Families of Syria detainees hope for news amid US sanctions

BEIRUT (AP) — Alaa Arnous and his family found the photo of his father Mohammed online last week, the first proof of his fate since he was seized by Syrian government forces seven years ago. The image showed his corpse, his face battered and bruised, his mouth hanging open. The elder Arnous was among...

The Latest: Calif gov warns local officials on enforcement

LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning local elected officials that they risk losing state funding if they don’t enforce health orders as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. Newsom has rolled back or limited some businesses reopening in Los Angeles and 20 other counties, now including...

New outbreaks push inmate coronavirus cases past 50,000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past the 50,000 mark last month, as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier in the pandemic. At the end of June, the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had...

Turkey: pilots on trial over Ghosn escape released from jail

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Friday released four pilots and a private airline official from jail, pending the outcome of their trial on charges of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon, via Turkey. The court, however, barred the five from leaving Turkey and...

Judge: NY lockup's COVID-19 response lacked common sense

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan federal lockup failed to implement common-sense measures to protect prisoners after a COVID-19 outbreak infected dozens of inmates at the facility, a judge said Thursday. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said four inmates who sued over conditions at the Metropolitan...

Priest sues to stop federal execution over coronavirus risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Zen Buddhist priest, who is a spiritual adviser to one of three federal death row inmates scheduled to be executed this month, filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing the Bureau of Prisons is putting him at risk for the coronavirus by moving forward with executions during a nationwide...

California officials blasted for prison coronavirus outbreak

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers harshly criticized state corrections officials' “failure of leadership” Wednesday, saying they botched their handling of the coronavirus pandemic by inadvertently transferring infected inmates to a virus-free prison, triggering the state’s...

Washington state prison reports 220 confirmed COVID-19 cases

TRI-CITIES, Wash. (AP) — About 220 officers and inmates at a Washington state prison have tested positive for COVID-19, nearly doubling since restricting movement in its medium-security unit last month. The state Department of Corrections brought in the Washington National Guard last week to administer...

Supreme Court refuses to block upcoming federal executions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday refused to block the execution of four federal prison inmates who are scheduled to be put to death in July and August. The executions would mark the first use of the death penalty on the federal level since 2003. The justices rejected an appeal from four...

Supreme Court rejects appeal from federal inmates facing executions in July, August