US & World News

Eagles fan Accused of Punching Police Horse Sues Team, Cops

The Eagles Wont Comment on Pending Legal Action

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger via AP, File) PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A Philadelphia Eagles fan accused of punching a police horse and a mounted officer before the Eagles’ NFC championship victory is suing the team and police, claiming he didn’t strike the horse and he was beaten for no reason. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the lawsuit Andrew Tornetta filed Wednesday alleges assault…

Trump Says he’s Giving Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will pardon conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud. Trump tweeted Thursday: “Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!” D’Souza was sentenced in 2014 to five years of probation after he pleaded guilty to violating federal election…

Sears to Close Another 72 Stores as Sales Plunge

The List of Stores is Expected to be Announced Thursday Afternoon

NEW YORK (AP) – Sears is closing another 72 stores after reporting a first-quarter losses and plunging sales. The struggling retailer said Thursday that it has identified about 100 stores that are no longer turning profits, and 72 of those locations will be shuttered soon. The list of store closings is due to be announced mid-day Thursday. Sears Holdings Corp.,…

US Going Ahead With Steel, Aluminum Tariffs on EU, Canada and Mexico

The Move Sure to Raise Worries of Trade war

(AP Photo/Francois Mori)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. The move is sure to raise worries of a trade war with American allies. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says there will be a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum….

Minnesota Sues Arizona-Based Opioid Manufacturer

Multiple States Have Sued Insys

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is suing an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company alleging that it illegally marketed a painkiller made from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses drugmaker Insys Therapeutics of encouraging physicians to prescribe the painkiller Subsys at higher doses than recommended. The drug is used to manage pain for cancer patients,…

Walmart Offers Employees new Perk: Cheap Access to College

Walmart is Subsidizing the Cost of Tuition, Books and Fees

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is offering its employees a new perk: affordable access to a college degree. America’s largest private employer, which in the past has helped its workers get their high school or equivalency degrees, hopes the new benefit will help it recruit and retain higher quality entry-level employees in a tight U.S. labor market. The company is…

Weinstein Won’t Testify Before Grand Jury in Rape Case

Weinstein Declined to Testify Before the New York Grand Jury

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein declined Wednesday to testify before the New York grand jury that is weighing whether to indict him on rape and other sex charges, with his lawyers saying there wasn’t enough time to prepare and “political pressure” made an indictment unavoidable. A statement issued through a Weinstein spokesman said the former movie mogul…

Russian Journalist Reported Killed in Ukraine Shows up Alive

The Journalist was Scathingly Critical of the Kremlin

(AP Photo/Alexander Baroshin) MOSCOW (AP) — Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko turned up at a news conference in the Ukrainian capital Wednesday less than 24 hours after police reported he had been shot and killed at his Kiev apartment building. The country’s security services said Babchenko’s death was faked to foil a plot to take his life. Ukrainian police said Tuesday…

Trump Announces new Tariffs on Chinese Technology

The U.S. Will Impose a 25 Percent Tariff

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is announcing that it will impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods containing “industrially significant technology.” The White House said Tuesday that the tariff will cover goods related to the “Made in China 2025” program. The full list of imports that will be covered will be…

Starbucks Closing Over 8,000 Stores for Anti-Bias Training

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)(AP) – Starbucks is closing more than 8,000 U.S. stores for a few hours Tuesday to conduct anti-bias training in the company’s latest effort to deal with the fallout over the arrest of two black men at one of its shops in Philadelphia. After the incident last month, the coffee chain’s leaders apologized and met with the men…

Trump Said to be ‘Actively Preparing’ for Summit

Last Week Trump Withdrew From the Planned Summit

(AP PHOTO)WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Donald Trump “continues to actively prepare” for the president’s “expected summit” with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House on June 7. She says Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s…

US Mint Prepares to Release Voyageurs National Park Quarter

This Will be the 43rd Coin in the America the Beautiful Series

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) – Voyageurs National Park and the U.S. Mint will hold festivities next month to mark the release of a commemorative quarter honoring the park on Minnesota’s northern border. The Voyageurs quarter is part of a series of 56 commemoratives highlighting America’s national parks. It shows a loon with a rock cliff in the background. The Mint…

Emails Show Collaboration Among EPA, Climate-Change Deniers

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials collaborating with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Administrator Scott Pruitt’s stewardship of the agency. The emails were obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund and the…

