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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.

Biden team considers blanket pardons to thwart Trump’s threats

New York Times — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 01:55:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> President Joe Biden’s staff is debating whether he should issue blanket pardons for a swath of President-elect Donald Trump’s perceived enemies to protect them from the “retribution” he has threatened after he takes office, according to people familiar with the discussion.

NASA announces further delays for Artemis moon missions

Reuters — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 23:05:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced on Thursday new delays in the U.S. space agency’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, pushing back the next two planned missions including the lunar landing.

Large quake off coast shakes Northern California; no tsunami generated

Star-Advertiser Staff — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:15:00 +0000

UPDATE: 1:15 p.m.

Manhunt underway for killer of UnitedHealth’s Brian Thompson

Reuters — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 18:18:00 +0000

NEW YORK >> New York City police were searching today for the man who killed UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in a brazen attack outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel before fleeing into Central Park.

Trump considers DeSantis for defense secretary as support for Hegseth falters

New York Times — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 18:24:00 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump’s support for Pete Hegseth, whom he announced as his pick for defense secretary shortly after Election Day, is wobbling after a crush of controversy over a rape allegation and a 2018 email from Hegseth’s mother accusing him of a pattern of abuse toward women.

Trump team agrees to FBI background checks for nominees

New York Times — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:45:00 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition operation announced today that it had belatedly signed an agreement with the Justice Department that will allow the FBI to conduct background checks on people Trump intends to appoint as senior officials in his new administration.

Trump’s pick to lead DEA withdraws from consideration

Reuters — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, Chad Chronister, said today he was withdrawing from consideration.

LAPD believes missing Maui woman in Mexico; no foul play suspected

Tribune News Service — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 22:13:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES >> Hannah Kobayashi of Maui is believed to be in Mexico, authorities say.

Trump nominates MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to lead FBI

New York Times — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 01:54:00 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, a hard-line critic of the bureau who has called for shutting down the agency’s Washington headquarters, firing its leadership and bringing the nation’s law enforcement agencies “to heel.”

Storm dumps 2 feet of snow on Northeast, Midwest; more to come

New York Times — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 22:15:00 +0000

More than 2 feet of snow blanketed parts of western New York and Pennsylvania today, as a lake-effect snowstorm disrupted post-Thanksgiving travel and threatened to bring up to 5 feet of snow to some areas by Tuesday morning.

Lake-effect storm to bring several feet of snow to Great Lakes

New York Times — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

A lake-effect storm in the Great Lakes region was expected to bring several feet of snow in areas of Michigan, northern New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania through the weekend, disrupting travel after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Driver kills 3 Florida deputies in ‘gut punch’ to Palm Beach

New York Times — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Law enforcement officials in Palm Beach County, Florida, were planning a memorial for two members of the sheriff’s office who were killed in a crash last week when they learned Monday that a third, who was in critical condition, had died.

L.A. judge postpones hearing on release of Menendez brothers

Reuters — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:00:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES >> A Los Angeles County judge today postponed a hearing over the possible release of Lyle and Erik Menendez after 35 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, saying he wanted to hear from a new district attorney due to take office on Dec. 3.

Emerging details of Chinese hack leave U.S. officials alarmed

New York Times — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 20:47:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Leaders of the top telecommunications companies were summoned to the White House on Friday to discuss a security problem that has been roiling the government: how to expel Chinese hackers from the deepest corners of the nation’s communications networks.

Chinese hackers preparing for potential conflict with U.S.

Reuters — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Chinese hackers are positioning themselves in U.S. critical infrastructure IT networks for a potential clash with the United States, a top American cybersecurity official said today.

Trump picks Pam Bondi for Attorney General after Gaetz withdraws

Reuters — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 02:10:00 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump said today he would nominate former Florida Attorney General and loyalist Pam Bondi to be U.S. Attorney General, moving swiftly to replace his former nominee Matt Gaetz after the embattled former congressman withdrew from consideration.

Second wind storm to pummel Pacific Northwest

Reuters — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:40:00 +0000

A second powerful wind storm, called a “bomb cyclone,” will hit the Pacific Northwest by this evening, even as hundreds of thousands of people remain without power from the torrential rain and snow still falling from the first one.

Man convicted of plotting to kill agents after Jan. 6 probe

New York Times — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 21:30:00 +0000

A Tennessee man who was among the first wave of rioters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted Wednesday of separate charges of plotting to kill the FBI agents who investigated his role in the attack.

