National
Jury picked in Dylann Roof-church slayings trial
The jurors also saw several scans of images and photos that were used to create a 360-degree look at specific areas of the crime scene. Blood could be seen under the chairs. The church was having Bible study the night Roof walked in and joined the group. . "He just sat there the whole time", Sanders said of Roof. "I muzzled her face to my body so tight that I thought I suffocated her because I didn't want her to make a sound", she said about trying to keep her granddaughter safe.
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Refrigerator ruled out as source of Oakland fire
The Ghost Ship , an old warehouse carved into artist studios and illegal living spaces, had no sprinklers, no fire alarms and was ultimately ignored by city inspectors. Gallo cited budget cuts that resulted in layoffs of firefighters, fire marshals, building inspectors and police officers in the wake of the financial crisis as one reason for the apparent lack of scrutiny.
National
Confirmed: Trump Taps Scott Pruitt as EPA Director
Environmental groups were quick to condemn the decision, with one comparing it to "putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop". The choice enraged environmental activists and cheered the oil industry, as Pruitt is seen as an ally of the fossil fuel industry.
National
Senate May Delay Short-Term Spending Bill Passage
The vote lasted for nearly an hour and was tense and uncertain until the end. A vote on final passage is expected momentarily. "Democrats filibuster funding for our troops in a political game to extort more funding for pet domestic programs".
National
Mistrial declared in SC police shooting
Jurors deliberated more than 22 hours over four days before a mistrial was declared Monday. "When that letter was submitted on that Friday, it was because we had one individual who was just deadlocked that he wasn't changing, but yet we had five individuals who were undecided", Montgomery said.
National
Trump slams union leader over Carrier deal
President-elect Donald Trump's supposed job-saving deal with Carrier is looking less and less impressive every day. Jones told media outlets earlier this week that Trump was "lying his a- off" about claims he had saved 1,100 jobs at Carrier , a manufacturer of air conditioners and furnaces.
National
Obama orders review into Russian hacking of 2016 election
Intelligence Community knows regarding Russia's involvement in these actions and attempts to interfere in our election". The report will "impart lessons learned", says adviser Lisa Monaco. President Vladimir Putin, however, dismissed the allegations and subsequent threats of retaliation as campaign rhetoric. Despite these public statements, Mr Trump has continued to maintain a sympathetic attitude towards Russian Federation and its controversial leader President Vladimir Putin.
National
Trump taps retired Marine general John Kelly for DHS
Trump's transition team said republican Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, 70, who has boasted of close ties to Beijing's leaders, was picked as USA ambassador to China. Kelly, since he has firsthand experience dealing with issues on the southern border. Trump has pledged a crackdown on illegal immigration that would require an expensive and logistically hard operation to remove millions from the country.
National
Muslim student attacked in NYC subway reported missing
The teenager was last seen wearing a black jacket, black head scarf, black yoga trousers and a blue sweater and was carrying a bag containing clothing, authorities said. "You don't belong here!" The following day the teen wrote about the incident on Facebook. At this point one of the men is alleged to have grabbed Yasmin Seweid's hijab, demanding that she take it off.
National
Gov. Snyder: Lower Michigan flags to honor John Glenn
Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth who later spent 24 years representing OH in the Senate, died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at the age of 95. - Though the American public knew John Glenn as one of NASA's original seven Mercury astronauts and later an OH senator, he prided himself in being a colonel and fighter pilot with the U.S.
National
Obama urges U.S. to uphold security values
I don't want to paint too rosy of a picture, the situation in Afghanistan is still tough. Obama said these efforts have dramatically improved USA domestic security. "We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn't be involved with", he said. The President then admitted there have been "deadly attacks on the homeland" during his tenure, but they "have not been carried out by operatives with sophisticated networks or equipment, directed from ...
National
Local Pearl Harbor survivor reflects on the 75th anniversary of the attack
He will be the first to visit the USS Arizona Memorial at the US base in Hawaii . TOKYO (AP) - An American president in Hiroshima. "The scope of Pearl Harbor is broad and whether Prime Minister Yoshida visited there or carried out some ceremony can not be confirmed".
