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• Prosecutor offers reason for why veteran killed 'American Sniper'
• Jury selection resumes for trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber
• Washington jury rejects suit over Charlie Sheen police escort
• 'American Sniper' murder trial opens in Texas court
• Police: UNC shooting deaths motivated by parking dispute
• NYC cop due to be charged for stairwell shooting of unarmed man
• Obama proposes war authorization against Islamic State
• Miami mechanic is Mr Fix-it for Russian cars in Cuba
• 'American Sniper' murder trial to open in Texas
• Man arrested after shooting three dead in North Carolina
• Ukraine fighting rages ahead of peace talks
• LA school district lawyers free to help minors facing deportation: LA Times
• Jon Stewart's exit as a phony newsman is a loss to real news
• ACLU sues Border Patrol for records on 'roving patrols'
• US closes embassy in Yemen, evacuates staff
• Missouri executes man convicted of 1990 murder
• U.S. aid worker remembered as 'free spirit' with empathy for others
• SpaceX Dragon capsule returns from space station
• NBC suspends Brian Williams for 6 months without pay
• Kansas governor rescinds protections for gay state workers
• Jon Stewart leaving Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show'
• Gay rights advocates in Alabama sue for right to marriage licenses
• NYC cop said to be indicted for stairwell shooting of unarmed man
• History of lynching in U.S. worse than believed, study finds
• Domino's Pizza driver kidnapped, sexually assaulted in California

Prosecutor offers reason for why veteran killed 'American Sniper' Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:38 AM PST The trial of an ex-Marine accused of killing 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle begins.

Jury selection resumes for trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:04 AM PST By Elizabeth Barber BOSTON (Reuters) - The long-running process of picking a jury to hear the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev resumed on Wednesday after a massive winter storm forced two days of delay. The court is in its sixth week of trying to select 12 jurors and six alternates to hear the case of the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three people and injured 264 at the finish line of Boston's best-attended sporting event.

Washington jury rejects suit over Charlie Sheen police escort Posted: 11 Feb 2015 09:29 AM PST By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A District of Columbia jury on Wednesday rejected a whistleblower suit filed by a police commander whose unit had escorted actor Charlie Sheen and who contended he was demoted for saying the celebrity service was common. The decision in the 2012 suit was handed down by an eight-person jury in the U.S. capital's Superior Court, a court spokeswoman said. The lawsuit by Captain Hilton Burton arose from the high-speed police escort provided for Sheen in April 2011 from Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia to a stand-up performance in Washington.

'American Sniper' murder trial opens in Texas court Posted: 11 Feb 2015 07:52 AM PST By Jon Herskovitz STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - Lawyers for an Iraqi War veteran plan to argue at the start of his trial on Wednesday that he was insane when he fatally shot former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the hit movie "American Sniper." Former Marine Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is charged with murdering Kyle, who was credited with the most kills of any U.S. sniper, and his friend Chad Littlefield in 2013 at a shooting range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth. Legal experts have said it is a tough task to obtain a verdict of innocence by reason of insanity in Texas. Routh's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have the trial delayed, saying that having "American Sniper" in theaters nationwide and basking in the award season's glare makes it difficult for Routh to get a fair hearing. Kyle has been lionized in his home state of Texas, where he is buried at the Texas State Cemetery alongside some of the state's acclaimed figures.

Police: UNC shooting deaths motivated by parking dispute Posted: 11 Feb 2015 07:32 AM PST Authorities believe they know what motivated the killings of three family members in Chapel Hill.

