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Girl, 14, among those killed in Wisconsin school shooting

Reuters — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 04:00:00 +0000

A 14-year-old girl and a teacher at her private Christian school were named by Wisconsin authorities on Wednesday night as the victims of a school shooter earlier this week.

U.S. suffers 1st severe human case of bird flu; California declares emergency

Reuters — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:38:00 +0000

The U.S. reported its first severe human case of bird flu today in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalized in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock.

Trump pushes for FBI probe of Liz Cheney over Jan. 6 panel

Reuters — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 19:05:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> President-elect Donald Trump today backed a call for the FBI to investigate fellow Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney over her role in leading Congress’s probe of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

Some GOP senators reluctant on Gabbard for spy chief, sources say

None — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 18:07:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Eight Republican senators are unsure about supporting former Hawaii Democratic member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard to become America’s top spy, according to a Trump transition source and a second source with knowledge of the issue, increasing doubts about whether her nomination will secure Senate confirmation.

Luigi Mangione indicted for murder in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting

Reuters — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 23:16:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> Luigi Mangione sought to “sow terror” by shooting dead UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street this month, a New York prosecutor said today in announcing Mangione had been indicted for murder.

Regulator: Half U.S. at high risk of power shortfall in next decade

Reuters — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 20:43:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> About half of the United States is at increased risk of power supply shortfalls in the next decade that could lead to outages and electricity conservation measures, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said on Tuesday.

New York Mayor Eric Adams loses bid to dismiss a bribery charge

Reuters — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 19:58:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> New York Mayor Eric Adams lost a bid to narrow his five-count federal corruption indictment as a judge declined on Tuesday to dismiss a bribery charge related to luxury travel benefits provided by a Turkish official, with the trial set for April.

Long Island serial killer suspect charged in seventh death

New York Times — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:56:00 +0000

Rex Heuermann, the architectural consultant accused in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, was charged with a seventh murder Tuesday morning.

Teen girl’s motive unclear in Wisconsin school shooting

Reuters — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:39:00 +0000

Police in Wisconsin today were interviewing friends and family and examining the online presence of a 15-year-old girl to determine what drove her to open fire in a classroom at her private Christian school, killing a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life.

Gabbard shows ‘momentum’ on Capitol Hill

None — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Despite mostly partisan concern over an apparent closeness to ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and what critics say is a tendency to repeat Kremlin propaganda, it seems former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has found a warm reception on Capitol Hill.

Report: Hannah Kobayashi returns to U.S. from Mexico

Tribune News Service — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:20:00 +0000

Hannah Kobayashi has returned to the United States after disappearing for weeks and then being tracked down in Mexico, according to a report published today.

Luigi Mangione’s defense to hinge on mindset, emotion, evidence

None — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Video. Fingerprints. A weapon. A manifesto. A plan.

Police: Teenage shooter kills student, teacher at Wisconsin school

Reuters — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:50:00 +0000

A teenage student killed a fellow student and a teacher at a Wisconsin school on Monday before police found the suspect dead at the scene of the latest shooting to devastate a U.S. campus, authorities said.

Rhode Island hit by data breach as hackers demand ransom

Reuters — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 22:35:00 +0000

Hundreds of thousands of Rhode Island residents’ personal and bank information, including Social Security numbers, were very likely hacked by an international cybercriminal group asking for a ransom, state officials said on Saturday.

ABC to pay $15M to Trump library to settle lawsuit

Reuters — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 23:15:00 +0000

ABC News has agreed to give $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a lawsuit over comments that anchor George Stephanopoulos made on air involving the civil case brought against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll, a court document filed on Saturday showed.

FBI: Most Northeast drone sightings are actually manned aircraft

Reuters — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 22:28:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Officials from the White House, FBI and DHS today stressed that most of the recent reported drone sightings in New Jersey and nearby states involved manned aircraft, and there was no evidence of any national security threat.

Suspect in UnitedHealth executive murder was not a customer

Reuters — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +0000

The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson was not a customer of the health insurer, a company spokesperson said today.

U.S. flies freed American Travis Timmerman out of Syria

Reuters — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> American citizen Travis Timmerman has been flown out of Syria, where he was imprisoned before being released by rebels this week, a U.S. official said today.

Kennedy lawyer calls for FDA to revoke polio vaccine approval

New York Times — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 18:10:00 +0000

The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.

FBI: No security threat found in New Jersey drone sightings

Reuters — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 23:50:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The White House, FBI and Homeland Security said today they had no evidence that drone sightings reported in New Jersey posed national security or safety threats, despite concerns raised by lawmakers.

Murder charge leads to surge in donations for Luigi Mangione

Reuters — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:30:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> In the days since Luigi Mangione was charged with murder for gunning down a top health insurance executive, more than a thousand donations have poured into an online fundraiser for his legal defense, with messages supporting him and even celebrating the crime.

Hannah Kobayashi’s family offers to return GoFundMe donations

Tribune News Service — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000

The family of Hannah Kobayashi offered to refund online donations after announcing Wednesday that she had been located.