Newly Adopted 1-Year-old Dies After Being Left in hot Truck

The Parents had Recently Adopted the Girl

photo: twitterNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Authorities say a recently adopted 1-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot truck. News outlets cite a release from Metro Nashville police saying the adoptive father “reportedly forgot” about the child after dropping off her sibling at day care between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday. The girl’s adoptive mother…

Fiat Chrysler Warns 4.8M Owners: Don’t use the Cruise

No Crashed or Injuries Have Been Reported

(AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)DETROIT (AP) – Fiat Chrysler is recalling 4.8 million vehicles in the U.S. because in rare circumstances, drivers may not be able to turn off the cruise control. The company is warning owners not to use cruise control until the cars, SUVs and trucks can be fixed with a software update. The recall includes 15 Jeep, Dodge,…

Gunman Shoots Three Inside Oklahoma Restaurant

The Gunman Entered Louie’s On The Lake Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday

(Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP)OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside an Oklahoma City restaurant during the dinner rush, wounding a woman and two girls before two armed citizens shot him dead outside, police said Friday. The suspected gunman, 28-year-old Alexander Tilghman, was armed with a pistol when he entered Louie’s On The Lake around 6:30 p.m. on…

Explosion in Canadian Restaurant Wounds 15 People

Three People had to be Rushed to a Nearby Trauma Center

(Doug Ives/The Canadian Press via AP)TORONTO (AP) – Canadian police say an explosion set off deliberately in a restaurant has wounded at least 15 people, some of them critically. Peel region police said the explosion was caused by an “improvised explosive device” that was set off by two people who then fled the scene in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga….

Weinstein Faces sex Charges in Prosecution Amid #MeToo

The Fim Producer Vehemently Denies the Allegations

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)NEW YORK (AP) – A lawyer representing one of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims called his arraignment on criminal charges “an emotional moment.” Attorney Carrie Goldberg represents former actress Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in his office in 2004. Weinstein was charged Friday with attacking Evans and raping another, unidentified woman at a…

Morgan Freeman Apologizes in Wake of Harassment Accusations

In Total 16 Women Have Spoken out About Freeman

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman apologized on Thursday to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior, after CNN reported that multiple women have accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am…

Trump: Military Ready to Respond to North Korea

Trump Says U.S. Military is 'Ready if Necessary'

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says the U.S. military is “ready if necessary” to respond to “foolish or reckless acts” by North Korea. Trump also says he’s been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies are willing to bear much of the financial burden “if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.” Trump on…

One Injured in Minnesota Police Shooting

No Officers Were Hurt

CRYSTAL, Minn. (AP) – A police shooting in a suburban Minneapolis neighborhood has sent one person to the hospital with nonlethal injuries. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the shooting happened at a home in Crystal Wednesday night. The agency says the person is being treated at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale and is expected to live. The…

Trump Suggests NFL Players who Kneel Shouldn’t be in US

Trump: "Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country"

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump praised an NFL policy banning kneeling during the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” saying that “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country” if you don’t stand for the anthem. Trump spoke to “Fox & Friends” in an interview that aired Thursday. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field…

Trump Cancels North Korean Summit, Citing `Tremendous Anger’

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is canceling the planned June 12 summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, citing the “tremendous anger and open hostility” in a recent statement from North Korea. Trump says in a letter to Kim released Thursday by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was “inappropriate, at this time, to…

North Korea Demolishes Nuclear Site Ahead of, now Canceled, Trump Summit

Trump Canceled the Planned June 12 Summit Thursday Morning

(Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via A, File) PUNGGYE-RI, North Korea (AP) — Just weeks ahead of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish North Korea’s nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked…

New NFL Anthem Policy Announced

The Players Were not Part of the Discussions

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)ATLANTA (AP) – NFL owners have approved a new policy aimed at ending the firestorm over national anthem protests, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field. The decision was announced Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the league’s…

Judge Says President Can’t Block Critics on Twitter

The Case was Brought Last July

(AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter for political speech, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan stopped short in her written decision of ordering Trump or a subordinate to stop the practice of blocking critics from viewing his Twitter account,…

Trump Urges Nations to Cooperate on Immigration

Trump Accuses Countries of Failing to do Enough

(AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he’s working on a plan to deduct aid from countries that don’t cooperate with U.S. immigration authorities and refuse to accept deportees. Trump says during an immigration roundtable on Long Island that every time someone tries to come into the U.S. illegally from one of the countries that receives aid, “We’re going…

