The Columbian

Nation & World

FILE - Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, created to honor the victims killed in the school shooting. The former Uvalde schools police chief and another former officer have been indicted over their role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre in a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, according to multiple reports Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Uvalde school police officer pleads not guilty to charges stemming from actions during 2022 shooting

July 25, 2024, 9:33am Nation & World

A former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer who was part of the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Thursday. Read story

Sgt. Kyrylo Masalitin, known as Maslo, who survived the explosion at the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison two years ago that killed more than 50 Ukrainian POWs, sits for a portrait in Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, July 11, 2024. “In front of my eyes, there were guys who were dying, who were being revived, but it was all in vain,” said Masalitin.

2 years after Ukrainian POW deaths, survivors and leaked UN analysis point to Russia as the culprit

July 25, 2024, 8:09am Latest News

The former prisoners of war still puzzle over the strange events leading up to the night now seared into their memories, when an explosion ripped through the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison barracks and killed so many comrades two years ago. Read story

This photo released by Pingtung Fire Department shows, local residents being evacuated during floods after Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in Pintung county, Taiwan, Thursday, July 25, 2024.

Typhoon Gaemi hits China’s coast after leaving 25 dead in Taiwan and the Philippines

July 25, 2024, 8:09am Nation & World

A strong typhoon made landfall on China’s southeastern coast on Thursday evening after sweeping across the nearby island of Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three dead. Read story

Israeli teen whose motorcycle struck Florida cop gets no jail time, headed to Israel

July 25, 2024, 8:08am Nation & World

The drawn-out saga of an Israeli consular’s son charged with driving his motorcycle into a police officer neared conclusion Wednesday, when a judge was informed the 19-year-old completed terms of a plea deal with the state and was leaving for Israel later that evening. Read story

Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Harris is traveling to Indianapolis to deliver the keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Grand Boul’ event.

Democrats poised to virtually nominate Harris by Aug. 7

July 24, 2024, 7:05pm Nation & World

Democratic National Convention delegates can make Vice President Kamala Harris their presidential nominee — and even start approving her yet-to-be-named running mate — in online voting beginning next week, as the party races to coalesce around a new top of its ticket heading into November. Read story

President Joe Biden arrives to board Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Del., Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Biden is returning to the White House from his Rehoboth Beach home after recovering from a COVID-19 infection.

Biden delivers solemn call to defend democracy as he lays out his reasons for quitting race

July 24, 2024, 6:35pm Latest News

President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Read story

Appeals judges rule against fund used to provide phone services for rural and low-income people

July 24, 2024, 4:27pm Nation & World

Calling it a “misbegotten tax,” a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled Wednesday that a method the Federal Communications Commission uses to fund telephone service for rural and low-income people and broadband services for schools and libraries is unconstitutional. Read story

A digital screen displays Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as she campaigns for President as the presumptive Democratic candidate during an event at West Allis Central High School on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis.

Democrats hope Harris’ bluntness on abortion will translate to 2024 wins in Congress and White House

July 24, 2024, 2:10pm Latest News

President Joe Biden might not often use the word “abortion” when he talks about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but Vice President Kamala Harris sure does. She’s also toured a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic where the procedure is performed and routinely links the fall of Roe to the larger… Read story

The Durkee Fire, seen here at the Huntington Exit off Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon, is burning on 244,842 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

Oregon wildfire is the largest in the U.S.; officials warn an impending storm could make it worse

July 24, 2024, 1:45pm Latest News

Powerful winds and hundreds of lightning strikes from thunderstorms rattled eastern Oregon and Idaho Wednesday afternoon, cutting power and stoking fires, including one in Oregon that is already the largest active blaze in the nation. Read story

In this image released by the USGS agency, a hydrothermal event is seen in Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park in 2009. Yellowstone officials say a similar explosion on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, sent tourists running for cover and destroyed a boardwalk. They say such events are relatively common.

Surprise Yellowstone geyser eruption highlights little known hazard at popular park

July 24, 2024, 10:57am Nation & World

A surprise eruption of steam in a Yellowstone National Park geyser basin that sent people scrambling for safety as large rocks shot into the air has highlighted a little-known hazard that scientists hope to be able to predict someday. Read story