OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities believe a 27-year-old Minnesota man killed his girlfriend and their baby in a Florida forest before turning the gun on himself. Kevin Farias survived and is in critical condition Sunday. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office got the call Saturday morning after a motorist found Farias and 32-year-old Jessica Johnson of Wisconsin, and their 1-year-old daughter,…
YOUNTVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A gunman took at least three people hostage at the largest veterans home in the United States on Friday, leading to a lockdown of the sprawling grounds in California, authorities said. Authorities said they could not immediately say if anyone was injured. Police evacuated the property of the Veterans Home of California after reports of a…
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Flanked by family members of students who were killed during a mass shooting just over three weeks ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a $400 million school safety bill in response to the tragedy that killed 17 people at a high school. He said the bill, which was written since the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved the first direct-to-consumer breast cancer gene test. But the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it will require warnings about the limitations of the genetic information from California-based 23andMe. The test, which analyzes DNA from saliva, can only detect three out of more than 1,000 known inherited BRCA gene mutations. It cannot determine…
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump plan to meet in May for nuclear disarmament talks, a whiplash development that would put two leaders who’ve repeatedly insulted, threatened and dismissed each other in the same room, possibly in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. It would have been an unthinkable…
(AP)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump raised concerns about the graphic depiction of violence in video games at a White House meeting Thursday with members of the industry and some of their most vocal critics. Searching for ways to respond to last month’s Florida school shooting, Trump has questioned the impact of video games, although decades of research have failed…
FLORIDA (AP) – The Florida House passed a school safety bill Wednesday that includes new restrictions on rifle sales and a program to arm some teachers. The bill includes raising the age to purchase a firearm to 21 from 18, require a three day waiting period for firearm purchases, ban the sale or possession of bump fire stocks, give law…
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Birmingham closed one of its largest schools for a thorough safety sweep Thursday after metal detectors and other security measures failed to keep students from handling a gun in a classroom where one 17-year-old was fatally shot and another wounded in an apparent accident. “We consider it accidental until the investigation takes us elsewhere,”…
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was formally charged Wednesday with 17 counts of first-degree murder, which could mean a death sentence if he is convicted. The indictment returned by a grand jury in Fort Lauderdale also charges the 19-year-old with 17 counts of attempted murder for the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas…
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 20-year-old man from Oregon has filed lawsuits against Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart, alleging the two retailers discriminated against him when they refused to sell him a rifle because of his age. Dick’s and Walmart restricted gun sales to people 21 and older in the wake of the Florida high school…
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) – A 19-year-old student accused of killing his parents inside a Central Michigan University dorm room has been arraigned. James Eric Davis Jr. is hospitalized but appeared in court via video for Tuesday’s hearing. He was arrested early Saturday following a manhunt. Davis is charged with murder in the Friday slayings of James and Diva Davis….
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal watchdog says White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the federal law prohibiting government officials from using their positions to influence political campaigns. The Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to Robert Mueller’s office, says Conway violated the Hatch Act twice last year when she spoke out in support of Republican Roy…
(Photo: Gene J. Puskar / AP, file)NEW YORK (AP) – Target is raising its minimum starting pay for workers for the second time in less than a year after seeing a bigger and better pool of candidates. Target, which hiked starting pay to $11 an hour last fall, said all workers this spring will receive a minimum of $12 per…
(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jung Un has expressed a willingness to discuss nuclear disarmament with the United States and impose a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests during such talks, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday after returning from the North. Kim also agreed to meet…
(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)PANAMA CITY (AP) — Escorted by police officers and a Panamanian judicial official, the owners of the Trump Panama City hotel have taken control of the property. A team of Trump Organization security officials abandoned the area on Monday. The action by Panama’s government resolves a 12-day standoff between President Donald Trump’s family hotel business and Orestes Fintiklis,…
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Paul Ryan is raising concerns that President Donald Trump’s plan to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could start a trade war. The speaker is “extremely worried about the consequences” and is urging the White House “to not advance with this plan,” according to a statement issued by his office. Ryan notes through…
