38 minutes ago
Courage Amid Chaos as Tornado Destroys School
AP
The powerful tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on Monday hit hard Plaza Towers Elementary School, where children sheltered inside from the roaring gusts, even as the building began to come apart around them.
The winds and flying debris from the mile-wide tornado claimed at least two dozen lives, the Oklahoma medical examiner said on Tuesday, according to NBC News. Nine of those victims were children.
The seven students who were killed at Plaza Towers, a single-story cinder block building that was leveled in the storm, were found dead in a pool of water, authorities said. Another student died at Briarwood Elementary, less than two miles away.
School officials had long planned for a tornado, but they were not ready for such such a devastating one, with EF-5 category winds that topped 200 mph.
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 1:49 AM
Immigration Bill Approved by Senate Committee
AP
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 Tuesday night on a sweeping bill to overhaul the nation's immigration system, NBC News reported. Three Republicans -- Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah -- joined the panel's 10 Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. Flake and Graham are both members of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" that originally drafted the 844-page immigration legislation. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah and Jeff Sessions of Alabama voted against the legislation. In an emotional moment shortly before the final passage of the bill, committee chairman Patrick Leahy announced that he would withhold a vote on an amendment that would give the spouses of LGBT individuals the same standing as heterosexual couples. The measure will now head to the Senate floor.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 10:47 PM
9-Year-Old Among First Tornado Victims Identified
Courtesy Angela Hornsby
A 9-year-old girl is among the first of the Oklahoma tornado victims to be identified, NBC News reported. Third-grader Ja'Nae Hornsby, who was "always smiling" was one of the students who died when the tornado slammed into Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., on Monday afternoon. Grieving family members gathered Tuesday at a Baptist church in Oklahoma City to console each other after a night of anxious waiting ended with a devastating call from the medical examiner's office. Ja'Nae's father tried to race back home to pick her up from school and pick up his two-year-old from daycare as the twister bore down on the Moore suburb. By the time he got there, the school had been reduced to a pile of rubble and the parking lot was transformed into a triage area for surviving students. Click through to read more about the frantic search for Ja'Nae Hornsby.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:57 PM
Army General Suspended from Duties Amid Adultery Investigation
U.S. Army
An army general being investigated for adultery and for being involved in a physical altercation has been suspended, NBC News reported. Army Brigadier General Bryan T. Roberts, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training Center in Fort Jackson, S.C. was allegedly involved in an altercation with an unidentified woman and is being investigated for reportedly having an affair with her, a U.S. military official told NBC News. The two were apparently making up after an argument when Robert allegedly bit the woman's lip, prompting her to seek medical help. While the investigation is ongoing, Brig. Gen. Peggy Combs, Commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, will serve as the interim commander.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 4:42 PM
Peace Corp Opens Up to Same-Sex Couples
Getty Images
The Peace Corp will now start accepting applications from same-sex partners who want to serve together overseas, NBC News reported. Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said on Tuesday that opening up to same-sex domestic partners will diversify the pool of applicants for the volunteer force who serve in education, health, economic development and agriculture projects. Same-sex couples can start applying June 3 and those wishing to join will need to sign an affidavit to verify their relationship.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Pakistan's New Leader Makes Landmark Offer of Talks to Taliban
AP
Pakistan's prime minister designate Nawaz Sharif told members of his party on Monday that talks with the Taliban is not off the table, NBC News reported. "All options should be tried, and guns and bullets are not a solution to all problems … Why shouldn't we sit and talk and engage in dialogue?" Sharif said. His announcement in Lahore has created a divide among Pakistan's political classes with many saying this is a war which must be committed to and won. The Pakistani Taliban would be willing to partake in peace talks, according to their spokesman, who added that they had already been willing to participate in peace talks with the previous government – and that they had wanted to work with Sharif as a guarantor to implement accords, if they were agreed to.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 11:55 AM
During Tornado, Trapped Students Had Nowhere to Hide
When the sirens began wailing and teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., heard that a huge tornado was heading toward them, there was nowhere to hide.
They crouched in hallways and bathrooms, waiting, hoping and praying. Then "the school started coming apart," one neighbor who sought shelter at the school told The Associated Press. A teacher told NBC station KFOR that she draped herself on top of six children in a bathroom to shelter them. The twister hit the school at about 200 mph at 3 p.m. local time, tearing off the roof and killing seven children. Officials said the children drowned in a pool of water. As of Tuesday morning, it is still unclear if any other children were killed or trapped alive.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 11:01 PM
More Rough Weather Hit Country Tuesday
About 9.5 million people remained under the threat of more "large and devastating" tornadoes Tuesday as the storm system that devastated the suburbs of Oklahoma City moved east, forecasters warned. A tornado watch was issued for Dallas-Fort Worth as well as all of north and central Texas until 8:00 p.m. ET. Tornado watches were also issued for a large portion of the south including Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee until 11:00 p.m. ET.
Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said early Tuesday that the threat area appeared to be east and south of Oklahoma City.
"Tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible throughout the threat area," Roth said.
He added that cities including Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Texarkana and Little Rock were among the cities "close to the the larger tornado threat." The National Weather Service said storms were expected Tuesday "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas."
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Senators Demand Answers from IRS Officials
U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle demanded answers as to why action was not taken sooner to stop the IRS' practice of targeting conservative groups, NBC News reported. Senate Democratic leader Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- who demand to know why those at the top of the tax agency did not take action -- called the conduct "outrageous" and "unacceptable." Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, the Bush-era appointee who served during much of the time that the IRS targeting of conservatives took place, testified Tuesday that he was not aware of all the facts surrounding the abuses until earlier this month. Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner who resigned last week amid outrage over the scandal, also testified before the Senate Finance Committee. He said he was responsible for having another IRS official, Lois Lerner, answer a planted question at an American Bar Association panel discussion to publicly reveal the targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservatives, NBC News reported. Miller said his original plan for was the IRS to simultaneously brief Capitol Hill about the forthcoming inspector’s general report that detailed the abuses. “Obviously, the entire thing was an incredibly bad idea,” Miller said.
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10 minutes ago
How to Help Tornado Victims
AP
Local schools, churches and community organizations are coordinating food and shelter for displaced residents and accepting donations of food, blankets and other items in the wake of a massive tornado that struck Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon. The Red Cross has set up shelters in various communities. You can donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund here, and the organization also suggests giving blood at your local hospital or blood bank. You can also donate to the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief fund and donations will "go straight to help those in need providing tree removal services, laundry services and meals to victims of disasters." The Salvation Army is organizing disaster response units to serve hard-hit areas in central Oklahoma, including Moore, where it is sending mobile kitchens that can serve meals to 2,500 people a day, and to South Oklahoma City.
Get More at NBC News
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 3:05 PM
WATCH: Time-Lapse of Tornado's Path of Destruction
A massive two-mile-wide tornado rips through southern Oklahoma City on Monday. This footage has been sped up by 10X.
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Monday, May 20, 2013 at 3:32 PM
White House Aides Learned of IRS Details in April, But Didn't Tell Obama
The White House learned of a report that detailed the IRS' targeting of conservative groups in late April, but the administration's top spokesperson maintained on Monday that President Barack Obama was not notified at the time, NBC News reported. White House press secretary Jay Carney said in his daily press briefing on Monday that White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler was informed of the report on April 24, which she in turn told senior staff, though those details were never conveyed to Obama, Carney said. Carney characterized the administration's handling of the information as fairly routine. The new details from Monday's briefing come amid growing Republican clamor for more information about who in the White House knew about the IRS investigation and when.
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Monday, May 20, 2013 at 11:32 PM
Arias Witness Withdraws Amid Death Threats
AP
Convicted killer Jodi Arias' childhood friend planned to testify, but decided on Monday that she could not go through with it, NBC News reported. The potential witness, Patricia Womack, planned to testify about Arias' abusive childhood, but backed out because she said she was receiving death threats and was deeply conflicted about the case. “I couldn’t do it,” she told NBC News in an email. “I feel there is so much good in Jodi to be saved but then also someone’s dear life was taken.” The sentencing phase of Arias' trial continued on Monday to determine whether to sentence her to death or life in prison for the killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. Last week, the jury ruled that Arias acted with extreme cruelty, making her eligible for the death penalty. Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi is attempting to secure a life sentence for his client. Arias was briefly placed on suicide watch after her conviction on May 8. In an interview with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix, Arias said she would "rather get death than life" and that death was the "ultimate freedom."
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Monday, May 20, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Arizona Killer Jodi Arias Set to Take Stand in Defense of Her Life
AP
Convicted killer Jodi Arias will take the stand on Monday to address the jury before they make a decision whether to sentence her to death or life in prison for the killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, NBC News reports. Last week, the jury ruled that Arias acted with extreme cruelty, making her eligible for the death penalty. Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi is attempting to secure a life sentence for his client. "When you understand who Ms. Arias is, you will understand that life is the appropriate sentence,” he told jurors at the start of the sentencing process last week. Arias was briefly placed on suicide watch after her conviction on May 8. In an interview with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix, Arias said she would "rather get death than life" and that death was the "ultimate freedom."
Get More at NBC News
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Kerry: Diplomatic Missions Dangerous Well Before Benghazi
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