911 Call: ‘I got Attacked by a Mountain Lion, my Friend too’

One Victim was bit on the Head

SEATTLE (AP) – Recordings of emergency calls about a fatal cougar attack in Washington state Saturday detail how a dispatcher calmly struggled to figure out where it occurred and how worried the surviving victim was about his friend. Isaac Sederbaum was mountain biking with friend S.J. Brooks on logging roads in the Cascade Mountain foothills east of Seattle when they…

USC Sued Again Over Doctor Accused of Misconduct, President Urged to Resign

Tyndall has Denied Wrongdoing in Interviews with the Los Angeles Times

(AP Photo/Richard Vogel) LOS ANGELES (AP) – A University of Southern California student is suing the school and an ex-campus gynecologist who she accuses of sexual battery. The lawsuit filed Tuesday is the latest targeting Dr. George Tyndall, who worked at a USC clinic for 30 years before resigning in 2017. Tyndall has denied wrongdoing in interviews with the Los…

Minnesota man Injured in Home Explosion

Authorities are Investigating the Incident

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A western Minnesota man is being treated for injuries caused by an explosion at a home in Benson. The Swift County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old Brian Orsten of Benson was injured by the blast Monday afternoon, which required him to be airlifted to Minneapolis. He is being treated at HCMC and on Tuesday was in good condition….

Many Cancer Patients Juggle Care Along With Financial Pain

Insurers are Tightening Their Prescription Coverage

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)(AP) – Cancer patients often start two battles after diagnosis: They have to fight their disease and avoid financial ruin. Hospitals and patient advocates around the U.S. are rushing to offer more help for the latter as treatment costs soar and insurance coverage shrinks. They say patients who get overwhelmed by bills often delay treatment or cut…

Police swarm city street in Florida in apparent shootout

Witnesses Heard More Than 50 Shots Fired

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Multiple law enforcement agencies have surrounded a Panama City, Florida, bank and apartment building and many gunshots were heard in the area. Walton County Sheriff’s officials said on Twitter on Tuesday that the incident is tied to a suspicious death in Santa Rosa Beach. Few details have been released. The Panama City News Herald…

Trump Doesn’t Like Kim Jong Un’s Attitude Change

Trump Says the Meeting Could be Delayed

AP Photo/Evan Vucci/newsfileWASHINGTON (AP) -President Donald Trump says he doesn’t like the change in attitude he’s picked up from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said Tuesday that he detected a shift after Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for a second time in China. Trump says he hopes China isn’t influencing Kim. Trump and Kim are scheduled…

Dealing With Water Contaminant a ‘National Priority’

The Compounds are Linked to Developmental Defects

WASHINGTON (AP) – Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt says dealing with a widespread contaminant in drinking water is a “national priority.” Pruitt spoke Tuesday as he opened a hearing on the contaminants, known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl. The chemicals were used in items like nonstick coating and firefighting foam and have contaminated some water systems nationwide. The compounds are…

Moon Tells Trump Fate, Future Hinge on North Korea Talks

Trump Welcomed Moon to the White House Tuesday

(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in has opened talks with President Donald Trump on the U.S.-North Korea summit, saying the “fate and the future” of the Korean Peninsula hinges on it. Trump welcomed Moon to the White House on Tuesday as they seek to coordinate strategy for Trump’s upcoming summit…

McDonald’s Workers File sex Harassment Claims

The Complaints are on Behalf of 10 Women in Nine Cities

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Energized by the #MeToo movement, two national advocacy groups are teaming up to lodge sexual harassment complaints against McDonald’s on behalf of 10 women who have worked at the fast food restaurant in nine cities. The workers — one of them a 15-year-old from St. Louis — alleged groping, propositions for sex,…

Interior Moves to Lift Restrictions on Hunting Bears, Wolves

(AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving to reverse Obama-era rules barring hunters on some public lands in Alaska from baiting brown bears with bacon and doughnuts and using spotlights to shoot mother black bears and cubs hibernating in their dens. The National Park Service issued a notice Monday of its intent to amend regulations…

Pastor Says Mental Illness Drove man to ram car Into his Family

Self has Been Charged With two Counts of First-Degree Murder

(Gaston County Sheriff’s Office via AP)BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) – Families were eating a relaxed weekend lunch at the Surf and Turf Lodge when suddenly there was a loud boom and the splintering crash of a vehicle plowing into the restaurant. Police say a man intentionally rammed a vehicle into the steak and seafood eatery shortly after midday Sunday in…

