Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:58 PM
Jury Finds Jodi Arias Eligible for Death Penalty
AP
A Phoenix jury found Jodi Arias "especially cruel" Wednesday in how she allegedly killed her ex-boyfriend — making her eligible for the death penalty. The finding constituted an "aggravating factor" under Arizona law in Travis Alexander's murder, of which the same jury convicted Arias last week. The penalty phase of the deliberations is set to resume Thursday, and then the jurors will begin to mull whether Arias should face execution or life in prison. The jury's deliberations on whether Arias should be eligible for death started after only two hours of arguments over whether she had been "especially cruel," a factor that state law says justifies the death penalty. Arias' attorney Kirk Nurmi said jurors had to be convinced that she acted "beyond (the) normal cruelty that's inherent in any first-degree murder."
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 11:59 PM
White House Releases More Benghazi Emails
AP
The White House has released more emails and other documents pertaining to its response to last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in the midst of renewed scrutiny of its talking points by the GOP. The just-released emails show that then-CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell voiced concerns similar to those the State Department's and that the same intelligence analysts who drafted the original talking points on the attacks were okay with the language in their edits, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander reported. The release of the new documents comes on the heels of a congressional hearing last week and new criticism for how the White House, the State Department and the CIA responded to the attacks in the days after Sept. 11, 2012, despite President Barack Obama's dismissal of the new scrutiny Monday as a "sideshow."
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Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 4:54 PM
IRS Chief Steven Miller Ousted Amid Scandal
AP
The acting commissioner of the IRS resigned at the request of President Barack Obama's administration, Obama said Wednesday, in the wake of revelations that the agency gave special scrutiny to conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. Steven Miller's resignation has been accepted by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Obama said. Earlier Wednesday, sources had told NBC News that two IRS employees from the Cincinnati office — responsible at the time for reviewing the applications of groups seeking tax exemption — had been disciplined, a senior official told congressional investigators. Obama said that an internal report's finding that the IRS used "inappropriate criteria" for screening applicants and failed to remedy the situation was "intolerable and inexcusable." Attorney General Eric Holder, testifying Wednesday in Congress, promised an investigation that would look at several criminal statutes and whose scope would not be limited to the offices that have already been the subjects of complaints.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 2:53 PM
White House Pushes Media Shield Law After AP Subpoena
Getty Images
A media shield law is again being pushed in the Senate, thanks to outrage from press freedom advocates at the Justice Department's secret seizure of Associated Press journalists' phone records. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that he would reintroduce the same bill that he — as well as the White House and the press — had supported in 2009 but that never made it to a floor vote. The media shield law, if passed, would protect journalists and their employers from having to reveal information, including source identity, obtained confidentially during newsgathering. It would also establish a legal framework to determine when that information could be subpoenaed and would spell out the exceptions when journalists would have no privilege against disclosure. Meanwhile, addressing the AP subpoenas, Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated Tuesday that he had recused himself from the case and underscored the significance of the leak that underpinned the AP story behind the subpoenas, saying it was "among the top two or three serious leaks" he had ever seen.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM
Anonymous Donors Fund Last-Ditch Ariz. Gun Buybacks
NBC10 Philadelphia - Catherine Brown
It sounds like something out of Charles Dickens' London, but it's actually in Phoenix, Ariz.: A pair of mysterious benefactors has given $100,000 apiece to help fund what could be its last series of gun buybacks. That's because a new state law will soon require police to resell any forfeited guns they receive — and the city is holding a spate of buybacks before it goes into effect, with the help of the anonymous donors. "These are people that are motivated by Newtown that wanted to do something positive for the community," Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said of the pair. Residents who want to get rid of their guns can exchange them for $100 grocery store gift cards or, if they turn in assault rifles, $200 gift cards. The traditionally gun-friendly state of Arizona has been home lately to a fierce gun debate. The new law conservative Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law comes despite support for gun control by high-profile lawmakers like gun violence victim-turned-activist and former Rep. Gabby Giffords as well as Sen. John McCain.
