National & International News
The day’s top national and international news
gandolfini
38 minutes ago

"Sopranos" Star James Gandolfini Dead at 51

AP
James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's "The Sopranos" helped create one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51. Read »
cold cases
5 hours ago

Possible Bones Found at Former "Goodfellas" Mobster Home

Possible Bones Found at Former
Possible human remains have been found by FBI and NYPD organized crime investigators digging at the home of a former mobster who inspired Robert DeNiro's character in the movie "Goodfellas." Law enforcement officials told NBC 4 New York Wednesday that the potential bones were found buried in the ground, along with other evidence now being sent for testing. Jimmy Burke, the late Lucchese family crime associate, allegedly masterminded a nearly $6 million robbery at Kennedy Airport in 1978 -- one of the largest cash thefts in American history, known as the Lufthansa heist. Burke died behind bars in 1996 at age 64. The Burke family still owns the home, now rented to an elderly couple. Investigators began digging at the home on Monday. Read »
NBCNews.com
2 hours ago

FBI Chief: We Use Drones in U.S. for Surveillance

Getty Images FBI Director Robert Mueller acknowledged Wednesday that his agency uses drones for surveillance on U.S. soil, but only on a "very, very minimal basis," he said. "We are in the early stages of doing that, and I will tell you that our footprint is very small, we have very few, and have limited use. And we're exploring not only the use, but the necessary guidelines for that use," Mueller, who is set to retire this year, said at a Senate hearing Wednesday. Although the use of government drones on U.S. soil is well-documented, with Homeland Security using them to help police the U.S.-Mexico border, Mueller said they are used for surveillance only "seldom." His remarks came amid a raging national debate over how much information the government should be able to gather in its law enforcement and anti-terrorism activities and how it should be allowed to collect it. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
6 hours ago

Google: "We're Not in Cahoots with the NSA"

Getty Images "We're not in cahoots with the NSA," Google's top lawyer said Wednesday, as the search engine behemoth tries to assuage customers' fears that its email and Internet browsing history might be subject to government spying. David Drummond, the company's chief legal officer, made his appeal to Google users in a live web chat with The Guardian — which broke the story of the U.S. government's data surveillance programs with the help of contractor Edward Snowden's leaks this month — on Wednesday. He vehemently denied reports that the National Security Agency's data collection programs had given it "direct access" to Google servers, and he said the company only turns over data in response to "legitimate" requests relating to criminal or terror investigations. Drummond's remarks came a day after his company had sued in a secret intelligence court, claiming gag orders barring the company from informing customers of the data it is forced to turn over to the feds violates its First Amendment rights. Get More at NBC News

5 hours ago

Millions of Human Trafficking Victims Go Unidentified

AP U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday of the scope and dangerous of human trafficking in the U.S., two days after the feds raided a slew of 7-Elevens in New York and Virginia and charged their owners in a trafficking probe. Millions more victims slip past law enforcement every year, Kerry said Wednesday, as he released the State Departent's 2013 Trafficking in Persons report. According to that report, only about 40,000 victims have been identified in the past year, but the number of people trafficked worldwide at any one time can reach as high as 27 million. "That means we’re bringing to light only a mere fraction of those who are exploited in modern slavery," said an anti-trafficking official who penned the report's introduction. "That number, and the millions who remain unidentified, are the numbers that deserve our focus." Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
5 hours ago

Stocks Tumble on Doubts Over Fed's Stimulus Plans

AP The Dow closed down more than 200 points Wednesday, after stocks tumbled in the wake of hints from the Fed that it could wind down its current stimulus measures later this year. The Federal Reserve said that for now it will hold rates steady and keep up its bond-buying — but it also suggested it could wind down its easing toward the end of 2013 if the economy keeps improving, CNBC reported. The markets had been looking to the Fed's meeting and announcement Wednesday for clues to its future plans, after its earlier mixed signals to investors on what stimulus might be in store. Stocks fell sharply Wednesday after the announcements, and at Wednesday's news conference, Fed Chair Ben Bernanke refused to address questions about his future heading the Fed as his second term there nears its end. Get More at NBC News

terror arrests
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 2:36 PM

2 Arrested in Plot to Use X-Ray Weapon

2 Arrested in Plot to Use X-Ray Weapon
Two upstate New York men, one of whom prosecutors say is a member of the Ku Klux Klan, have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to develop a portable X-ray radiation machine capable of emitting lethal doses of radiation that they intended to use against Muslims and "enemies of Israel." Officials said Eric Feight, 54, and Glendon Crawford, 49, wanted the device to be used on unwitting victims who were anti-Israel and that the effects would not be realized until days after exposure. One allegedly sought financing from the Ku Klux Klan and two Jewish organizations. Investigators said the device used in the sting was not real and never any danger to the public. The device that the defendants designed was rendered inoperable, prosecutors said. Feight and Crawford are charged with material support for terrorism, which carries up to 15 years in prison. Read »
anne arundel
2 hours ago

