A teenage boy who allegedly shot and killed eight students and two teachers in Texas had been spurned by one of his victims after making aggressive advances, her mother has told the Los Angeles Times. Sadie Rodriguez, the mother of Shana Fisher, 16, told the newspaper her daughter rejected the aggressive advances from accused shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, for over four months while they both attended Santa Fe high school. As the investigation enters its third day on Sunday, no official motive has been announced for the massacre, the fourth-deadliest mass shooting at a US public school in modern history. Classmates at Santa Fe High School, with 1460 students, described the accused shooter as a quiet loner who played on the school’s football team. He wore a black trench coat to school on Friday before opening fire with a pistol and shotgun.... [Read Full Story]
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Twitter on Sunday that the Justice Department look into whether his 2016 presidential campaign was infiltrated or surveilled by the agency or the FBI under the Obama administration. Federal investigators are looking into whether Russia tried to sway the election and if it worked with the Trump campaign to do so. Trump has denied any collusion and repeatedly dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt.” “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!” Trump wrote on Twitter.... [Read Full Story]
A student and adult chaperone are dead after a full-size school bus collided with a dump truck on a major New Jersey highway Thursday, an accident that ripped the undercarriage completely off the bus and left it demolished on its side in the median. The bus came from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, a public school serving roughly 650 students in grades 5-8. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference from the middle school that seven adults, including the driver, and 38 5th grade students were on board the bus. Apart from the two who died, everyone was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Some patients are in critical condition and undergoing surgery, Murphy also said. The crash occurred at 10:20 a.m. on Route 80 near exit 25 in Mount Olive Township, according to the New Jersey State Police.... [Read Full Story]
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting dusty ash about 30,000 feet into the sky. Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said the explosion came at about 6 a.m. local time, after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods. Residents who live in a nearby town reported light amounts of ash falling following the eruption. The lava that has emerged over the last two weeks has destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.... [Read Full Story]
President Trump’s financial disclosure were released on Wednesday, and they revealed for the first time that he paid more than $100,000 to his personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen, as reimbursement for payment to a third-party. Released by the Office of Government Ethics, the disclosure did not specify the purpose of the payment. However, Mr. Cohen has paid $130,000 to an adult film actress, Stephanie Clifford (also known as Stormy Daniels) who has claimed she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen has said he made the payment to keep Ms.Clifford from going public before the 2016 election with her story about an affair with Mr. Trump.... [Read Full Story]
Michigan State University on Wednesday announced a $500 million settlement with more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar. Michigan State and lawyers for 332 victims announced the deal after negotiating privately with the help of a mediator. Under the agreement, $425 million would be paid to current claimants and $75 million would be set aside for any future claims. The statement doesn’t indicate how much money each victim would receive. It also doesn’t say how Michigan State will pay the bill.... [Read Full Story]
First Lady Melania Trump’s office has declined to offer further details about Melania Trump’s kidney surgery and resulting extended hospital stay, and asked for privacy. The First Lady underwent the procedure Monday with no leaks beforehand. President Donald Trump provided a brief update on his wife’s health Tuesday, tweeting, “Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in 2 or 3 days. Thank you for so much love and support!” The first lady’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, further said: “I am not going to expand beyond the statement I put out. The First Lady is in good spirits and she is resting. There are HIPAA laws to consider, but she also deserves personal privacy.” Mrs. Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications. The First Lady, who turned 48 last month, had been experiencing an issue with her kidney that her office described as benign but requiring medical attention. ... [Read Full Story]
Writer Tom Wolfe died Monday in a New York City hospital at 88 years old. Wolfe was a journalist and novelist renowned for his nonfiction writing and sartorial flair. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Wolfe moved to New York in 1962 when he began work as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. Wolfe’s most notable works include 1968’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, about Ken Kesey; his1979 nonfiction epic about the space program, The Right Stuff, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning 1983 film of the same name; and his 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, which was adapted into a Brian De Palma film. Wolfe was a major influence on the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and ’70s, which appropriated novelistic literary techniques into nonfiction writing. ... [Read Full Story]
The Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. The justices voted 6-3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 law that forbade state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions. It made Nevada the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game. Many states hope their cut of legalized sports gambling could help solve budget problems, and stock prices for casino operators and equipment makers surged after the ruling was announced.... [Read Full Story]
Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fueled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts. Palestinian Health Ministry officials said 52 protesters were killed and more than 2,200 injured either by live gunfire, tear gas or other means. The Israeli military said it was responding to violence from the protesters to defend Israel’s border. ... [Read Full Story]