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Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:13 AM
Holder Faces Marathon Grilling in Congress on IRS, AP
AP
Attorney General Eric Holder received a relentless grilling on Wednesday in Congress, where he testified on two controversies that have rocked Washington: revelations that the IRS targeted conservative groups and that the Justice Department seized two months of phone records from AP reporters. Holder reiterated that he was not involved in the decision to seize the AP phone records and confirmed that after he recused himself over a leak probe, Deputy Attorney General James Cole had authorized the subpoenas. He said his department was trying to find leakers in the administration, not reporters. "The focus should be on those people who break their oaths and put the American people at risk, not reporters who gather this information," he said. On the IRS scandal, Holder vowed the Justice Department's criminal investigation would be nationwide. “The facts will take us wherever they take us,” Holder said.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 3:18 PM
Google Launches Streaming Music Service, New Map Features and More
AP
Google launched its own streaming music service and upgraded some old favorites at their I/O conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The new streaming music service "All Access" is available immediately and costs $9.99 a month, which is the same price as its competitor Spotify for its upgraded monthly streaming. Google Maps got a few significant updates with a new look and features that lets users explore their surroundings without keyword searching. The search engine giant also launched new photo tools that allow users to upload photos to a cloud and edit them on the fly. Google Hangouts also got a facelift with a communications hub that combines the video chat service, Messenger, and Google Talk into one. It will be accessible via Android and iOS apps as well as within Gmail, Google Talk and Chrome.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 11:18 AM
Google Stock Crosses $900 for the First Time
Google stock share topped $900 for the first time in early trading on Wednesday, NBC News reported. The latest spike comes amid news that the search engine giant is expected to make several big announcements at its I/O developers conference this week, one of which is the launch of a music-streaming service that will compete with Spotify, according to Bloomberg. The stock opened at $895.50 and peaked $911.76 by mid-morning. At last check, it was trading at $908.78, which is up 2.46 percent from Tuesday's close. Among the rumored announcements are a new version of Google Maps and the next generation of the Nexus 7 tablet.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:03 AM
4 Minnesotans Jailed for Aiding Somali Terrorist Group
AP
Four men were sentenced to prison Tuesday for helping recruit young men in Minnesota to fight for the military group al-Shabab in Somalia, Reuters reported. According to investigators, about 20 ethnic Somali men left Minnesota from 2007 to 2009 to go to Somalia to fight for al-Shabab, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. Eighteen men were charged after a four-year investigation. Eight were convicted and the rest are thought to be fugitives or to have been killed in Somalia while fighting for the militant group. Abdifatah Yusuf Isse, Salah Osman Ahmed, and Ahmed Hussein Mahamud had each pleaded guilty to one count of providing material support to al-Shabab and were each sentenced to three years in prison by Chief Judge Michael Davis in Minneapolis federal court. A fourth man Omer Abdi Mohamed received a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to co-conspirators who intended to murder, kidnap, or maim Ethiopian and Somali government troops.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Attorney: Ariel Castro Loves his Daughter "Dearly"
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:59 AM
Report Questioning Salt Intake Riles Heart Experts
AP
A report released by the Institute of Medicine on Tuesday, which states that there isn't sufficient evidence that cutting sodium intake below 2,300 milligrams per day cuts the risk of heart disease, has angered the American Heart Association, NBC News reported. Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a statement that the organization disagrees with the report's "key conclusions" and that the “report is missing a critical component -- a comprehensive review of well-established evidence which links too much sodium to high blood pressure and heart disease.” The report is based on the findings of a panel of experts who examined studies showing the medical effects of eating too much salt, as well as at studies that have been used to suggest that some people may suffer form eating too little salt. Dr. Brian Strom, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania, who chaired the panel said there was good evidence to lower excessive salt intake, but that there was no evidence to support recommendations of the current target of 1,500 milligrams a day.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:05 AM
Military Faces Historic Tipping Point on Rape Epidemic
AP
The U.S. military seems increasingly incapable of stemming sexual misconduct, according to watchdogs, but with the second member of the military’s campaign to deal with sex abuse falling under investigation, the Pentagon might be forced to conduct a thorough reform long sought by victims of sexual assault, NBC’s First Read team writes. Critics blasted the Pentagon for maintaining an internal system of investigation that is ineffective and in desperate need of change, following revelations Tuesday that a U.S. Army sergeant who coordinated a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas was under investigation for a host of sexual misconduct charges. "It is abundantly clear that the military cannot adequately handle its sexual violence crisis from within," said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of Service Women's Action Network and former Marine captain. On Thursday, Sent. Kirsten Gillibrand plans to introduce a bill that seeks to transfer sex crimes from the authority of military brass to independent military prosecutors, said her spokesman.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Boston Marks 1 Month Since Marathon Bombings
AP
Victims of the Boston Marathon bombings and Boston police alike are trying to adjust to a "different normal," as one survivor put it, one month after the attacks killed three and wounded hundreds more. Many victims are recovering from multiple wounds, including severe burns, hearing loss, brain injuries and nerve and vascular damage. At least 15 underwent amputations, and some — like brothers Paul and J.P. Norden — have undergone multiple surgeries. Others are waiting for serious injuries to heal. "Their ultimate outcome may not be determined for several months or even a year," said the medical director of one medical center's amputee program. As victims struggled to return to some semblance of normal despite their injuries, Boston police were struggling to do the same. At 2:50 p.m. ET, the time the bombing occurred, they observed a moment of silence, removed the mourning bands from their badges and raised the flag over their headquarters for the first time since the attacks.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Army Sex Abuse Prevention Officer Accused of Sex Abuse
A U.S. Army sergeant who coordinated a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is being investigated for a host of sexual misconduct charges, officials said Tuesday — just days after similar accusations were made against an Air Force officer who held a similar post. A Pentagon source told NBC News that the soldier is accused of having forced at least one subordinate into prostitution and of having sexually assaulted two others. He has been suspended from his job pending the probe by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and his identity has not been released. The new investigation comes just days after an Air Force officer in charge of its own sexual assault prevention program was arrested just outside Washington, D.C., for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman. Both a Pentagon spokesman and lawmakers blasted the news of the Army probe so soon on the heels of that arrest. "To say this report is disturbing would be a gross understatement," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 5:56 AM
New Controversies Threaten Obama's 2nd-Term Agenda
AP
Lingering questions about the reaction to the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Revelations that the Justice Department seized phone records from Associated Press journalists. And now a still-simmering scandal at the IRS that an audit found the agency hasn't taken sufficient steps to correct. That spate of political obstacles could threaten the sweeping political agenda President Barack Obama began his second term with grand plans to implement, NBC News reported. Already his gun control proposals have been foiled by Senate Republicans, and some Democrats are worried about what Obama might be able to accomplish. "If I were in the opposing party, and the White House were having this kind of week, I’d be smiling," one Democratic strategist told NBC News. But Obama vowed at a fundraiser Monday, "I am persistent. And I am staying at it." And one ally said he thought some pundits might be "panicking too quickly." Indeed, immigration reform is still making its way through Congress with support from some in the GOP.
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