Toxic Cloud Caused by Hawaii Volcano Lava Emerges Over Ocean

The Acid in the Plume is as Corrosive as Diluted Battery Acid

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — White plumes of acid and extremely fine shards of glass billowed into the sky over Hawaii as molten rock from Kilauea volcano poured into the ocean, creating yet another hazard from an eruption that began more than two weeks ago: A toxic steam cloud. Authorities on Sunday warned the public to stay away…

Pompeo Offers Concessions if Iran Makes Changes

Pompeo is Threatening to Place ``The Strongest Sanctions in History'' on Iran

AP File Photo, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, May 2017. WASHINGTON (AP) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is offering a series of dramatic potential U.S. concessions to Iran if it agrees to make “major changes.” Pompeo on Monday called for a stronger nuclear agreement with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 deal. He says if a deal was…

Woman in Smiling Mugshot Faces Manslaughter in DUI Crash

The Smiling Mugshot Angered Clarkston's Family

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman who flashed a big grin in a mugshot following a car crash and DUI arrest now faces a new charge and prison time after a crash victim died. News outlets report 44-year-old Angenette Marie Welk didn’t smile when a new mugshot was taken Saturday at the Marion County Jail in Ocala. Authorities say…

Texas High School Shooting Suspect Held on Capital Murder Charge

Suspect had Intended on Killing Himself

(Galveston County Sheriff’s Office via AP)SANTA FE, Texas (AP) – A sheriff says the 17-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of at least 10 people at his Houston-area high school is being held on a capital murder charge. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset says in a statement that the student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is being held without bond in the Galveston…

Passenger jet Crashes Near Havana With at Least 110 Aboard

HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban-operated airliner with at least 110 people on board crashed into a cassava field just after takeoff from Havana’s international airport on Friday. There appeared to be mass casualties as Cuban officials said three people had survived, but had yet to give an official toll. Authorities said there were 104 passengers and nine foreign crew members…

Trump’s Pick to Head Veterans Affairs: Robert Wilkie

Wilkie is a Former Pentagon Undersecretary

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie is President Donald Trump’s pick to permanently lead the beleaguered department. Wilkie is a former Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness. He’s led the agency for two months, ever since Trump fired David Shulkin amid an internal revolt and questions about his compliance with ethics rules. Wilkie appeared…

Possible Explosives Found at Texas School

As Many as 10 People Dead

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say possible explosive devices have been found at and adjacent to the Texas high school where a shooting left as many as 10 people dead. The Santa Fe Independent School District said in a statement Friday that authorities are in the process of rendering the devices safe. There’s no indication how many devices have…

Local Media Report Fatalities at Texas School

No Exact Numbers on Fatalities

(KTRK-TV ABC13 via AP)SANTA FE, Texas (AP) – Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a high school. Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting early Friday at Santa Fe High School, about 30 miles southeast of Houston. The…

Missing Child Found in Iowa

Authorities Have Located Missing Child

CAMDEN, S.C. – Authorities confirm that Dakota Ray, the missing 2-year-old from South Carolina, was located in Iowa late yesterday. Dakota had been missing since April and was last seen at a hospital in Iowa on Monday with her parents. Officials say the child is safe and in protective custody. The child’s parents, William and Jessica Ray, were arrested on…

Active Shooter Reported at Texas High School

Authorities Have not Confirmed any Additional Information at This Time

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) – Law enforcement officers are responding to a high school near Houston after an active shooter was reported on campus. The Santa Fe school district issued an alert Friday morning saying Santa Fe High School has been placed on lockdown. Galveston County sheriff’s Maj. Douglas Hudson says units are responding to reports of shots fired. He…

Gunman Arrested After Police Shootout at Trump Resort

Trump was not at the Club at the Time

(AP Photo/Frieda Frisaro)DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Gunfire erupted early Friday at President Donald Trump’s golf resort, as a man shouting anti-Trump rhetoric draped a flag over a lobby counter and exchanged fire with officers in what one official called an “ambush” before being arrested, police said. One officer received a broken arm and the suspect was wounded by gunfire in…

Lowest US Birth Rate in Three Decades Could Pose Risk to Economy

U.S. Babies Born Dropped two Percent From 2016

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Women in the United States gave birth last year at the lowest rate in 30 years, a trend that could weigh on economic growth in the coming decades. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics said Thursday that the number of U.S. babies born last year fell 2 percent…