U.S. suspends asset-forfeiture program targeting travelers

Reuters — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 18:40:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. deputy attorney general has suspended a controversial civil asset-forfeiture program by the Drug Enforcement Administration that targeted unsuspecting airline passengers and subjected them to potentially unlawful seizures of cash from their bags.

At 17, she just passed the state bar of California

New York Times — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Sophia Park, 17, and her family huddled around her laptop one evening this month as she entered her details onto the State Bar of California’s website and clicked “Check pass list.”

Deadly storm pounds Northwest, leaves half a million without power

Reuters — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

A powerful storm clobbered Washington state today, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people while disrupting road travel and causing at least two deaths and two injuries.

Venezuelan migrant found guilty of killing Laken Riley in Georgia

New York Times — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:00:00 +0000

ATHENS, Ga. >> A 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela was convicted today of murdering Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student whose killing has been repeatedly cited by President-elect Donald Trump in his push for the mass deportation of millions of people in the country without legal permission.

Trump confirms plans to use military in mass deportations

New York Times — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed today that he intended to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military in some form to assist in his plans for mass deportations of immigrants who do not have legal residency status.

New wave of offensive texts targets Hispanic, LGBTQ+ people

New York Times — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:10:00 +0000

A wave of offensive text messages and emails has gone out to Hispanic and LGBTQ+ people in recent days, according to the FBI, coming on the heels of a barrage of racist texts that were sent to Black people in the wake of the election.

Shouting racial slurs, Neo-Nazi marchers shock Ohio’s capital

New York Times — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:05:00 +0000

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, and across the state condemned a small group of people who marched through part of the city on Saturday carrying Nazi flags and shouting racial slurs and expressions of white power.

CDC: Carrots linked to one U.S. death, 39 cases of illness

Reuters — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 23:47:00 +0000

One person has died and at least 39 others made ill by E. coli infections linked to fresh carrots sold by several large grocery retailers in 18 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday.

Berkeley’s toughened stance on homeless camps is a bellwether

New York Times — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 21:25:00 +0000

BERKELEY, Calif. >> Berkeley, California, long associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, has a reputation for erring on the side of compassion when it comes to the enforcement of drug use and homelessness. The city is such a liberal outlier that Vice President Kamala Harris downplayed her origins there as she tried to appeal to moderate American voters this year.

Sources: Trump’s team drawing up list of Pentagon officers to fire

Reuters — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon.

Sexually transmitted infection rates slow, CDC reports

Reuters — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

The number of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States in 2023 was down nearly 2% from the year before, a sign the epidemic could be slowing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego defeats Kari Lake in Senate race

New York Times — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 22:21:00 +0000

PHOENIX >> Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Phoenix-area Democrat and military veteran, has won the Senate race in Arizona, The Associated Press said Monday night — a bright spot for Democrats after Republicans regained control of the chamber.

Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years

Reuters — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:50:00 +0000

BOSTON >> Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for leaking online highly classified military documents, including records related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Biden, Harris honor veterans in first event after election loss

Reuters — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:40:00 +0000

ARLINGTON, Virginia >> President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris honored U.S. military veterans today in their first joint appearance since Harris lost the Democrats’ presidential bid to Republican Donald Trump in last week’s election.

Trump to tap Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, sources say

Reuters — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:37:00 +0000

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. >> Donald Trump is expected to tap U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said today, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the Republican president-elect takes office in January.

FEMA fires employee for telling crews to skip pro-Trump homes

New York Times — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 21:30:00 +0000

An employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired after reports that after Hurricane Milton, the employee told relief workers in Florida to pass over houses with signs supporting Donald Trump, the agency said Saturday.

Donald Trump wins Arizona, sweeping all battleground states

New York Times — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 03:07:00 +0000

PHOENIX >> President-elect Donald Trump has won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes, The Associated Press said, flipping yet another battleground state and adding to his Electoral College tally.

Inside the federal workforce that Trump has promised to eviscerate

New York Times — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 01:17:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The tremors from Donald Trump’s decisive electoral victory have hit every corner of Washington. But their maximum intensity is felt by the capital’s federal workforce, which comprises tens of thousands of mostly anonymous employees not-so-fondly referred to by Trump as “the deep state.”

South Carolina research facility recovers 1 of 43 escaped monkeys

Tribune News Service — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 22:41:00 +0000

COLUMBIA, S.C. >> After 43 monkeys escaped from a South Carolina research facility this week, one has been recovered, the Yemassee Police Department announced today. The animal was unharmed.