USA

WASHINGTON, May 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden imposed new travel restrictions on India in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States.

The new restrictions, which take effect at 12:01am ET (0401 GMT) on May 4 , are on the advice of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and were imposed because “the magnitude and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic” in India was “surging”, the White House said.

Biden on Friday signed a proclamation implementing the restrictions.

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- About 35 percent of all Americans have been infected with COVID-19 over the past year, according to a new study of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC estimates that from February 2020 to March 2021, 114.6 million Americans were infected with COVID-19, 97.1 million had symptomatic illnesses and 5.6 million were hospitalized with COVID-19.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors are asking a judge to give Derek Chauvin a more severe penalty than state guidelines call for when he is sentenced in June for George Floyd’s death, arguing in court documents filed Friday that Floyd was particularly vulnerable and that Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson is opposing a tougher sentence, saying the state has failed to prove that those aggravating factors, among others, existed when Chauvin arrested Floyd on May 25.

NAVAL STATION PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — In his first major speech as Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin on Friday called for developing a “new vision” for American defense in the face of emerging cyber and space threats and the prospect of fighting bigger wars.

Reflecting President Joe Biden’s promise to put diplomacy first in dealing with foreign policy problems, Austin said the military should provide leverage that diplomats can use to prevent conflict. His comments suggested a contrast with what critics call the militarization of U.S. foreign policy in recent decades.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden plans to veer from the approaches of his two most recent predecessors as he tries to stop North Korea’s nuclear program, rejecting both Donald Trump’s deeply personal effort to win over Kim Jong Un and Barack Obama’s more hands-off approach.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The question of whether to serve a search warrant for Rudy Giuliani’s records simmered inside the Justice Department in the waning months of the Trump administration, dividing officials in New York and Washington and remaining unresolved for a new leadership team to sort out.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is giving 76,000 inmates, including violent and repeat felons, the opportunity to leave prison earlier as the state aims to further trim the population of what once was the nation’s largest state correctional system.

More than 63,000 inmates convicted of violent crimes will be eligible for good behavior credits that shorten their sentences by one-third instead of the one-fifth that had been in place since 2017. That includes nearly 20,000 inmates who are serving life sentences with the possibility of parole.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will address the Democratic Party faithful Saturday as he mounts a campaign to keep his job.

His address to thousands of activists at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention, held virtually, comes on the heels of state elections officials announcing that a preliminary count shows the recall effort against him has enough signatures to make the ballot.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The eight people killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx warehouse will be remembered Saturday during a public ceremony at the downtown football stadium where the Indianapolis Colts play.

The three-hour event, expected to draw thousands to Lucas Oil Stadium, comes two weeks after a former FedEx employee fatally shot the eight people, including four members of Indianapolis’ Sikh community.

MIAMI (AP) — Six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela more than three years ago on corruption charges were granted house arrest on Friday in a gesture of goodwill toward the Biden administration as it reviews its policy toward the politically turbulent South American country.

The partial release of the six employees of Houston-based Citgo was confirmed to The Associated Press by family members of the men.