Six people killed in apparent murder-suicide in South Carolina
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – A South Carolina man shot and killed his girlfriend and four members of her family, including two children, before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide spurred by a custody dispute, police said…
Obama to steer clear of World Series during Boston visit
BOSTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama has steered clear of Wednesday’s matchup between the Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in game six of the World Series during his visit to Boston, partly to avoid being an extra burden on a baseball-mad city…
Snowden’s former provider launches open effort for secure email
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The founder of the Lavabit encrypted email service, which shut down rather than allow potentially unlimited government interception, said he will release his programming code to the public in an effort to improve communication…
New York Mayor Bloomberg looks ahead to golf, speaking Spanish
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A golfing holiday and learning to speak Spanish “like a native” are at the top of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s list of activities he’ll pursue when his term ends in December, he said in an interview published on Wednesday.
Democrat showing solid lead in Virginia governor’s race: poll
RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) – Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the widely watched Virginia governor’s race may be helping lower-level Democratic candidates in a state hard hit by the recent government shutdown, a poll …
U.S. joins lawsuit against firm that vetted Snowden
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it had joined a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower against United States Investigations Services, the private firm that vetted Edward Snowden before he leaked documents about U.S. spyin…
Dying man trapped in van in Utah desert wrote notes to wife, sons
(Reuters) – A Kansas man who was trapped in his mangled minivan after he crashed into a ravine in the Utah desert passed his final days scribbling notes to the family he had left behind about six weeks earlier, authorities said on Wednesday.
US F-35 fighter drops first guided bomb against ground target
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet dropped a 500-pound bomb this week, hitting a tank at Edwards Air Force Base in California and marking the first time the new warplane has fired a weapon, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
Florida city bans guns for neighborhood watch volunteers
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – The Florida city where neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin is changing the rules on how civilian patrols can operate to help prevent a recurrence and revive the p…
Social Security recipients to get 1.5 percent raise next year
(Reuters) – Benefits paid to nearly 63 million U.S. Social Security recipients will rise by 1.5 percent in 2014, the Social Security Administration said on Wednesday.