US & Canada

Eight firefighters remained hospitalized Sunday after being hurt in an explosion at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles that sent crews running for their lives when a ball of flames shot out of the building and scorched a fire truck across the street. The blast Saturday evening injured …

Democrats have powered a massive $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill through the House, an election-year measure designed to brace a U.S. economy in free fall and a health care system struggling to contain a pandemic still pummeling the country. Friday’s 208-199 vote, with all but one Republican opposed, advances what …

US President Donald Trump will partially restore funding to the World Health Organization, a month after he ordered a freeze as he accused the Geneva-based body of “mismanaging” the coronavirus pandemic, Fox News reported Friday. The outlet said a draft letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the US …

The US state department’s inspector general, Steve Linick, has become the latest senior official to be fired by US President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump said Mr. Linick no longer had his full confidence and that he would be removed in 30 days. Mr. Linick had begun investigating Secretary of State …

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has hit Nevada, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck 35-miles west-northwest of Tonopah, Nevada, just after 4 am (PDT) on Friday. There have been at least four aftershocks reported. Early morning earthquake felt in DTLA. #earthquake #DTLA pic.twitter.com/2NNPnzd6nu — Sean Ward (@seanpward) May …

U.S. Senator Richard Burr is stepping aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee during an investigation of stock trades he made before the sharp market downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate’s Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Burr contacted him on Thursday morning to inform of his …

Ousted vaccine director Rick Bright urged House members to make sure science — not politics — takes precedence in the US coronavirus response. “We need to unleash the voices of the scientists in our public health system in the United States so they can be heard and their guidances need …

Wall Street’s main indexes fell on Thursday, extending declines for the third straight session, as comments from President Donald Trump renewed worries over Sino-U.S. trade relations and added to concerns of a prolonged economic downturn. Trump said he was very disappointed with China over its failure to contain the novel …

Donald Trump is pressing Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham to call former President Barack Obama to testify about what the incumbent says was a plot to damage his 2016 candidacy then hobble his presidency. “If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about …

Nearly three million workers in the United States filed for unemployment benefits last week as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cause one of the worst stretches of job loss in American history. More than 36 million people have sought unemployment aid since the outbreak began in the US. The unemployment …

The police killing of a 26-year-old emergency health worker in her apartment in Kentucky has triggered a fresh wave of anger in the United States over officers shooting black civilians. Protests under the slogan “Black Lives Matter” have erupted regularly since 2012 over the shootings of unarmed African-Americans, with much-accusing …

Famous American actor and Oscar winner Robert De Niro said he believes that US President Donald Trump does not care how many people die from the coronavirus. “It’s like Shakespearean, the whole thing. You’ve got a lunatic saying things that people are trying to dance around,” De Niro said during …

Raul Luis Lopez is No. 33 on a list that keeps growing. The 39-year-old restaurant deliveryman died last month in a New York hospital. And at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan, he’s part of a devastating tally: Coronavirus Deaths from Our Parish. The list sits on the Rev. Fabian Arias’ …

Health officials are looking into a rare inflammatory syndrome and how it could be impacting children during the coronavirus pandemic. Now 15 states, including New York, are investigating cases that could be linked to Kawasaki disease ⁠– a rare inflammatory condition that often impacts children aged five years or younger …

The veteran doctor, who is part of President Trump’s coronavirus task force, warned that lifting restrictions too early can set the country back both in terms of deaths and economically. Leading US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Tuesday warned Congress that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to …

China-linked hackers are breaking into American organizations carrying out research into COVID-19, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, warning both scientists and public health officials to be on the lookout for cyber theft. In a joint statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security said the FBI …

The FBI has accidentally revealed the name of a Saudi official suspected of providing crucial support to the 9/11 hijackers. The mistake was made in a declaration filed in federal court by Jill Sanborn, assistant director of the US intelligence agency’s counterterrorism division, in response to a lawsuit that accuses …

Support for Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus has plunged over the past week, polls show, as some of his advisers and Republican allies are said to be concerned over the US president’s daily briefings on the pandemic. Trump experienced an upturn in public support as the virus hit the …

California’s state university system, the largest in the United States, canceled classes on Tuesday for the fall semester because of the coronavirus, while Los Angeles County said its stay-at-home order was likely to be extended by three months. The announcements on the West Coast came after the nation’s top infectious …

The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to reject President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal investigation while in office. But the court seemed less clear about exactly how to handle subpoenas from Congress and the Manhattan district attorney for Trump’s tax, bank, and financial records. The …