North America

WASHINGTON, March 7. /TASS/: The US Department of State has confirmed in response to the Russian Embassy’s request that there are four Russian citizens on board the Grand Princess cruise ship where 21 novel coronavirus cases had been confirmed, the embassy’s press service reported.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Friday asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a ruling that prevented the panel from compelling a former Senior White House lawyer to testify about his role in President Donald Trump’s efforts to impede the Mueller investigation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A draft interim report from Ethiopian crash investigators circulated to U.S. government agencies concludes the March 2019 crash of a Boeing Co (BA.N) 737 MAX was caused by the plane’s design, two people briefed on the matter said Friday.

Unlike most interim reports, this one includes a probable cause determination, conclusions and recommendations, which are typically not made until a final report is issued.

SAN JOSE, March 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US woman on a tourist trip to Costa Rica has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first confirmed case in Central America, the country’s health minister said Friday.

The 49-year-old woman had contracted the virus before entering the country on March 1, Health Minister Daniel Salas said.

The woman is currently “in strict isolation” in a hotel in the capital San Jose with her husband — who Salas said had contact with people in New York who had tested positive for the virus.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX successfully launched another load of station supplies for NASA late Friday night and nailed its 50th rocket landing.

The Falcon rocket blasted off with 4,300 pounds (1,950 kilograms) of equipment and experiments for the International Space Station. Just minutes later, the spent first-stage booster made a dramatic midnight landing back at Cape Canaveral, its return accompanied by sonic booms.

WASHINGTON, March 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopian crash investigators circulated to U.S. government agencies concludes the March 2019 crash of a Boeing Co 737 MAX was caused by the plane’s design, two people briefed on the matter said Friday.

Unlike most interim reports, this one includes a probable cause determination, conclusions and recommendations, which are typically not made until a final report is issued.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — At a funeral service last month, Jannie Jones locked eyes with Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn across the church sanctuary and crooked a finger, beckoning him to come over to the pew where she sat. She had a question, but she didn’t want to ask it out loud.

The House majority whip bent down so the 76-year-old Jones could whisper in his ear: “I need to know who you’re going to vote for,” she asked.

Clyburn whispered back, “Joe Biden.”

Giving Clyburn a thumbs up, Jones wondered if he’d endorse the former vice president publicly.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday toured a neighborhood reduced to rubble by a tornado earlier this week and marveled at “the tremendous heart” he witnessed. He also offered a message for survivors and those who lost family members: “We love them, they’re special people,” he said.

Trump assumed the role of national consoler as he traveled to Tennessee. Trump surveyed devastated communities in Putnam County, where a tornado tore a 2-mile-long path, killing 18 people, including five children under 13. Many more people were injured, some critically.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The display of a Nazi flag by a man at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Arizona drew condemnation from Jewish American groups and his main rival in the Democratic presidential primary on Friday amid ongoing worries about Democratic candidates’ security at public events.

PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. government says it is sending 160 military police and engineers to two official border crossings to deal with asylum seekers in case a federal appeals court strikes down one of the Trump administration’s key policies.