday.
Ice shelf protecting Antarctic glacier is breaking up faster
A critical Antarctic glacier is looking more vulnerable as satellite images show the ice shelf that blocks it from collapsing into the sea is breaking up much faster than before and spawning huge icebergs, a new study says.
US vaccine surplus grows by the day as expiration dates loom
In Tennessee and North Carolina, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has slowed down so much that they have given millions of doses back to the federal government, even though less than half of their total populations are vaccinated.
Some J&J vaccine doses can be used, but many must be tossed
U.S. regulators are allowing the release of about 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine from a troubled Baltimore factory, but many more doses can’t be used and must be thrown out.
G-7 pledge to share, but jostle for ground in the sandbox
CARBIS BAY, England — Group of Seven leaders brought pledges to share vaccine doses and make a fairer global economy Friday to a seaside summit in England, where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic should not be allowed to leave a “lasting scar” on the world.
Vaccinated lawmakers get to take off their masks in House
WASHINGTON — Fully vaccinated members of Congress and staffers will no longer have to wear masks on the House floor and in committee rooms, the Office of the Attending Physician said Friday, delighting some GOP lawmakers who have been chafing at the mask-wearing requirements.
Queen Elizabeth honors key women in UK’s rapid vaccine drive
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has used her birthday honors list to celebrate those at the forefront of the U.K.’s rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines over the past few months, which has been credited with turning around the country’s pandemic response.