(Photo Courtesy of CNBC Footage)NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – The USA Curling Team Olympic gold medalists rang in the Opening Bell this morning at the New York Stock Exchange. It was all smiles on stage as team members cheered and applauded along with the crowd as John Shuster rang the opening bell. This is one of many stops they are…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has told steel and aluminum executives that he’ll impose import tariffs ‘next week’ in a bid to boost U.S. manufacturers. His words to the executives: “You will have protection for the first time in a long while.” The president spoke at a hastily called meeting at the White House after hours of…
(Photo by Scott Dalton/Invision for DICK’S Sporting Goods/AP Images)NEW YORK (AP) — The rift between major U.S. companies and the gun lobby is growing.. Retail heavyweights Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods have taken steps to restrict gun sales. That follows moves by several other major corporations, including MetLife, Hertz and Delta Air Lines, that have cut ties with National Rifle…
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON (AP) – White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most loyal aides, is resigning. In a statement, the president praises Hicks for her work over the last three years. He says he “will miss having her by my side.” The news comes a day after Hicks was interviewed for nine hours by…
Image Courtesy of Fox NewsNEW YORK-Dick’s Sporting Goods will immediately end sales of assault-style rifles in its stores and won’t sell guns to anyone under 21 years old following the school massacre in Parkland, Fla. Dick’s Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said on “Good Morning America” Wednesday that after the shooting the company “felt it needed to do something.” Stack…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth curling community is excited to welcome home their Olympic athletes on Monday. The U.S.A curling team boarded a plane in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday, preparing for 27 hours worth of travel. The Duluth Curling Club is organizing a welcome party for the teams as they make their way to the Duluth International Airport. While…
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The White House is on lockdown after a passenger vehicle struck a security barrier. The U.S. Secret Service tweets that the vehicle “did not breach the security barrier of the White House complex.” No shots were fired during the incident, the Secret Service says. The agency adds that the female driver of the vehicle was “immediately apprehended.” Witnesses saw…
AP Photo/Evan Vucci/newsfileWASHINGTON, D.C.-A former top adviser to President Donald Trump’s election campaign has formally pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false statements charges in the special counsel’s Russia investigation. The plea by Rick Gates is a strong indication that he is planning to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as it continues to probe the Trump campaign, Russian…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Payday lenders got regulators to rethink rules on how closely to vet borrowers. E-cigarette makers got a delay in federal oversight of many vaping products. Candy makers praised a decision to hold off on more stringent labeling standards. And title insurers declared “victory” for getting changes that benefited them in the tax overhaul. What do all these…
President Donald Trump, looks to Julia Cordover, the student body president at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., as she speaks during the listening session with high school students, teachers, and others in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats are voicing outrage over comments…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Thousands of chanting students, including survivors of the Florida school shooting, rallied at the state Capitol on Wednesday, demanding changes to gun laws and threatening to remove Republicans who refuse to address new gun-control measures. A week after the massacre that killed 17 people, the students took their message into the gun-friendly halls of power in…
MONTREAT, N.C.-The Rev. Billy Graham, counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, has died at age 99. Spokesman Mark DeMoss tell The Associated Press that Graham died Wednesday morning at his home in Montreat, North Carolina. He had been treated in recent years for cancer, pneumonia and other ailments. His wife, Ruth, died in 2007….
MOSCOW (AP) – A Clinton-Obama sex tape using body doubles. A Facebook page promoting Texas independence riddled with grammatical mistakes. The U.S. indictment centered on a Russian internet “troll farm” only scratches the surface of the agency that allegedly produced content to sway the presidential election – and glosses over how unconvincing some of its stunts could be. Although it…
Alex van der Zwaan, second from left, arrives at Federal District Court in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. Van der Zwaan has been accused of lying to investigators about his interactions with Rick Gates, who was indicted last year along with Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, on charges of conspiracy to launder money and acting as an unregistered…
People stand along Reforma Avenue after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. A powerful earthquake has shaken south and central Mexico, causing people to flee buildings and office towers in the country’s capital, and setting off quake alert systems. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY (AP) — A powerful magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook south and central Mexico Friday, causing…
WASHINGTON-The Commerce Department is saying that imported aluminum and steel threaten U.S. national security and is urging President Donald Trump to impose tariffs or quotas to boost American production. The recommendations unveiled by Secretary Wilbur Ross are likely to escalate tensions with China and other U.S. trading partners. Stepped-up production of steel and aluminum, especially by China, has driven down…
(Photo: FOX NEWS)UPDATE: The FBI says it failed to investigate a specific report in January that Nikolas Cruz could be plotting a school shooting. The agency said Friday that the tip should’ve been investigated thoroughly because it was a potential threat to life. Cruz has been arrested and charged with killing 17 people at a high school earlier this week….
Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, arrives for questioning by the House Intelligence Committee as part of its ongoing investigation into meddling in the U.S. elections by Russia, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon, the combative former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, was interrogated for…
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Months before authorities say Nikolas Cruz walked into his former high school and slaughtered 17 people, the troubled teen began showing what may have been warning signs he was bent on violence. “I’m going to be a professional school shooter,” a YouTube user with the screen name “Nikolas Cruz” posted in September. The 19-year-old had gotten…
PARKLAND, Fla.-A law enforcement official says the former student suspected of killing at least 17 people at a Florida high school posted “very, very disturbing” material on social media before the deadly shooting rampage. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for unspecified disciplinary reasons. Israel says…
UPDATE: Police are now reporting 17 fatalities in this shooting incident. PARKLAND, Fla.-A school official says there are numerous fatalities from the high school shooting in South Florida. Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie says “There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation.” He added, “It is a horrible day for us.” The tweet added: “Victims have been and continue…
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tens of thousands of revelers descended on New Orleans streets for parades and rowdy fun as Mardi Gras capped the Carnival season in a city with a celebration of its own, its 300th anniversary. The anniversary of this Louisiana port city will feature prominently in Fat Tuesday’s festivities. Rex, New Orleans’ oldest parading Carnival group, is…
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.-President Donald Trump again is trying to drastically reduce or eliminate federal support for cleanups of some iconic U.S. waterways. His proposed budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency funding for Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay restoration programs by 90 percent. It would kill all EPA spending on programs supporting other waters including San Francisco Bay, the Gulf of…
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump Jr.’s wife was taken to a New York City hospital as a precaution Monday after she opened an envelope addressed to her husband that contained an unidentified white powder, police said. A preliminary test indicated the substance wasn’t dangerous, police said. Vanessa Trump, 40, opened the letter addressed to the president’s son Monday morning…
CHICAGO- Chicago officials say about 6 to 7 inches of snow has fallen on the city and they’re gearing up for three more waves through the weekend. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a Friday morning news conference that the city, its workers and residents are up to it. He says “we’re tried and tested here.” City officials say they’re expecting…
WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Rick Nolan has announced he will be retiring at the end of his term. Rep. Nolan made the announcement through a letter to the press Friday morning. Nolan has represented Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District since 2013. Previously, he represented Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District from 1975-1981. Rep. Nolan’s letter: “To the great people of Minnesota’s 8th District…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed a $400 billion budget deal that sharply boosts spending and swells the federal deficit, ending a brief federal government shutdown that happened while most Americans were sleeping and most government offices were closed, anyway. The House and Senate approved a bill to keep the government funded through March…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s big new rocket blasted off Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars. The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon. With liftoff, the Heavy became the most powerful…
LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Tuesday upheld a U.K. arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, leaving him still a wanted man in the country where he has spent more than five years inside the Ecuadorean Embassy. Assange, 46, has been holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London since he took refuge there in June 2012 to avoid…
Photo Courtesy: APTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck Tuesday near the coast of Taiwan, killing two hotel employees and injuring 144 other people, officials said. The Central News Agency reported that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, a building in Hualien district, had caved in and people were believed to be trapped inside. Taiwanese media reported that…
UPDATE: The Dow Jones industrial average plunged as much as 1,500 points, erasing its gain for the year, as the market extends a slump that began Friday. The Dow’s point loss would be its biggest of all time, though in percentage terms, its 5.6 percent decline wasn’t as big as its worst drop during the financial crisis. The slide Monday…
FARGO, N.D.-A North Dakota woman who admitted killing a pregnant neighbor and cutting the baby from the womb while the mother was still alive has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brooke Crews pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and lying to law officers in the August death…
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The White House says it has declassified a GOP-authored memo on the Russia probe. That clears the way for the House Intelligence Committee to release the document, which is based on classified information and alleges the FBI abused U.S. government surveillance powers in its investigation into Russian election interference. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah says President Donald Trump…
Photo: Damian DovarganesLOS ANGELES (AP) — Two students were shot and wounded, one critically, inside a Los Angeles middle school classroom Thursday morning and police arrested a female student believed to be 12 years old, authorities said. A 15-year-old boy hit in the head was transported to a trauma center in critical but stable condition, according to fire department spokesman…