NYC cop due to be charged for stairwell shooting of unarmed man Posted: 11 Feb 2015 06:54 AM PST A New York City prosecutor is expected to announce criminal charges on Wednesday against a rookie police officer for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man while patrolling the darkened stairwell of a housing project last November. Peter Liang, the officer, was patrolling with his partner in the Brooklyn housing project around 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 20 when his gun discharged a single bullet, killing Akai Gurley, 28, who was in the stairwell a flight below with his girlfriend. Kenneth Thompson, the district attorney in Brooklyn who oversaw the secret grand jury proceedings, has declined to comment, but his office drew reporters' attention to a particular arraignment due to take place on Wednesday afternoon, after which Thompson will address a news conference. Liang's arraignment would come two months after another grand jury in the city borough of Staten Island voted against indicting one of the police officers who killed Eric Garner, an unarmed black man being arrested for peddling loose cigarettes, by putting Garner in a chokehold.

Obama proposes war authorization against Islamic State Posted: 11 Feb 2015 06:23 AM PST The president is asking Congress to formally authorize war against Islamic State militants.

Miami mechanic is Mr Fix-it for Russian cars in Cuba Posted: 11 Feb 2015 05:36 AM PST By Zachary Fagenson and David Adams MIAMI/HAVANA (Reuters) - Standing in his Miami-area shop surrounded by spare tires, dashboard gauges, and bright-colored boxes in Russian script, Fabian Zakharov taps his foot waiting for the static to pass on a phone call from Cuba. Zakharov, 40, is Miami's go-to man for visiting Cubans or those with family on the island who need parts for the thousands of Russian-made Ladas and Moskvichs that dominate the country's cracked streets, alongside Fords and Chevys dating back to the 1950s. The former Soviet Union began exporting its cheaply built models to Cuba in the 1970s until production began to peter out a decade ago. The U.S. trade embargo prevents parts from being shipped to Cuba.

'American Sniper' murder trial to open in Texas Posted: 11 Feb 2015 05:20 AM PST By Jon Herskovitz STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - Lawyers for an Iraqi war veteran will argue at the start of his trial on Wednesday that he was insane when he fatally shot former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the hit movie "American Sniper." Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is charged with murdering Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield in 2013 at a shooting range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth. Legal experts have said it is a tough task to obtain a verdict of innocence by reason of insanity in Texas.

Man arrested after shooting three dead in North Carolina Posted: 11 Feb 2015 03:29 AM PST (Reuters) - A man has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting three people near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus on Tuesday, the school said. The victims were named as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21 and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abua, 19. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, according to a statement on the school's alert website. The university said that Barakat was a second-year student at its dentistry school, his wife was planning on starting there in the fall, while her sister was a student at North Carolina State University.

Ukraine fighting rages ahead of peace talks Posted: 11 Feb 2015 02:57 AM PST Leaders from four countries plan to meet in a last-ditch bid to end the conflict.

LA school district lawyers free to help minors facing deportation: LA Times Posted: 11 Feb 2015 02:26 AM PST (Reuters) - Attorneys for the Los Angeles Unified School District will be allowed to assist students who are facing possible deportation under a new program for unaccompanied minors approved on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The country's second largest school system and the LA Board of Education, which approved the plan, could not be immediately reached for comment. A report filed to the board by the district in support of the project said that some 3,000 unaccompanied minors detained by immigration officials last year were released to sponsors in Los Angeles County and many enrolled in district schools. "There are not enough attorneys representing unaccompanied youth in deportation proceedings, and thousands of children who might otherwise qualify for legal residency are being taken out of their schools in the United States and sent back to the violence and persecution they fled," the report said.

Jon Stewart's exit as a phony newsman is a loss to real news Posted: 11 Feb 2015 01:33 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Stewart's fans were gobsmacked by the sad news he delivered on Tuesday's edition of "The Daily Show": He's leaving his phony anchor desk and ending his reign as phony newsman, and the loss is to real news.

ACLU sues Border Patrol for records on 'roving patrols' Posted: 11 Feb 2015 01:17 AM PST By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol for records on the agency's practice of "roving patrols". The lawsuit stems from an unanswered July 2014 request submitted under the Freedom of Information Act to the department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for information on the patrols, which have resulted in people being stopped as far as 100 miles (160 km) from the U.S.-Mexico border. "The Border Patrol operates as a rogue agency, claiming extra-constitutional powers that extend far from any border, and operating with no effective oversight," said Adrienna Wong, attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California in a statement.

