America in Turmoil News | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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.

Trump administration picks targeted with bomb threats, swatting

Reuters — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 01:21:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet and administration picks were targeted this week with actions including bomb threats and “swatting,” a spokesperson for the transition team said today.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wave of racist texts after election prompts FBI scrutiny

New York Times — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:05:00 +0000

A wave of racist text messages summoning Black people to report for slavery showed up on phones across the United States, prompting the scrutiny of the FBI. The NAACP said that messages were received in nine states, and attorneys general in two other states reported the same Thursday, two days after the presidential election.

Black Americans express fears, resolve after Trump’s victory

Reuters — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

ATLANTA >> Donald Trump’s presidential election victory has sent shockwaves through Black American communities, which voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris despite a campaign by her Republican rival to court Black men.

Donald Trump elected U.S. president in stunning comeback

Reuters — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 23:21:00 +0000

Donald Trump was elected president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House and ushering in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad.

Ex-Ohio police officer convicted in murder of unarmed Black man

Reuters — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> A former Ohio police officer was convicted of murder by a jury today for fatally shooting Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man.

Voting machine firm staff prepare for doxxing, swatting threats

Reuters — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Staff at U.S. voting machine companies have removed public information about themselves from the internet and have made contingency plans with local law enforcement ahead of the 2024 election, after suffering harassment in 2020, according to industry representatives.

Amid cheers for Ohtani, Manzanar’s field honors Japanese Americans

Tribune News Service — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES >> As millions cheered Shohei Ohtani’s debut in the World Series at Dodger Stadium, a couple of dozen ballplayers of Japanese descent gathered last weekend on a dusty field 200 miles north.

Judge refuses to step down from Trump assassination attempt case

New York Times — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 03:59:00 +0000

Aileen M. Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the prosecution of an Oahu man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump, rejected the man’s request that she remove herself from the case, saying on Tuesday that she has no relationship with Trump even though he appointed her to the bench and she has ruled in his favor in a separate criminal matter.

Musk discusses potential assassination risks for Harris, himself

New York Times — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> In speeches to pro-Trump voters across Pennsylvania, Elon Musk has repeated a line he uses about the assassination of Vice President Kamala Harris — saying it would be pointless because she is a “puppet” of unnamed Washington power brokers.

Trump rally begins with vulgar, racist remarks from allies

Reuters — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 23:30:00 +0000

NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA >> Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was set to lead a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden today that began with a series of vulgar and racist remarks by allies of the former president.

Hawaii man charged in Trump assassination attempt seeks judge’s recusal

New York Times — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 02:43:00 +0000

Defense lawyers for the Hawaii man charged with trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his golf course in Florida renewed their efforts today to get the Trump-appointed judge who is handling the case to step down, citing a recent news article saying she is under consideration for a top legal position if Trump wins the election.

Central Park Five sue Trump for defamation over debate remarks

Reuters — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 23:00:00 +0000

The five Black and Hispanic teenagers who were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park sued Donald Trump for defamation today over statements he made at last month’s U.S. presidential debate.

New cases of political violence roil U.S. ahead of election

Reuters — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:40:00 +0000

In York, Pennsylvania, a man accosted a group of people rallying for Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House campaign, punching a 74-year-old man in the head and calling another man a “n— supporter” as he fled.

Meteorologists face death threats amid hurricane disinformation

New York Times — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000

A meteorologist based in Washington, D.C., was accused of helping the government cover up manipulating a hurricane. In Houston, a forecaster was repeatedly told to “do research” into the weather’s supposed nefarious origins. And a meteorologist for a television station in Lansing, Michigan, said she had received death threats.

Republicans condemn hurricane misinformation from their party

Reuters — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 20:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> As U.S. officials struggle to push back against misinformation about natural disasters hitting the country, at least three congressional Republicans condemned conspiracy theories repeated by fellow members of their party.

Ex-Memphis officers guilty of lesser charge in Tyre Nichols death

Reuters — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 22:30:00 +0000

A federal jury convicted three former Memphis police officers of lesser charges today stemming from the 2023 beating death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols, but cleared them of more serious charges that could have resulted in life in prison, local media reported.

Haitian group seeks arrests of Trump, Vance over false claims

Tribune News Service — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:05:00 +0000

A Haitian rights organization is seeking the arrest of former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and running mate JD Vance for false statements about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which has led to a wave of bomb threats and other disruptions in public service in the small Midwestern town.

