US & World News

North Korea Says it Will Suspend Nuclear and Missile Testing

The country Says it’s Making the Move to Shift its National Focus

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and plans to close its nuclear test site. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the suspension of nuclear and ICBM tests went into effect Saturday. The country says it’s making the move to shift its national focus and improve…

Producer and DJ Known as Avicii has Been Found Dead

Avicii was 28-years-old

(Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) – The Swedish-born producer and DJ known as Avicii has been found dead in Oman. Publicist Diana Baron said in a statement that the 28-year-old DJ, born Tim Bergling, was in Muscat, Oman. Avicii was a pioneer of the contemporary Electronic Dance Movement and a rare DJ capable of worldwide arena tour….

Deputies Shot Through Restaurant Window; Sheriff Blames Hate

58-year-old John Hubert Highnote Shot Them Before Killing Himself

(Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP) TRENTON, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say two Florida sheriff’s deputies were shot dead through the window of a Chinese restaurant by a man who then killed himself. The shooter was identified as a man from a small town just up the road from the restaurant, and his motive wasn’t immediately known, but the sheriff…

Democratic Party Sues Russia, Trump Campaign and Wikileaks

The DNC Claims Conspiracy to win 2016 Presidential Election

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK (AP) – The Democratic National Committee has sued President Donald Trump’s campaign, his son, his son-in-law, the Russian Federation and WikiLeaks, saying they conspired to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election. The DNC filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court in Manhattan. It seeks unspecified damages and an order to prevent further interference with DNC…

Hundreds of School Walkouts Planned on Columbine Anniversary

Minnesota Students Will Also be Participating in Today's Walkouts

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)(AP) – Another wave of student walkouts is expected to disrupt classes Friday at hundreds of schools across the U.S. as young activists press for tougher gun laws. The protests were chosen to line up with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which left 13 people dead in Littleton, Colorado. At 10 a.m., students…

One Injured, Suspect in Custody in Florida School Shooting

One Student was Shot in the Ankle

OCALA , Fla. (AP) – Authorities say one student shot another in the ankle at a Florida high school and a suspect is in custody. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the shooting happened Friday morning at Forest High School which was on lockdown. The injured student was taken to a local hospital. Police say the suspected shooter is also a student…

Wells Fargo to pay $1B for Mortgage, Auto Lending Abuses

Wells Fargo was Also Fined $100 Million in September 2016

NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo is being fined a combined $1 billion by two federal regulators for abuses tied to its mortgage and auto lending businesses. The bank will pay $500 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, its main bank regulator, as well as $500 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the…

Rudy Giuliani to Join Trump Legal Team in Russia Probe

Guiliani Fills the Void Left by Attorney John Dowd

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is joining the legal team defending President Donald Trump in the special counsel’s Russia investigation, a Trump attorney said Thursday. With the addition of Giuliani, Trump gains an experienced litigator and former U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Trump is looking to bring his involvement with special counsel Robert…

Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Announces Going out of Business Sales

The Sale Will run for 10 to 12 Weeks

(Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News via AP)MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. announced in a release today that the company’s going out of business sales will begin tomorrow in 212 stores and e-commerce websites. The sales will run for 10-12 weeks in stores and online. The liquidation sales come after the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved an agreement…

Ten Days old, she Makes Senate History in her Pink cap

New Rule Made Maile the First Newborn to Appear in Senate

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON (AP) — Tiny Maile Pearl made Senate history Thursday without making a sound. The tightly wrapped 10-day-old baby, brought to the well of the chamber by her mother, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, became the first newborn to appear there, just one day after the Senate approved a new rule permitting it. “It’s about time,” the Illinois Democrat and…

Judge Rejects Cosby Team’s bid for Acquittal

Defense Asked the Judge to Clear Cosby

Bill Cosby (Reuters) NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Bill Cosby’s lawyers have lost another bid to cut his sex assault retrial short. Judge Steven O’Neill rejected a defense motion that he acquit Cosby and send jurors home. The defense asked the judge to clear the 80-year-old comedian after prosecutors rested their case Thursday afternoon. Cosby’s lawyers say prosecutors haven’t proved charges…

