New York police have covertly tracked cell phones, group says
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City’s police have made extensive use of covert devices to track cell phones without obtaining warrants since 2008, a civil liberties group said on Thursday, revealing how frequently law enforcement in the largest U.S. cit…
Exclusive: Oregon occupiers warn authorities of booby traps at refuge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Armed protesters who ended their 41-day standoff on Thursday at a wildlife refuge in Oregon told federal authorities they left behind booby traps but did not say whether the trip wires and other devices would trigger explosions, …
California utility ‘temporarily controls’ leaking gas flow
(Reuters) – Southern California Gas Co said on Thursday it has temporarily controlled the flow of natural gas spewing from a ruptured underground pipeline that forced the relocation of thousands of residents of a Los Angeles neighborhood.
Connecticut man pleads guilty to charge of shooting at mosque
(Reuters) – A Connecticut man pleaded guilty on Thursday to a federal hate crime for shooting at a mosque next door to his home shortly after November’s deadly attacks in Paris.
Minnesota man pleads guilty to conspiracy to support Islamic State
(Reuters) – A young Minnesota man known as the “emir” of a group accused of plotting to join Islamic State militants in Syria pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. blacklists prominent Islamic State preacher, two others
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States blacklisted three people on Thursday for working for Islamic State, including the militant group’s most prominent ideologue and a senior oil official.
Congress approves permanent Internet access tax ban
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed legislation placing a permanent ban on states’ taxing Internet access, sending the measure to President Barack Obama for signing into law.
Dozens of Georgia prison officers charged in corruption probe
(Reuters) – A corruption probe into Georgia state prisons led to the arrests on Thursday of 46 current and former officers who were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug and bribery charges, federal and state authorities said.
Missouri professor who called for ‘muscle’ in video regrets her behavior
(Reuters) – A University of Missouri professor who was caught on video calling for “some muscle” to get a student journalist removed from a campus protest in November told a local television station she regretted her behavior and was embarrassed.
Four-year-old Texas boy crushed by steel BBQ pit
DALLAS (Reuters) – A 4-year-old Houston-area boy was crushed to death when a steel barbecue pit shaped like a revolver fell on top of him, police said on Thursday.