Colorado supermarket shooter convicted of 10 murders in 2021

Reuters — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:30:00 +0000

DENVER >> The man who killed 10 people in a mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store in 2021 was convicted on Monday of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

FBI: Violent crime decreased in 2023, hate crimes rose

Reuters — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:20:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> Incidents of violent crime in the United States fell by 3% last year, including the largest drop in murder in 20 years, while the number of hate crimes rose, the FBI said in an annual report released today.

4 killed in shooting near University of Alabama

New York Times — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Gunmen opened fire in a popular entertainment district in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, killing four people and wounding at least 18 others, in what appeared to be a targeted attack, police said. Authorities said they were still looking for the shooters.

Vance remarks on Harris are dangerous, White House says

Reuters — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 23:20:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> The White House said today that Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s comments about Vice President Kamala Harris not having faced an assassination attempt were dangerous.

Suspect in assassination attempt was seen as liability to Ukraine, ex-soldier says

Reuters — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 22:34:00 +0000

KYIV, Ukraine >> The suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on GOP presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump was seen as a liability by some soldiers and volunteers in Ukraine, where he offered to recruit Afghans into the Ukrainian military, a former soldier told Reuters today.

Suspect in Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes

Reuters — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 16:07:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >>A man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump was charged with two gun-related crimes in federal court today, a day after being spotted with a rifle hiding in the bushes at the former U.S. president’s golf course in Florida.

Suspect in Trump assassination attempt lived in Hawaii

Allison Schaefers — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:06:00 +0000

The Oahu business owner who was arrested Sunday in connection with an alleged attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Florida was seen as a “rogue” player by some people he worked with in Hawaii to build tiny homes for homeless military veterans.

Reporter revisits earlier interview with Trump golf course suspect

New York Times — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 09:28:00 +0000

Last year I was working on an article about foreign fighters and volunteers in Ukraine. The piece focused on people who were not qualified to be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war and yet were fighting on the front against Russia, with access to weapons and military equipment.

Trump safe after alleged assassination attempt; Man with Hawaii ties arrested

Reuters — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 19:03:00 +0000

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was safe on Sunday after the Secret Service foiled what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Bomb threat triggers evacuation in city tied to Trump rumors

Reuters — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:40:00 +0000

SPRINGFIELD >> The government of Springfield, Ohio, evacuated its city hall today due to a bomb threat, two days after Donald Trump repeated a false claim that put the city at the center of a national debate over immigration.

Alleged white supremacist gangsters face U.S. race war charges

Reuters — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 19:40:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> U.S. prosecutors unveiled criminal charges today against two alleged leaders of a white supremacist gang, accusing them of soliciting attacks on Black, Jewish, LGBTQ people and immigrants in hopes of inciting a race war.

Kentucky shooter at large after wounding at least 7 along highway

Reuters — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 02:57:00 +0000

Kentucky police were searching rugged terrain near a national forest for a suspect after at least seven people were wounded by gunfire while driving down the rural stretch of an interstate highway, officials said on this evening.

Teen, father charged in Georgia school shooting appear in court

New York Times — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 22:00:00 +0000

WINDER, Ga. >> A father and son arrested after Georgia’s deadliest school shooting made their first court appearances half an hour apart this morning, sitting at the same defense table in the same courtroom as a list of grim charges against them were read.

Georgia investigators search for answers after school shooting

Reuters — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 20:30:00 +0000

ATLANTA >> Investigators in Georgia were piecing together how a teenager obtained the semiautomatic rifle he used to carry out a mass shooting at his school and whether there were any additional warning signs after authorities visited his home a year ago.

Georgia high school student, 14, shoots and kills 4, wounds 9

Reuters — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:35:00 +0000

ATLANTA >> A 14-year-old student killed two fellow students and two teachers, while wounding nine others, in a shooting at a Georgia high school today, just weeks after classes began, authorities said.

Texas woman indicted in attempted drowning of 3-year-old Muslim girl

Reuters — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:05:00 +0000

WASHINGTON >> A Texas woman has been formally indicted by a grand jury in the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian American Muslim girl in a May incident that local police said was motivated by racial bias.

Man on trial for killing 10 in Colorado supermarket

Reuters — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0000

DENVER >> Jury selection was set to begin today in the long-delayed trial of a man charged with murdering 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021, a case in which the suspect was ruled mentally unfit to face prosecution before pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.