Prosecutor Closes Prince Death Case; no Charges

Evidence Shows Prince Thought he was Taking Vicodin

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The prosecutor in the Minnesota County where Prince died says he’s filing no criminal charges in the musician’s death. The announcement Thursday from Carver County Attorney Mark Metz means the state’s investigation into how Prince got the fentanyl that killed him is closed. It came hours after documents revealed a doctor accused of illegally prescribing an opioid…

Trump Admin Starts Plan to Drill in Arctic Wildlife Refuge

A Longtime Republican Priority that Most Democrats Fiercely Oppose

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is moving toward oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A notice being published Friday in the Federal Register starts a 60-day review to sell oil and gas leases in the remote region. Opening the refuge to oil and gas drilling is a longtime Republican priority that most Democrats fiercely oppose….

Prince’s Doctor Fined for Illegal Prescription

A News Conference Will be Held Today to see if Criminal Charges Will be Filed

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota doctor accused of illegally prescribing an opioid for Prince a week before the musician died has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil claim. The settlement comes as state prosecutors are planning to announce whether anyone will be charged in the two-year investigation into Prince’s death. Prince died on April 21, 2016, from an…

Diaz-Canel Replaces Raul Castro as Cuba’s President

The Government is in the Hands of Someone Outside the Castro Family for the First Time in Nearly six Decades

(Irene Perez/Cubadebate via AP)HAVANA (AP) – President Mario Diaz-Canel has made his first speech as Cuba’s new head of state with a pledge to continue the socialist revolution led by his predecessors Fidel and Raul Castro. Diaz-Canel says in the nationally televised speech before the National Assembly that his first thoughts upon taking office are for the “historic generation” that…

Nanny Convicted of Killing Kids Wipes Away Tears

The 55-year-old Faces Life in Prison

(WYNY-TV/Pool Photo via AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) – A nanny convicted of stabbing two children to death at their New York home while their parents were away cried while being led out of a courtroom. Yoselyn Ortega bludgeoned 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in October 2012 while their mother was taking a sibling to a swimming lesson…

Largest Maker of Bump Stocks Will Stop Accepting Orders

The Announcement Comes About a Month After President Donald Trump Said his Administration Would “ban” Bump Stocks

(AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) — The largest manufacturer of bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly like automatic firearms, announced Wednesday that it will stop taking orders and shut down its website next month. The announcement comes about a month after President Donald Trump said his administration would “ban” bump stocks, which he said “turn…

Sandy Hook Families File Suit Against Infowars’ Alex Jones

Jones Believes the Lawsuits Will be Thrown out

YoutubeHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The families of two children slain in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have filed lawsuits against right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for claiming the shooting did not happen. The defamation lawsuits were filed in Texas. That’s the home state of Jones’ media company, Infowars. Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and…

Possible Criminal Charges in Prince Death

Prosecutors Will Announce Tomorrow Possible Criminal Charges

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota prosecutors are planning an announcement in their two-year investigation into Prince’s death from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Carver County Attorney Mark Metz was scheduled to announce a charging decision at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, including whether anyone would be charged. Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at…

Bon-Ton Will Close all Stores

Liquidators Take the Winning bid at Auction

DULUTH, Minn. – Bon-Ton Stores Inc. is officially closing its stores across the country. Liquidators took the winning bid at Tuesday night’s auction and a hearing by the Bankrupcty Court to approve the sale is expected today. In a release President and Chief Executive Office, Bill Tracy said, “While we are disappointed by this outcome and tried very hard to…