National
Eight injured in Ohio university shooting
Officials said it is "too soon" to determine whether Monday's attack at Ohio State University , in which 11 people were injured, had any connection to terrorism. Wait for Police officers directions. It urged students to shelter in place. A campus police officer fatally shot Artan minutes after the attack began.
National
Surgeon General calls youth vaping a public health threat
The U.S. Surgeon General , Dr. Vivek Murthy called e-cigarettes an emergency public health threat to our nation's youth in the report . "This represents a staggering development in a relatively short period of time", he said. Vaping among kids and teens jumped 900 percent in the past few years. The e-cigarettes are filled with liquid nicotine that is converted into inhalable vapor with the help of installed batteries.
National
Casey to oppose spending bill over miners' benefits
The Senate is expected to vote on the spending package later Friday night, before the midnight deadline. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) of OH, one of the Democrats at the forefront of the effort, told the Associated Press that he hoped that Mr. On Friday morning, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, urged his Democratic colleagues to approve the spending bill, warning that without it, the miners would lose their health care at the end of the month.
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U.S. House Democrats re-elect Nancy Pelosi as leader
For their part, Ryan and his backers insisted after the vote that they had won a victory in sending a message to Pelosi about the significant desire for change among House Democrats. Pelosi's understanding of Midwesterners, or lack thereof, is what Ryan highlighted as the party's biggest problem. "It would be helpful to remember that the DCCC works for us and our candidates, we do not work for it".
National
Portrait captures John Glenn preparing for history-making mission
Legendary astronaut and former U.S. Sen. Although two other Americans had completed sub-orbital flights, skimming the top of the atmosphere, Glenn was the first American to make a true orbit of the Earth in space. In this February 1962 NASA photo, astronaut John Glenn looks into a Celestial Training Device globe at the Aeromedical Laboratory at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
National
Election hacking to be reviewed
US intelligence officials have said they believe Russian Federation actively attempted to interfere with the USA presidential election, including a hack of the Democratic National Committee's email system. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of SC said this week he'll be leading an investigation . "I mean, it could be Russian Federation, but it could also be China, could also be lots of other people", Trump said.
National
Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains to reopen after fatal wildfires
Sevier County officials said on Wednesday that two juveniles were responsible for the devastating wildfires that destroyed thousands of acres in Gatlinburg . Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, offered his condolences to the victims and said the agency is "committed to making sure justice is served with this case".
National
Trending story that Clinton won just 57 counties is untrue
A Texas elector said Monday that enough is enough - he will not cast his vote for President-elect Donald Trump as part of the Electoral College process on December 19. No matter how many times you close your eyes and click your heels, Gov. Kasich won't become President Kasich . Electors are pledged to candidates but allowed to change their votes, though they nearly never do.
National
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Ohio State Terror Attack
Investigators are still reviewing electronic evidence and conducting dozens of interviews to determine exactly what the motive was behind the attack, and how Artan may have been influenced by ISIS. He was fatally shot by an campus police officer. National security experts have largely said such proposals would not at all help combat terrorism, especially homegrown terrorists , and could even help recruiting efforts by groups like ISIS.
National
Trump seeks Obama advice on appointments
Obama defended a counterterrorism strategy that has relied on USA special forces and local groups rather than large-scale US ground forces. But the only way the terrorists can "destroy our way of life" is "if we lose track of who we are and the values that this nation was founded upon".
National
Clinton decries rise of fake news in Capitol speech
Clinton, making her first visit to Capitol Hill since losing the presidential race, said of Reid's new portrait: "The more fitting portrait will be the one that goes in the dictionary next to the word 'fighter'". The Nevada Democrat has served in Congress for 30 years, and as his party's leader in the Senate for 12. After all, how else could they have lost the 2016 election? The speeches honoring Reid had one element in common: McConnell, Biden and Clinton praised Landra, his wife of ...
National
Michael Moore: 'Something Crazy' Might Happen, Trump Won't Be President
Trump, who is now putting together his cabinet, will be sworn-in as the 45 president of the US on January 20, 2017. "I never wanted to be more wrong", Moore said during an appearance on " Late Night with Seth Meyers ". Moore also lashed out at Trump for failing to become engaged in daily security briefings leading up to the inauguration. "He may decide he just wants to quit before he even takes office".