Recent immigration surge has been largest in U.S. history

New York Times — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 02:46:00 +0000

The immigration surge of the past few years has been the largest in U.S. history, surpassing the great immigration boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, according to a New York Times analysis of government data.

Pentagon shoots down East Coast Iranian ‘mothership’ rumors

Reuters — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 22:20:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The Pentagon today flatly dismissed claims by a U.S. lawmaker that Iran might be launching drones over New Jersey from a “mothership” off the East Coast.

Police: Suspect’s notebook describes rationale for CEO killing

New York Times — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare at a company investors’ day, was arrested with a notebook that detailed plans for the shooting, according to two law enforcement officials.

Federal government budget deficit climbs to $367B

Reuters — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:50:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. government posted a $367 billion budget deficit for November, up 17% from a year earlier, as calendar adjustments for benefit payments boosted outlays by some $80 billion compared to the same month in 2023, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday. The Treasury Department said that without the acceleration of December payments for the Medicare and Social Security programs into November, the deficit last month would have been about $29 billion, or 9% lower than last year.

Malibu wildfire rages on, destroys structures in California

Reuters — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:15:00 +0000

Firefighters made some progress in containing a wildfire in the beach community of Malibu, California, on Wednesday, but it continued to threaten several structures, force residents to flee and close schools in the area.

Affirmative action opponents sue U.S. Air Force Academy

Reuters — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:48:00 +0000

The group that successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to ban race-conscious admissions at civilian colleges is expanding its fight to end affirmative action at military academies with a new lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Prominent real estate agents and brothers charged with sex trafficking

New York Times — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:40:00 +0000

MIAMI >> Federal prosecutors in New York City have charged two-star luxury real estate brokers and their brother with participating in a sex trafficking conspiracy. They are accused of drugging, sexually assaulting and raping dozens of women, according to an indictment made public today.

FBI Director Chris Wray to resign amid Trump pressure

Reuters — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:15:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> FBI Director Chris Wray will step down from his post early next year, the bureau said today, after Republican President-elect Donald Trump signaled his intent to fire the veteran official and replace him with firebrand Kash Patel.

California wildfire fueled by high winds forces Malibu evacuations

Reuters — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 21:30:00 +0000

MALIBU, California >> A rapidly intensifying wildfire burning just northwest of Los Angeles forced some residents in Malibu to evacuate as it threatened homes, knocked out power and closed roads in the beach community.

Suspect in UnitedHealth murder to fight extradition to New York

Reuters — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 17:30:00 +0000

ALTOONA, Pennsylvania >> The 26-year-old man accused of gunning down UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan intends to fight his extradition to New York to face murder charges from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, his defense lawyer told a judge at a hearing today.

Webb telescope confirms universe expanding at unexpected rate

Reuters — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 18:45:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Fresh corroboration of the perplexing observation that the universe is expanding more rapidly than expected has scientists pondering the cause — perhaps some unknown factor involving the mysterious cosmic components of dark energy and dark matter.

Former Marine found not guilty in fatal New York subway choking

Reuters — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 18:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> A former U.S. Marine sergeant who used a chokehold to restrain Jordan Neely, a homeless man, on a New York City subway car was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide today in Neely’s death.

NYPD: Suspect arrested in CEO’s killing had ties to Hawaii

New York Times — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:30:00 +0000

A 26-year-old Maryland native whose last known address was in Hawaii was arrested today on gun charges and for questioning in connection with last week’s killing of a health insurance executive in midtown Manhattan that prompted a search up and down the East Coast, the New York Police Department said.

U.S. Supreme Court avoids Hawaii legal fight over gun rights

Reuters — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:40:00 +0000

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected today a Hawaii man’s bid to throw out criminal charges for carrying a pistol while hiking, as the justices declined to review a ruling by the liberal-leaning state’s top court that denounced an expansion of gun rights by the nation’s highest judicial body.

Most serious charge dismissed in New York subway choking trial

New York Times — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 03:40:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> The Manhattan judge overseeing the case of a man accused in the choking death of a mentally ill subway passenger last year dismissed the most serious charge against him this afternoon, leaving jurors to consider a lesser charge when they return to court next week.

Court upholds $1.3B verdict against Alex Jones in Sandy Hook case

Reuters — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A Connecticut appeals court today largely upheld a nearly $1.3 billion defamation verdict against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a case accusing the Infowars founder of spreading lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting.

Police believe gunman who killed insurance CEO has left NYC

Reuters — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> New York City police believe the man who fatally shot a UnitedHealth top executive has left the city, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said today, as the hunt for the gunman passed the crucial 48-hour mark. Brian Thomson, 50, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, was shot in the back on Wednesday in what police described as a targeted attack. Police have released multiple photos of the suspect - who fled the scene, climbed on an electric bicycle and disappeared into Central Park - and have asked the public for help in tracking him down.

U.S. milk supply to be tested for bird flu virus

New York Times — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 20:31:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing the nation’s milk supply for the bird flu virus known as H5N1, nearly a year after the virus began circulating through dairy cattle, the department announced today.