Dick’s Destroying all the Guns it Pulled From its Shelves

The Guns Will be Destroyed Instead of Returned to Their Manufacturers

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Dick’s Sporting Goods is destroying all the guns and accessories that it stopped selling earlier this year after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The retailer said Tuesday that it is in the process of destroying all the firearms it pulled from its shelves, rather than trying to return them to their manufacturers. Dicks made headlines in…

Blown Southwest jet Engine Showed ‘Metal Fatigue’

The National Transportation Safety Board Sent a Team of Investigators to Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A preliminary examination of the blown jet engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that set off a terrifying chain of events and left a businesswoman hanging half outside a shattered window showed evidence of “metal fatigue,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Passengers scrambled to save the woman from getting sucked out the window that had…

Starbucks to Close Stores for an Afternoon for Bias Training

Starbucks Also Said the Employee who Called the Police no Longer Works at the Store

NEW YORK (AP) – Starbucks plans to close more than 8,000 stores for several hours next month to conduct racial-bias training for nearly 175,000 workers. The announcement Tuesday comes after the arrests sparked protects and calls for a boycott on social media. Philadelphia police released a recording of the call from the Starbucks employee that led to the arrests. In…

Nostalgia Hasn’t Translated Into Dollars in Toys R Us Effort

The Liquidation of Toys R Us Threatens More than 30,000 Jobs

(AP Photo/Christine Cotter, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Nostalgia hasn’t translated into dollars in a long-shot effort to crowdfund a future for Toys R Us. Neither did efforts to recruit other toy makers. A campaign led by a billionaire toy executive who pledged $200 million with other investors in hopes of saving part of the bankrupt chain has foundered, with only…

One Person Dead After Southwest Emergency Landing

The Southwest jet jad a Damaged Engine and a Broken Window Upon Landing

FacebookPHILADELPHIA (AP) -A federal investigator says one person has been killed after a plane with engine failure made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Tuesday that the engine will be shipped for a detailed examination. The Federal Aviation Administration says the flight from New York to Dallas made an emergency landing after the…

Liquidators Make Bids for Bon-Ton

Bon-Ton Continues day two of Auction

(Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News via AP)DULUTH, Minn. – On Monday Bon-Ton Stores Inc. only received bids from liquidators during its bankruptcy auction according to Reuters, signaling the possibility of closure for the retail giant. The auction will continue through today with hopes of finding a buyer that can help turn the retail chains around. When the auction is complete the next…

Former First Lady Barbara Bush in Failing Health

Barbara Bush is Now at Home in Houston Receiving 'Comfort Care'

HOUSTON- A family spokesman says former first lady Barbara Bush “has been a rock in the face of her failing health.” Jim McGrath did not elaborate as to the nature of the 92-year-old Bush’s health problems. She is at home in Houston. McGrath says Bush “has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.”…

Seven Inmates Killed in South Carolina Prison Riot

Rioting Began Sunday Evening

COLUMBIA, S.C.-South Carolina’s governor is expressing support for his state prisons chief following riots at a maximum-security prison that killed seven inmates. Gov. Henry McMaster’s spokesman Brian Symmes tells The Associated Press on Monday that the governor has “complete confidence” in director Bryan Stirling’s ability to lead the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Stirling was appointed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley…

CD8 DFL Endorsing Convention to be Held Tomorrow

The Convention Will be Held at the Holiday Inn & Suites Downtown Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – The 2018 Eighth Congressional District DFL Endorsing Convention will be held on Saturday with registration opening at 9 a.m. The convention is held to offer the Party’s endorsement of certain candidates for U.S. Congress. The convention will take place at the Holiday Inn & Suites in downtown Duluth. The candidates that are running for the CD8 DFL…

Rochester Hills man Charged for Shooting at Black Teen

The 53-year-old's Bond was set at $50,000

(Photo: Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) – A retired, white Detroit firefighter is charged with assault with intent to murder after a shot was fired at a black teen who police say knocked on the door of the man’s suburban Detroit home to ask directions to school. Jeffery Zeigler was arraigned Friday. The 53-year-old was arrested Thursday after…

