Obama says Navy Yard shooting shows need for better gun checks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The mass shooting at a Washington military base shows the United States needs a better way to check whether gun buyers have mental health problems, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday.
U.S. self-defense laws result in more justifiable homicides: report
ORLANDO (Reuters) – Killings deemed justifiable rose sharply in states where Stand Your Ground self-defense laws allow individuals who claim to be in fear of their lives to use lethal force rather than retreat, according to a new study by a coalition o…
Vice President Biden’s niece arrested for allegedly hitting NYC cop
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A niece of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden was arrested in New York on Tuesday morning after police said she struck an officer responding to what local media reported was a dispute with a roommate.
Bolivian anti-corruption cop pleads not guilty to extortion in Miami
MIAMI (Reuters) – A former senior Bolivian anti-corruption official accused of trying to extort $30,000 from a former airline executive in Florida pleaded not guilty in federal court on Tuesday.
U.S. priest appeals conviction in sex abuse case
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Attorneys for the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic church official convicted in a child sex abuse scandal asked an appeals court on Tuesday to overturn the ruling because the law he was prosecuted under was not in place at the tim…
Pentagon audit shows Naval security flaws due to cost cutting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A year-long probe into a system for clearing vendors and similar support personnel onto U.S. Navy bases found significant security lapses that gave 52 convicted felons routine access to Navy facilities, the Defense Department ins…
Jesse Jackson calls on Colombia rebels to free U.S. hostage
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson urged Colombia’s FARC rebels to free a former U.S. Marine they kidnapped in June as he hiked in the jungle, saying the move would help peace talks between the guerrillas and the government.
Pennsylvania county clerk to appeal ruling blocking gay marriage
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – The Pennsylvania court clerk ordered by a judge last week to stop issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples said on Tuesday he plans to appeal the ruling.
Pentagon says not worried about ‘death spiral’ of F-35 costs/orders
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) – The Air Force general who runs the Pentagon’s F-35 fighter program on Tuesday said communications with top contractors Lockheed Martin Corp and United Technologies Corp had improved greatly in the last year.
New trial for New Orleans police convicted of post-Katrina killings
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – A federal judge ordered a new trial on Tuesday for New Orleans police officers convicted of killing civilians in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, saying prosecutors had undermined the case by posting “vitriolic” comme…