3 Naval Academy Football Players Face Sex Assault Charges

3 Naval Academy Football Players Face Sex Assault ChargesAP
The U.S. Naval Academy on Wednesday charged three Navy football players with sexually assaulting a female midshipman at an off-campus house more than a year ago. The academy said the male midshipmen are being charged with rape, sexual assault or other sexual misconduct, and making a false official statement. The three students were not identified in the academy's statement. Two were football players this past season, but they are not on the team anymore. Another is still on the team, but he has been suspended pending the outcome of the case. The alleged assault occurred in April 2012 at an off-campus house in Annapolis, Md. The woman's attorney has said the woman woke up with bruises after a night of heavy drinking and later learned from friends and social media that three football players she considered friends were claiming to have had sex with her while she was intoxicated and blacked out. Read »
47 minutes ago
NBCNews.com
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 2:09 PM

HPV Infections Fell by Half in Teen Girls After Vaccine

AP HPV infections in American teen girls fell by more than half after the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006, despite political controversy surrounding the vaccine, a study has found. The gains also happened even though just a third of teens aged 13 to 17 had the full series of shots to prevent HPV infection, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 19,000 cancers caused by HPV infections occur in women in the U.S. each year, with cervical cancers the most common, according to the CDC. Vaccination is recommended starting at age 11 or 12. Frieden said the study should be a national "wake-up call" to "protect the next generation by increasing HPV vaccination rates." Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
5 hours ago

Obama in Berlin: Time to Cut Cold War Nuke Arsenals


Fifty years after John F. Kennedy's famous speech in Berlin, President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday in front of the Brandenburg Gate, saying "our work is not yet done" on confronting global challenges. Speaking to a cheering crowd, Obama proposed reducing the American nuclear arsenal by as much as a third. "We may no longer live in fear of global annihilation, but so long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe," Obama said. He said the U.S. will seek cooperation with Russia for further cuts "to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures." Obama's visit came just a few days shy of JFK festivities which include photo exhibits, lectures, panel discussions and commemorations at Berlin's John F. Kennedy School to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's speech. This is Obama's first state visit to the German capital, though Berlin hosted a foreign policy address during his 2008 presidential campaign. Get More at NBC News

playa del carmen
2 hours ago

2-Year Investigation Led to Arrest of Ex-USC Prof.

2-Year Investigation Led to Arrest of Ex-USC Prof.
It took investigators two years to build a case against a former USC professor who was arrested in Mexico Tuesday, a day after he was named to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives list for alleged child-sex crimes. Read »
twa flight 800
2 hours ago

Ex-TWA Flight 800 Investigators Say NTSB Got Crash Cause Wrong

Ex-TWA Flight 800 Investigators Say NTSB Got Crash Cause Wrong
Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet. The 1996 crash of the Paris-bound flight out of John F. Kennedy International Airport killed 230 people. Authorities said a "fuel-air explosion" was responsible for the crash. The retired investigators, all participants in the initial probe, claim that findings were "falsified" and that one or more bomb-related explosions outside the aircraft took down the plane. They don't say where those explosions came from. A documentary on the subject is coming out in July. Read »
george zimmer
4 hours ago

Men's Wearhouse Founder George Zimmer Fired

Men's Wearhouse Founder George Zimmer FiredAP
The Board of Directors of Men's Wearhouse on Wednesday said it ousted the face and voice of the company - George Zimmer - from his position as executive chairman, without stating why. In a statement, the board said it “expects to discuss with Mr. Zimmer the extent, if any, and terms of his ongoing relationship with the Company.” Zimmer fired back, saying he has been concerned over the direction of the company. Many know Zimmer from years of commercials where he repeated the same slogan in his folksy voice: “You’re going like the way you look. I guarantee it.” In 1973, Zimmer and his college roommate opened the first Men's Wearhouse store, which sold $10 slacks and $25 polyester sport coats, in Houston. The chain is one of North America's largest specialty retailers of men's apparel, with 1,143 stores. Read »
NBCNews.com
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 2:19 PM

Karzai Quits U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks

AP Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday he will not participate in peace talks with the Taliban and accused the U.S. of "a contradiction" over its decision to meet with the militant group. He said Afghanistan would not take part "until the peace process is totally under Afghan control." Karzai earlier Wednesday announced he had suspended talks with the U.S. on a new security deal over how many troops should remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014 in protest of how the talks were announced. Government sources in Kabul told NBC News the Afghan leader was angered by the Taliban's decision to open a new office in Qatar under the name of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" -- the name of its regime in the 1990s -- and fly its own flag outside. Get More at NBC News

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