WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will retire at the end of February. Trump says on Twitter that a new secretary of defense will be named soon. Trump’s announcement comes a day after he surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed an extensive criminal justice bill that will reduce some of the harshest sentences for federal drug offenders and boost prison rehabilitation programs, handing President Donald Trump a legislative victory amid the turmoil over how to avoid a partial government shutdown. The bill addresses concerns that the nation’s war…
LONDON (AP) — The Latest on London airport closure because of drones (all times local): 3:20 p.m. A body that represents British air traffic controllers says regulators have repeatedly ignored its calls for tougher measures against drones near aircraft. The Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers says it has urged geofencing — the use of…
BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrians have gathered outside the headquarters for the U.S.-led coalition in northern Syria to protest Turkish threats of an imminent offensive. The protesters congregating in Jalabiya southeast of Kobani city are demanding a clear stance from the coalition on threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to strike at U.S.-backed…
St. Louis, MO (KTRS) A firefighter is recovering after being injured while battling a fire an early morning in south St. Louis. Firefighters were called to a burning apartment building in the 4200 block of Botanical in the Shaw neighborhood Thursday morning. Authorities say the firefighter fell through a floor. He was taken to an area…
St. Louis, MO (KTRS) Two murders in the city of St. Louis are being investigated. Police say a woman was stabbed to death at just before midnight Wednesday in the 1900 block of Benton in north St. Louis. The victim’s name hasn’t been released. There’s no word on a motive or of any arrests. At…
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says her office has found 500 more Catholic clergy accused of sexually abusing children than the state’s six archdioceses have publicly identified. In a blistering rebuke of the church’s handling of the crisis, Madigan’s office says its preliminary findings have revealed the state’s six dioceses have done…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is creating a committee to try to ensure everyone in Missouri gets counted in the 2020 census. Parson said Wednesday that the committee will heighten awareness about the census and coordinate community outreach efforts in hard-to-count areas. The governor said an accurate census count is important…
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, SUSANNAH GEORGE and CATHERINE LUCEY , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will soon withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops from Syria, a U.S. official said Wednesday as President Donald Trump declared victory in the mission to defeat Islamic State militants there. Planning for the pullout has…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Republican Josh Hawley will serve on the Judiciary, Armed Services and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees when he takes office in the U.S. Senate next month. Hawley announced the committee assignments Wednesday. He also will serve on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Special Committee on Aging.…