Judge Says Michael Cohen Must Appear at Hearing

Prosecutors say Cohen Barely Practiced law so Most of the Documents Aren’t off Limits

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge is ordering President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer to appear next week for arguments over the government’s raid on the lawyer’s New York City home and office. At a hearing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood told an attorney for Michael Cohen that his client needed to be there…

Minnesota Woman Sought in Death of Husband and Florida Woman

Authorities Believe Riess Killed Hutchinson Earlier This Week to Assume her Identity

(Dodge County Sheriff’s Office via AP)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota woman who is wanted in connection with her husband’s death is now a suspect in the killing of a Florida woman, authorities said Friday. Lois Riess of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, has been charged in the shooting death of Pamela Hutchinson of Bradenton, Florida. Authorities aren’t aware of any connection between…

Popular National Parks to Raise Fees to $35, not $70

A Change Announced Thursday Will Boost Fees at 17 Popular Parks by $5

(AP Photo/Ben Margot, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department is increasing fees at the most popular national parks to $35 per vehicle, backing down from an earlier plan that would have forced visitors to pay $70 per vehicle to visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and other iconic parks. A change announced Thursday will boost fees at 17 popular parks…

In new Book, Comey Says Trump ‘Untethered to Truth’

The book is to be Released Next Week

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former FBI Director James Comey blasts President Donald Trump as “unethical” and “untethered to truth” in a new book. He calls Trump’s leadership of the country “ego driven and about personal loyalty.” Comey’s comments come in the new book in which he casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law…

Kremlin Spokesman Warns Against Syria Strike

President Trump Tweeted Thursday That it may Come "Very Soon or not so Soon at all!"

(AP Photo | Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – The Kremlin spokesman is warning the U.S. and its allies against any steps that could destabilize the situation in Syria. Asked about possible U.S. strikes on Syria, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that “it’s necessary to avoid any steps that may fuel tensions in Syria.” He added that it…

Bring Your Unloaded gun: Gun Rights Supporters Plan Rallies

The Rallies are Being Planned by the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans Group

(AP Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper, File)(AP) – Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols across the U.S. this weekend to counter a recent wave of student-led protests against gun violence. A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans is spreading word of the gatherings on social media. Coalition co-founder David Clayton…

Another top Official Leaves National Security Council

Waddell's Departure Date has not yet Been Determined

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – Another top National Security Council staffer is leaving the White House as new National Security Adviser John Bolton makes his mark. Deputy national security adviser Ricky Waddell will be exiting the administration, said two administration officials with knowledge of the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly. Waddell’s departure date has not yet…

Trump Pick for Number Two job at EPA Clears Hurdle

Andrew Wheeler is a Former Coal Industry Lobbyist

WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans have cleared a procedural hurdle to confirm a former coal industry lobbyist as the No. 2 official at the Environmental Protection Agency. If confirmed as deputy administrator, Andrew Wheeler would be next in line to lead if embattled administrator Scott Pruitt is forced out or resigns. The Senate voted 53-45 Thursday to limit debate on Wheeler’s…

Zuckerberg Testimony Reveals Lawmaker Confusion on Facebook

Facebook is Confronting its Biggest Privacy Scandal in 14 Years

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)NEW YORK (AP) – Mark Zuckerberg has faced two days of grilling before House and Senate committees to address Facebook’s privacy issues and the need for more regulation for the social media site. Yet the hearings in Washington managed to showcase the normally press-shy Zuckerberg’s ability to perform as an able and well-rehearsed, if a bit stiff, CEO…

Bank Robbery Suspect Trying to Impress Taylor Swift

Authorities say the Suspect Wanted to Propose to the pop Star

ANSONIA, Conn. (AP) – Police say a Connecticut man with a crush on singer Taylor Swift robbed a bank and then went to the pop star’s Rhode Island mansion where he threw cash over a fence in an attempt to impress her. Bruce Rowley, of Derby, is charged with robbing an Ansonia bank on April 4. Police say “it seemed…

