Fewer lawsuits filed against N.Y. police, official says
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Legal claims against the New York City Police Department for misconduct, civil rights violations and injuries fell 11.6 percent from mid-2014 to mid-2015, reversing a decade-long trend that had seen more than a 70 percent rise, a c…
New NSA domestic spy program too clumsy to use: U.S. senator
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A new, more limited system for monitoring Americans’ phone calls for signs of terrorist intent is so slow and cumbersome that the U.S. National Security Agency will likely never use it, a senior Senate Republican said.
California high school students walk out over racist post probed as hate crime
BERKELEY, Calif. (Reuters) – Hundreds of high-school students, some chanting “Black Lives Matter,” walked out of school in Berkeley, California, on Thursday and marched to a nearby campus to protest a threatening and racist message left on a school com…
Historic items reported unearthed by record South Carolina rains
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) – A number of rare and historic artifacts appear to have been unearthed after record rainfall in South Carolina last month, including pottery, boats and a possible mammoth skeleton, archaeologists said on Thursday.
Philadelphia woman sentenced to life for imprisoning disabled
(Reuters) – A Philadelphia woman was sentenced on Thursday to life plus 80 years in prison in a fraud scheme that involved kidnapping and imprisoning mentally disabled people in basements and closets, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Pennsylvania officer acquitted in shooting of suspect lying in snow
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) – A Pennsylvania jury on Thursday acquitted a police officer of all charges in the fatal shooting of a suspect as he lay in the snow, knocked to the ground by her stun gun.
Son of indicted U.S. congressman convicted of fraud
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The son of U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah from Philadelphia was found guilty on Thursday of defrauding banks to obtain business loans he used for personal expenses, including buying jewelry and paying casino gambling debts.
Illinois policeman who killed self plotted to kill official: report
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A northern Illinois policeman who officials said committed suicide while concerned about an audit that would have exposed his embezzlement tried to arrange for the killing of a local administrator, the Associated Press reported on T…
Guantanamo prisoners should remain there: House speaker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Prisoners being held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should remain at the facility, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday.
Ex-airport exec to head troubled Washington transit agency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former airports executive was named to head Washington’s troubled mass transit authority on Thursday, the agency said, taking over a system plagued by safety shortfalls.