National & International News
The day’s top national and international news
boy scouts
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 12:25 AM

Scouts Vote to Accept Openly Gay Boys

Scouts Vote to Accept Openly Gay BoysAP
The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders -- a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1. "Within our movement everyone agrees on one thing, no matter how you feel about this issue, kids are better off in scouting. Our vision is to serve every kid. We want every kid to have a place where they can grow," said Wayne Perry, BSA National President. Under the proposal drafted by the Scouts' governing board, gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders. Of the more than 200,000 leaders, parents and youth members who responded, 61 percent supported the current policy of excluding gays, while 34 percent opposed it. However, most parents of young Scouts, as well as youth members themselves, opposed the ban. Read »
NBCNews.com
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 1:18 AM

3 People Rescued After Bridge Collapse in Wash. State

AP Three people were rescued from a river after a bridge collapsed along Interstate-5 in Washington State on Thursday evening, plunging cars into the water below, according to Washington State Patrol. The extent of the injuries for the three is unclear, but all were evaluated on scene and were transported to area hospitals, according to Marcus Deyerin of the Washington Incident Management Team. Authorities say they have no reason to believe any others are still in the river, NBC News reported. Two vehicles were submerged in the Skagit River when the bridge fell around 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. EDT), and traffic has been closed in both directions. NBC Seattle affiliate KING5 reported that traffic was significantly backed up in both directions. I-5 is the main freeway that runs along the West Coast. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 9:14 PM

Jurors Fail to Reach Verdict in Jodi Arias Trial

AP Jurors in the high-profile Jodi Arias trial on Thursday failed to reach agreement over whether she should receive the death penalty for killing her ex-boyfriend, NBC News reported. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens called for a retrial in the penalty phase after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The new jury will be impaneled on July 18. Earlier this month Arias was found guilty for the brutal murder of her former boyfriend, 30-year-old Travis Alexander. His body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He was stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and was shot in the face. Arias asked jurors to spare her life after initially saying she preferred to die. Arias said she deserves life in prison instead of the death penalty because she still has a lot to contribute to society. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 2:38 PM

Obama Defends Drones, Lays Out Plan for Closing Gitmo


In a speech outlining the future of his counter-terrorism policy, President Obama laid out new rules Thursday for drone strikes and offered steps to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Obama said drone attacks will be restricted to known terrorists under new rules he signed this week. "Before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set,” he said. He defended the use of drones saying that “the terrorists we are after target civilians, and the death toll from their acts of terrorism against Muslims dwarfs any estimate of civilian casualties from drone strikes.” The president said he has tried to close Guantanamo and announced that he's lifting the 2009 ban on transfers of detainees to Yemen and appointing a new envoy at the State Department and Defense Department whose role will be to transfer detainees from the prison to third countries. The speech came a day after the administration publicly acknowledged for the first time that drone strikes have killed four Americans overseas since 2009, NBC News reported. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 12:38 AM

5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California

A 5.7 earthquake struck in Northern California on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The epicenter of the quake was centered 6 miles west northwest of Greenville, and 26 miles southwest of Susanville, according to NBC News. A 5.7 magnitude quake is considered moderate, but has the potential to cause considerable damage. There was no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Chief meteorologist Mark Finan at NBC affiliate KCRA said the quake was felt at the station's studios in downtown Sacramento, about 145 miles south of the epicenter. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 5:19 PM

IRS Official Placed on Leave

AP Lois Lerner, the IRS official who oversees the agency’s division in charge of tax-exempt organizations, has been placed on administrative leave, a source told NBC News on Thursday. The IRS has selected Ken Corbin as acting director during Lerner's absence. Lerner, whose responsibility for the targeting of conservative groups at the IRS has become a point of scrutiny in the controversy, had come under bipartisan fire. Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel earlier on Thursday seeking Lerner’s suspension. Lerner had appeared before a House committee on Wednesday, but invoked her Fifth Amendment rights, and declined to testify. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 5:06 PM

Holder Approved Search Warrant for Fox News Reporter, Official Says

AP Attorney General Eric Holder approved a search warrant that authorized the seizure of Fox News reporter James Rosen's emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News. Rosen was the target of a search warrant that allowed Justice Department investigators to secretly seize his private emails after an FBI agent said he had "asked, solicited and encouraged a source to disclose sensitive United States internal documents and intelligence information." The revelation about Holder's role in the investigation came as President Barack Obama said, in a major speech about counterterrorism, that the attorney general had agreed to review the Justice Department's guidelines on investigations that involve journalists. Obama's comments came in the wake of criticism that erupted over a separate investigation of the Justice Department's seizure of phone records from The Associated Press. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 2:55 PM

2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast to be "Extremely Active"

Getty Images Forecasters said on Wednesday that the 2013 hurricane season is going to be "extremely active," NBC News reported. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 13 to 20 named storms, seven to 11 hurricanes with three to six forecast to turn into major hurricanes during this Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1. Major hurricanes are defined as Category 3 or higher with wind speeds of more than 110 mph. The numbers for the 2013 season are above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. The last major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. was Wilma in 2005. Hurricane Sandy was downgraded to a tropical storm before it touched down in New Jersey last October. Get More at NBC News

Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 1:35 PM
NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 12:37 PM

U.K Officials Identify Slain London Soldier


The British soldier hacked to death on a London street in a suspected terror attack was a drummer in a military band who had served in Afghanistan, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday, NBC News reported. Lee Rigby, 25, known as “Riggers” to his friends, was killed in broad daylight on Wednesday as he walked in the southeast London neighborhood of Woolwich, near an army barracks. Rigby was “a loving father” to his two-year-old son, the statement said. He was deployed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, and had previously helped guard the U.K.’s royal palaces. Two alleged attackers were later shot by officers and taken to a hospital where they were arrested. One of the men was confronted at the scene by a woman who said she decided to engage him to protect the crowd that was beginning to gather, NBC News reported. “He was obviously a bit excited and the thing was to talk to him,” said Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 8:42 PM

Cruise Industry Announces Passenger Bill of Rights

AP The cruise industry said Wednesday that it's adopting a passenger bill of rights that guarantees the "safety, comfort and care" of guests, The Associated Press reported. The bill of rights promises full refunds for trips that are canceled due to mechanical failure, and a backup power source on every ship to keep emergency systems running in the event of a main generator failure. The announcement by the Cruise Lines International Association, which represents 25 major companies including Carnival and Royal Caribbean comes in the aftermath of the Carnival Triumph debacle. The ship drifted for several days earlier this year without power as passengers endured filthy conditions. Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA, said the idea for the bill of rights came about in response to demands from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., that the industry guarantee passengers minimum standards and protections while on a ship, including sanitary conditions, back-up power, medical care and refunds in the event of a power failure. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 9:40 PM

Zimmerman Defense Team Releases Texts From Trayvon Martin's Phone

NBC 6 South Florida The defense team for George Zimmerman, the man charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, has released a trove of texts and photos from Martin's cell phone, NBC News reported. The newly released evidence, posted to a website run by Zimmerman's defense team on Thursday, includes texts from Martin where he discusses being suspended from school and smoking marijuana. He also shows an interest in guns in several texts. The defense team also filed a motion on Thursday to request a delay in the start of Zimmerman's trial, citing a need for more time to review a witness' qualifications, NBC Miami reported. The evidence comes days before a hearing scheduled next Tuesday that will determine the admissibility of certain evidence in the trial. Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, shot Martin, a black 17-year-old, on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla., in a case that set off racial tensions around the country.Click through to read more about Martin's text messages. Get More at NBC News

Sandy
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 4:18 PM

Jersey Shore Towns to Vacationers: We’re Still Here

Jersey Shore Towns to Vacationers: We’re Still HereRyan Morrill/The SandPaper
More than six months after Sandy, many repeat summer renters have not yet booked homes on Long Beach Island, N.J. over fears of damage from the storm. Realtors and homeowners, who typically have the bulk of their summer properties booked up by Memorial Day, say they’re seeing more rental vacancies than usual for this time of year. They worry the storm damage got more attention than the cleanup and that summer renters, one of the main economic drivers of LBI—an island with one and a half times as many seasonal second homes as permanent residents—will take their vacations and money somewhere else. “People think we’re Seaside Heights and we’re not,” says Joe Mancini, the mayor of Long Beach, the island’s largest township. He, like others on LBI, believe that images of lingering damage in Seaside and Mantoloking, LBI’s neighbors to the north, have sowed the flawed notion that the entire Jersey shore is still damaged. “This was a horrific storm,” Mancini adds, “but we were aggressive in cleaning it up.” Read »
Cadillac
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 8:56 PM

Cadillac SUVs Recalled Because Wheels Could Fall Off

Cadillac SUVs Recalled Because Wheels Could Fall Off
More than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide are being recalled so dealers can tighten the tires, which could fall off, according to General Motors Co. The recall affects the 2013 Cadillac SRX with 18-inch wheels, the company announced. Canadian safety regulators said the wheel nuts may not have been tightened enough at the factory. GM said the problem hasn't caused any crashes or injuries, and no wheels have fallen from vehicles. Dealers will rotate tires and tighten the nuts at no cost to the owners. The recall affects almost 19,000 SUVs in the U.S. and another 913 in Canada. The rest were exported to other countries. Read »
Sandy
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 3:37 PM

N.J. Shore Town Destroyed by Sandy Confronts an Uncertain Future

N.J. Shore Town Destroyed by Sandy Confronts an Uncertain FutureGetty Images
It’s hard to relax in Highlands, a small but proud middle-class town at the northern tip of the Jersey Shore. The borough of 28,000, at the junction of the Shrewsbury River and Sandy Hook Bay, is undergoing a profound transformation that won’t end with the physical rebuilding. The unprecedented damage wrought by Sandy—up to eight feet of water inundated downtown—has prompted what might best be described as an existential crisis, with residents, business owners and public officials confronting daunting questions about the kind of place Highlands will be for those who remain, and how it will survive. Read »
advertisement
advertisement
news
entertainment
Weird