Trump Says ‘Missiles Coming’ Against Syria, ‘new and smart’

Trump did not Detail What a Strike Would Look Like, or Whether These Would be U.S. Missiles

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – After Russia warned the United States against military strikes in Syria, President Donald Trump says missiles “will be coming.” Trump says on Twitter Wednesday: “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” Russian lawmakers have warned that Moscow…

House Speaker Ryan Won’t run for Re-Election

Ryan Will Serve out his Term and Retire in January

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election, his office announced Wednesday, injecting another layer of uncertainty as Republicans face worries over losing their majority in the fall. Ryan’s plans have been the source of much speculation and will set off a scramble among his lieutenants to take the helm. A self-styled budget guru, Ryan…

Facebook “Working With” Mueller on Russia Probe

Zuckerberg Testifying Before Congress Today

WASHINGTON (AP) – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says his company is “working with” special counsel Robert Mueller in his probe into Russian interference. Earlier this year Mueller charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a plot to interfere in the 2016 presidential election through a social media propaganda effort that included online ad purchases using U.S. aliases and…

Cosby Lawyer Launches Fierce Attack on Accuser

Lawyer Tom Meserau Told Jurors That the Accuser is After Cosby's Money

Bill Cosby (Reuters) NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby’s lawyer launched a blistering courtroom attack on the comedian’s accuser Tuesday, portraying her as a con artist whose goal was “money, money and lots more money.” Lawyer Tom Mesereau told jurors in his opening statement at the former TV star’s sex-assault trial that Andrea Constand wasn’t attracted to Cosby but was…

Day After Bolton Takes Over, Homeland Security Aide is out

His Exit is the Latest in a Wave of Departures in Recent Months

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser is resigning in the latest White House departure. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Tuesday that Thomas Bossert would be leaving his post. She said that Trump was “grateful for Tom’s commitment to the safety and security of our great country.” Bossert was…

Ex-Sauk Centre School bus Driver Pleads Guilty to DWI

A Breath Test Indicated he was Four Times the Legal Limit

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. (AP) – A former Sauk Centre school bus driver has pleaded guilty to driving a bus full of children while he was drunk. Sixty-three-year-old Thomas Richard Bromen pleaded guilty last week to a misdemeanor count of driving a commercial motor vehicle while intoxicated. Bromen picked up 50 students from school by bus on Feb. 5. According to…

Federal Agents Seize Documents From Trump Lawyer

Cohen is Trump's Longtime Personal Lawyer

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal agents carrying court-authorized search warrants have seized documents from President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. That’s according to a statement from Cohen’s attorney, Stephen Ryan. He says the search warrants were executed by the office of the U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York but they are “in part” related…

Salmonella in Chicken Salad Kills one, Sickens 265 in Eight States

Reported Cases Have Popped up in Minnesota and Wisconsin

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Chicken salad contaminated with salmonella bacteria made by an Iowa food processing company and distributed by Fareway Stores has sickened 265 people in eight states and caused one death in Iowa. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak which sickened people from early January through mid-March appears to have ended. Food…

Arizona Sends 225 Troops to Mexico Border, More Heading Soon

More Arizona Guards Will be Deployed on Tuesday

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday that 225 members of the state’s National Guard were heading to the U.S.-Mexico border to support President Donald Trump’s call for troops to fight drug trafficking and illegal immigration. More of the state’s Guard members will be deployed on Tuesday, said Ducey, a Republican. The Arizona troops…

Trump Condemns ‘Heinous’ gas Attack in Syria

Trump Vows to Find who is Responsible for the Attack

(AP)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has condemned the “heinous” suspected poison gas attack in Syria and said he’ll make a decision on the U.S. response within 24 to 48 hours. Speaking in the White House Cabinet Room Monday, Trump vowed to find out who is responsible for the attack that reportedly killed at least 40 people. Trump said during…