National
Michigan Supreme Court Denies Jill Stein Recount Appeal
In an ultimately losing battle to thwart Trump's surprise victory in that state, Stein attempted to liken her thinly-supported voter recount effort to the 2000 presidential Florida recount contest between then-Republican candidate Texas Governor George W.
National
Firefighter: Warehouse missing from fire-inspection records
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong , who is from Oakland, wrote on Instagram that he had many years ago "lived in warehouses and communal spaces like Ghost Ship". The firefighter spoke only on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution for disclosing the information. City building department chief Darin Ranelletti said code enforcement inspectors have not been inside the building for at least 30 years.
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Florida vs. Alabama: Gators wearing all-orange uniforms against Crimson Tide
Petersen's Boise teams were known for upsets. Then on Saturday during the American Athletic Conference clash, Navy lost not one, but two players. SOUTH ALABAMA 35, NEW MEXICO STATE 28: Xavier Johnson rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, both career bests, and South Alabama (6-6, 2-6 Sun Belt) became bowl eligible with a win over New Mexico State (3-9, 2-6) at Mobile, Alabama .
National
Japanese prime minister plans to visit Pearl Harbor
Suga, however, insisted Tuesday that Abe's Pearl Harbor visit is "not linked" to Obama's Hiroshima trip. This will be a visit to soothe the souls of the victims. He will follow Obama's model (in Hiroshima). The prime minister's wife, Akie Abe, visited Pearl Harbor in August, laying flowers at the USS Arizona Memorial and meeting a survivor of the attack.
National
Protests in NY against Trump's flag-burning tweet
Social media was itself ablaze on Tuesday in response to Trump's tweet , which suggested that burning the USA flag should be punishable by a year in jail or a revocation of citizenship. But hey, what do I know? House majority leader Kevin McCarthy said he "did not agree with the practice" but it was important to protect First Amendment rights.
National
NY loosens more medical marijuana rules
The Florida Board of Medicine this week proposed a rule to make clear that doctors can not use "telemedicine" to order medical marijuana for patients. Still, how municipalities determine the pace at which dispensaries must be established and regulated would not affect patients' ability to obtain medication, since they can receive "up to a 45-day supply through delivery", according to the Herald .
National
Joe Biden's Having a Hell of a Lot of Fun
His wife and daughter were killed in a vehicle crash. "It's a journey that ends now by the side of those who care about him still". Arizona Sen. John McCain, meanwhile, talked about their 40 year friendship that began when McCain was a Navy Senate liaison who used to carry Biden's bags on overseas trips.
National
94-year-old WWII veteran remembers Pearl Harbor
His journey to Pearl Harbor will be part of a December 26-27 visit to Obama's home state, where they will hold talks and visit the war site together. On the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks of December 7, 1941, other children of servicemen who survived gathered for the annual ceremony at Highland's Main Square gazebo to keep its memory alive.
National
Ithaca police: Suspect who shot, killed UPS driver is in custody
Barkley's lawyer could not immediately be reached by telephone. UPS says a company truck driver who was shot and killed outside a Wal-Mart store in upstate NY was a seasonal employee who had stopped to get something to eat. He said he then intentionally drover his vehicle over the victim's body and spun his tires, before taking off and leading police on a pursuit. Police say a short time later officers from the Cayuga Heights Police Department and the Tompkins County Sheriffs Department ...
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Wreaths Across America in Colorado Springs
Payne Atkins Nunn, now a student at West Point Military Academy, began the local journey in honoring veterans at Virgilina Cemetery. Central time. Family members who wish to place wreaths on loved ones' graves may do so at 10:30 a.m., before the service.
National
Romney Dines With Trump - Secretary of State For Dessert?
Since Mr Trump began to seriously consider Mr Romney as a potential secretary of state, some on his team have voiced doubts about bringing in a former critic and rallied around their preferred candidate, former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani, a long-time Trump friend and loyalist.