America

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19 and is isolating at home, the agency said. The secretary has been fully vaccinated and is experiencing only “mild congestion,” DHS said in a statement. The agency said he will work from home under the protocols recommended by the U.S.…

Colin L. Powell, who in four decades of public life served as the nation’s top soldier, diplomat and national security adviser, and whose speech at the United Nations in 2003 helped pave the way for the United States to go to war in Iraq, died on Monday. He was 84.…

The White House announced Thursday afternoon that the U.S. will commit millions of additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the African Union in the coming weeks. The U.S. government plans to share an additional 17 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s shot with the African Union. The…

R. Kelly, the R&B superstar who has long been trailed by accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse, was found guilty in New York on Monday on all counts in a high profile sex-trafficking case, capping a trial that featured hours of graphic testimony from his accusers. Kelly, who has been…

An F-16 fighter jet seen soaring through the Manhattan skies on Tuesday afternoon was sent to intercept a single-engine Cessna plane that entered a restricted flying area, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The incident happened around 2 p.m., several hours after President Biden spoke at the United…

A SpaceX rocket soared into orbit Wednesday evening, carrying four people — none of whom are professional astronauts — and kicking off the first-ever mission to Earth’s orbit crewed entirely by tourists. The launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida was dramatically illuminated with spotlights against the night…

Emmy-nominated actor Michael K. Williams, best known for his role on the Baltimore-based HBO series “The Wire,” has died, a New York police spokesperson confirmed Monday. He was 54. Police said they responded to Williams’ apartment in Brooklyn at 2 p.m. Monday and found him dead. His death was first…

In the aftermath of a ferocious storm caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida that killed over three dozen people across four states, national and local leaders acknowledged on Thursday that extreme weather events posed an urgent and ongoing threat. The storm killed at least 43 people in New York,…

The U.S. military launched a drone strike Saturday targeting a member of an Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate. The Central Command said the strike was launched from Nangarhar province and its target was someone who was believed to have been behind the planning of deadly attacks against the U.S. in…

Former Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York’s first female governor at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. “Honored to be officially sworn in as New York’s 57th Governor,” Hochul tweeted from her new official governor account. The website for the governor of New York was also updated shortly after…