The Pentagon says three Americans released by North Korea have left a Washington-area hospital and have reunited with their families. North Korea released the men last week while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Pyongyang to help set up next month’s summit between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The men received a hero’s welcome from Mr. Trump when they arrived back in the U.S. early Thursday and were then taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. There the Americans had “decompression time” where doctors helped them establish a routine, make sure they rest and eat well. Pentagon spokeswoman, Maj. Carla M. Gleason says they now “have been reunited with their families. Their time together has been an incredibly joyous occasion. They ask for privacy as they transition home.”... [Read Full Story]
A new fissure opened early Sunday on Hawaii’s Big Island, splattering lava tens of feet into the air and forcing more residents to evacuate. The fissure is several hundred yards long and is the 17th crack in the ground to open on the island in the week since the Kilauea volcano erupted on May 3. Nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated since the volcano erupted May 3, sending lava flowing into communities and threatening a nearby geothermal plant. The Department of Public Works and Police said the new fissure opened on Hale Kamahina Loop Road and is emitting steam and lava.... [Read Full Story]
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore for a first ever summit between the leaders of the two countries. “The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!” Trump said on Twitter. The two leaders are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and testing program. Trump’s announcement came just hours after three Americans who had been held prisoner in North Korea arrived at a U.S. military base outside Washington, having been released by Kim.... [Read Full Story]
The latest outbreak of the E. Coli virus is linked to romaine lettuce and according to new reports, it has spread to four additional states. Tainted romaine lettuce that is linked to a new outbreak of E. Coli reportedly originated in Yuma, Arizona according toCNN. Earlier this week, the CDC announced that Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas are the latest states to report E. Coli related illnesses after eating the contaminated lettuce. This brings the new total to 29 cases. The CDC gives a list of symptoms to look out for if you have recently eaten romaine lettuce – they include: severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The recovery period for those who have been affected is roughly five to seven days. The CDC further cautions potential lettuce consumers, stating “If you do not know if the lettuce in a salad mix is romaine, do not eat it.”... [Read Full Story]
North Korea has freed three US citizens from prison, according to a tweet from US President Donald Trump. It is viewed as a goodwill gesture ahead of a historic summit between Mr Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. Mr Trump said he would greet the men when they return with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been in Pyongyang to arrange the planned talks. Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-chu were able to “walk on the plane without assistance”, the White House said. They had been jailed for anti-state activities and placed in labour camps. Mr Trump announced the release of the men in a tweet on Wednesday.... [Read Full Story]
State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in West Virginia on Tuesday, beating former coal executive Don Blankenship amid much controversy. Morrisey will now face Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in one of the top Senate races of November’s midterm elections. Blankenship had panicked Republican leaders by showing signs of a late surge, but he faded to a third-place finish behind Morrisey and U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins after President Donald Trump intervened to urge voters to reject him.... [Read Full Story]
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the U.S. will pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran. Trump said the 2015 agreement, which included Germany, France and Britain, was a “horrible one-sided deal that should never ever have been made.” He added that the United States “will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction.” Trump’s decision means Iran’s government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left of the deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he was sending his foreign minister to the countries remaining in the accord but warned there was only a short time to negotiate with them. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country, Britain and Germany all regretted Trump’s decision.... [Read Full Story]
In a speech before law-enforcement officials in Arizona on Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the federal government seeks to separate parents from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to discourage more crossings. The Los Angeles Times reports that the policy officially went into effect last week, though hundreds of children have already been taken from their parents in recent months. “If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law.” Sessions said. Under the new system, children will be treated as if they arrived in the United States alone. If they are from a country other than Mexico or Canada, they are placed with a family member or in a shelter while their case is considered. Their parents are allowed to apply for asylum once they are apprehended, but may be detained while their applications are considered.... [Read Full Story]
Retired lieutenant colonel Oliver North, the ex-Marine convicted and eventually exonerated in the Iran-Contra scandal, will become the next president of the National Rifle Association, the gun lobby’s top executive announced Monday. “This is the most exciting news for our members since Charlton Heston became President of our Association,” NRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a statement. “Oliver North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader. In these times, I can think of no one better suited to serve as our president.” North, 74, will also immediately stop appearing as a commentator on Fox News, LaPierre said. He’s expected to officially come on board as president of the country’s largest gun lobby in “a few weeks,” according to LaPierre.... [Read Full Story]
On Sunday, North Korea criticized what it called “misleading” claims that President Trump’s policy of maximum political pressure and sanctions are what drove Pyongyang to the negotiating table. The new comments come just weeks before Mr. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to hold their first-ever summit. A Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman is quoted as saying that the claims are a “dangerous attempt” to ruin a budding detente on the Korean Peninsula after Kim’s summit late last month with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. At the summit, Kim agreed to a number of measures aimed at improving North-South ties and indicated he is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the peninsula. Mr. Trump and senior U.S. officials have suggested that Washington’s tough policy toward North Korea has played a decisive role in turning around what had been a tense situation. Kim and Mr. Trump are expected to meet later this month or in early June.... [Read Full Story]
