Man guilty in Texas protest killing posted ‘I am a racist’
AUSTIN, Texas — Prosecutors sought Tuesday to portray as racist a U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, saying he was hostile toward social justice causes and looking for trouble before the encounter. Daniel Perry’s two day-sentencing hearing began with...
U.S. busts Russian cyber operation in dozens of countries
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that stole sensitive information from computer networks in dozens of countries, including the U.S. and other NATO members. Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, and...
Veteran ‘enamored’ with Hitler gets 4 years for Capitol riot
A military veteran who told an undercover FBI agent about his admiration for Adolf Hitler and discussed a plan to “wipe out” the nation’s Jewish population was sentenced to four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ordered Virginia resident Hatchet Speed to serve...
First 550 U.S. active duty troops arriving at southern border
WASHINGTON — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday. The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border as pandemic-era restrictions...
Robert De Niro, at 79, becomes a father for the 7th time
Robert De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven. A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press on Tuesday but said no other details or statement were expected. The Oscar winner is also a parent to Drena, 51, and Raphael,...
Start mammograms at 40, not 50, a U.S. health panel recommends
Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that...
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5MVideo
NEW YORK — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that...
Perimeter guards absent as 2 men escaped Philadelphia prison
PHILADELPHIA — There were no corrections officers assigned specifically to watch the housing unit of a Philadelphia prison when two inmates escaped Sunday night, and no armed perimeter guards were on duty as the men broke through the prison’s fence, a correctional officers union official told The Associated Press on...
Far-right faction pushes to oust ‘traitors’ from Georgia GOP
ATLANTA — A far-right faction that has gained clout in the Georgia GOP wants to give the state party new powers to block candidates from qualifying to run as Republicans if they’re deemed to be insufficiently conservative or a “traitor” to the party. The rule change is being championed by...
U.S. to provide Ukraine $1.2 billion in long-term security aid
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further bolster its air defenses as Russia continues to pound Ukraine with drones, rockets and surface-to-air missiles, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The aid package will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Unlike...
Reports: Pittsburgh man dies when car drops on him hours after his graduation
A Pittsburgh man who’d attended the University of Dayton in Ohio was killed hours after graduating. KDKA reports that Ian Brunner, 22, was working on his car on Sunday night when the jack apparently slipped, pinning him beneath the vehicle. WPXI reports that emergency responders arrived to the student housing...
Pennsylvania House battle hinges on Philadelphia suburbs
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democrats who reclaimed the Pennsylvania House majority in November and clung to a one-seat margin by sweeping three special elections earlier this year face yet another contest for control of the chamber next week, when voters will fill a vacancy in the Philadelphia suburbs. At stake in...
The end of an era for the Sisters of Charity of New York
NEW YORK — Through more than 200 years, the Sisters of Charity of New York nursed Civil War casualties, joined civil rights and anti-war demonstrations, cared for orphans, and taught countless children. They’re proud of their history of selfless service. But they can’t ignore their current reality: The congregation continues...
Sheriff: Louisiana man shot child playing hide and seek
STARKS, La. — A Louisiana man faces aggravated assault and battery charges after firing a gun at children who were playing hide and seek outside his home, wounding a 14-year-old girl, according to the local sheriff’s office. The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head early...
EU takes aim at countries helping Russia to avoid sanctions
BRUSSELS — A top European Union official Tuesday urged the 27 member nations to take trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the bloc’s sanctions against Russia. During a visit to Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measures — which would set a...
Germany proposes rules to ease legal changes of gender
BERLIN — The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a court’s authorization. Under the planned “self-determination law,” adults would be able...
Biden: Debt meeting ‘productive,’ default ‘not an option’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default. Speaking at the White House, Biden described the...
Authorities: Texas mall gunman had ‘neo-Nazi ideation’
ALLEN, Texas — The gunman who killed eight people and wounded seven others at a suburban Dallas shopping mall had no prior criminal record but had “neo-Nazi ideation,” authorities said Tuesday. Investigators are still trying to determine why Mauricio Garcia opened fire Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets, Hank Sibley,...
Texas mall shooting victims include guard, young sisters
DALLAS — The people killed by a gunman at a mall near Dallas over the weekend include two elementary school-age sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son, a young engineer and a security guard. The victims represent a multicultural cross-section of the metropolitan area’s increasingly diverse suburbs. Cox Elementary School...
Grief book author’s murder charge tangled in estate dispute
SALT LAKE CITY — A children’s book author who prosecutors say killed her husband has been battling with his relatives over the family estate since his death last year, court documents show. Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home...
Oath Keepers’ Stewart Rhodes seeks leniency in Jan. 6 sentence
Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder convicted of seditious conspiracy in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, say he doesn’t deserve any more time behind bars when he’s sentenced this month, according to court papers filed Monday. While the Justice Department is seeking 25 years in prison, defense...
Texas bill to raise age on AR-style gun purchases advances days after Allen shooting
AUSTIN, Texas — Facing pressure from parents whose children died in the Uvalde school massacre, a Texas House committee voted Monday to raise the minimum age to buy AR-style rifles from 18 to 21. Two Republicans, Reps. Sam Harless of Spring and Justin Holland of Rockwall, joined with all six...
Jury hears final arguments in writer’s claims against TrumpVideo
NEW YORK — Donald Trump should be held accountable for sexually attacking an advice columnist in 1996 because even a former president is not above the law, a lawyer for the columnist told a jury Monday in closing arguments in the lawsuit that accuses Trump of rape. A lawyer for...
Source: Army booted Texas mall gunman over mental health
DALLAS — The man accused of killing eight people and wounding several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall was discharged from the Army in 2008 because of mental health issues and apparently had been working as a security guard, according to neighbors and an Army...
Vermont bans owning, running paramilitary training camps
Vermont on Monday made it a crime to own or operate paramilitary training camps in the state after Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed legislation introduced in response to a firearms training facility built without permits that neighbors called a menace. Violators face up to five years in prison or a...