The number of homes destroyed by Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano jumped to 21 Sunday as scientists reported lava spewing more than 200 feet into the air. Some of the more than 1,700 people who evacuated were prepared for the possibility they may not return for quite some time. Hawaii officials said the decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano. Officials updated the number of lost homes after an aerial survey of the subdivision, though also said the number could increase.... [Read Full Story]
Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL are shutting down, citing a “siege of media coverage” that drove away its customers. The data gathering firm at the center of Facebook’s controversy over user privacy has been under intense scrutiny from both the U.S. and U.K. governments for pushing advertisements to potential voters on the social network using improperly obtained profile data. “The company is immediately ceasing all operations,” the data firm announced in a surprise statement, noting that “parallel bankruptcy proceedings will soon be commenced.” The company said that the deluge of media reports on its data acquisition were “unfounded accusations,” and claimed it was being “vilified for activities that are not only legal, but also widely accepted as a standard component of online advertising.”... [Read Full Story]
President Donald Trump reimbursed his personal lawyer for $130,000 in hush money paid to a porn actress days before the 2016 presidential election, Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s attorneys, said Wednesday, appearing to contradict the president’s past claims that he didn’t know the source of the money. During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Giuliani said the money to repay Michael Cohen had been “funneled … through the law firm and the president repaid it.” Asked if Trump knew about the arrangement, Giuliani said: “He didn’t know about the specifics of it, as far as I know.”... [Read Full Story]
Ty Cobb, who had served as the president’s lead White House attorney for the investigation, is retiring. President Donald Trump has tapped Emmett Flood, who advised Bill Clinton during his impeachment proceedings, to assist in the Russia investigation after Cobb announced plans to retire, the White House said Wednesday. Cobb said in a statement, “I believe the White House is in good hands with Emmett Flood, who is a highly regarded and very talented attorney.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Cobb had been discussing his plans to retire with Trump and White House chief of staff John Kelly for the last several weeks. ... [Read Full Story]
An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane on a training mission crashed Wednesday along a road near a Georgia airport, killing at least five National Guard members from Puerto Rico, authorities said. The plane appeared to have crashed into a median on the road, where firefighters later put out the blaze. Capt. Jeff Bezore, a spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Air Wing, said the crash killed at least five people. The Air Force said the plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico. The Savannah Air National Guard says the plane was doing a training mission when it crashed near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.... [Read Full Story]
After a leak of nearly 50 questions Special Counsel Robert Mueller would like to ask the President as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the possibility of officials in Donald Trump’s campaign colluding with the Russians, it’s now clear that the scope of Mueller’s investigation widened significantly. The language of the leaked questions was written by Trump’s legal team, written off a list of detailed topics Mueller’s team said they would like to ask about. After the questions were leaked, the nature of the questions that Mueller is seeking to ask Trump is thought to perhaps change the President’s mind about sitting for an interview with the special counsel.... [Read Full Story]
California and a group of 16 other states on Tuesday challenged the Trump administration’s decision to revise strict U.S. vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency rules put in place under former President Barack Obama. The 17 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision in April to declare U.S. vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency rules through 2025 “not appropriate.” The legal challenge comes as Democrats and environmental advocates vowed to challenge the Trump administration’s plans to weaken vehicle rules.... [Read Full Story]
In the third day of a statewide teacher walkout, Arizona educators gathered in the hundreds at the state’s capital and in other cities around the state to demand teacher raises and more school funding. Hundreds of schools have announced they will close, and the state legislature is expected to introduce a budget proposal soon to try to satisfy the teachers’ demands. The walkout has carried momentum of a national movement of teacher demonstrations, starting with a successful West Virginia teacher strike that began in February and continuing to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, and Colorado. On Thursday and Friday, the teachers and their supporters rallied in the thousands in temperatures over 90 degrees at the capitol to demand increased funding. More than 1,000 schools in the state closed for the walkout. ... [Read Full Story]
On Monday, adult film star Stormy Daniels filed another lawsuit against President Trump, accusing him of defaming her by dismissing as a “con job” her claim that she was threatened in 2011 after giving an interview about their alleged affair. Daniels, who says she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006, said in a televised interview that she was with her infant daughter when a man approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot, told her to “leave Trump alone.” Daniels never reported the incident to police, but after she talked about the parking lot encounter she released a sketch of the man two weeks ago. Trump responded on Twitter: “A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!” Daniels filed a new lawsuit on Monday in the federal court in the Southern District of New York, saying Trump’s tweet is “false and defamatory.” Charles Harder, an attorney representing Trump, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.... [Read Full Story]