US closes embassy in Yemen, evacuates staff Posted: 11 Feb 2015 12:01 AM PST The United States has shut down its embassy in Yemen indefinitely and evacuated its staff and their families due to the worsening security conditions in the country, the State Department said. "On February 11, 2015, due to the deteriorating security situation in Sanaa, the Department of State suspended embassy operations and US Embassy Sanaa American staff were relocated out of the country," a State Department travel warning said. In addition, US nationals were urged to leave Yemen, it said.

Missouri executes man convicted of 1990 murder Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:29 PM PST Missouri on Wednesday executed a man convicted of murdering a neighbor in 1990, officials said, amid scrutiny of the secrecy surrounding the state's lethal injection protocols. Walter Storey, 47, was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. local time on Wednesday after receiving a lethal injection at a state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman Mike O'Connell said in a statement. Storey, the first prisoner to be executed in the state this year, was convicted of beating and stabbing his neighbor, Jill Frey, to death in February 1990. "Jill Frey's loved ones waited a quarter-century for the closure and finality of justice that came early this morning," said Attorney General Chris Koster in a statement.

U.S. aid worker remembered as 'free spirit' with empathy for others Posted: 10 Feb 2015 08:23 PM PST By David Schwartz PRESCOTT, Ariz. (Reuters) - Kayla Mueller, the young U.S. aid worker who died while a captive of militants of the Islamic State group in Syria, was remembered by family and friends in her hometown on Tuesday as a "free spirit" driven by her enormous empathy for human suffering. The White House said Mueller's family received a message from her captors containing information that was authenticated by U.S. intelligence analysts who verified her death. President Barack Obama also publicly acknowledged in an interview with the news website Buzzfeed that Mueller was among the hostages whom U.S. commandos were sent to rescue but failed to find in an operation he ordered last year. Outside the county courthouse in her hometown of Prescott, Arizona, two of Mueller's maternal aunts joined one of her childhood friends and a local pastor to deliver a tearful tribute to the Northern Arizona University grad.

SpaceX Dragon capsule returns from space station Posted: 10 Feb 2015 06:05 PM PST By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship made a parachute return into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, while high winds in Florida scrapped plans for the company's Falcon rocket launch, NASA said. The Dragon capsule departed the International Space Station at 2:10 p.m. EST and splashed down about 260 miles (418 km) southwest of Long Beach, California, about 5.5 hours later. The Dragon is loaded with nearly 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg) of returning science experiments and equipment, including two faulty components from spacesuits that NASA wants to analyze before clearing astronauts for a trio of spacewalks later this month.

NBC suspends Brian Williams for 6 months without pay Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:47 PM PST The network says the suspension is for misleading the public about his experiences covering the Iraq War.

Kansas governor rescinds protections for gay state workers Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:26 PM PST Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican re-elected in November, on Tuesday rescinded an executive order issued by a Democratic predecessor that offered protections for gay and bisexual state workers. Brownback said he was rescinding a 2007 order signed by former Governor Kathleen Sebelius that established a "protected class of rights" for state employees specifically for sexual orientation and gender identity. In its place, Brownback said he was issuing an executive order that would boost state employment-related aid for veterans and disabled people, while reaffirming the state's "commitment" to employment practices that do not discriminate based on "race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry or age." Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said Brownback's order was an outrage and erases job protections for gay, lesbian and transgender employees who had trusted they would be safe from harassment and discrimination.

Jon Stewart leaving Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:06 PM PST Comedian Jon Stewart will leave as the host of Comedy Central's satirical newscast "The Daily Show" later this year, the Viacom Inc-owned network said on Tuesday. "Through his unique voice and vision, 'The Daily Show' has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come," Comedy Central President Michele Ganeless said in a statement. Stewart, 52, has led "The Daily Show" since 1999. In December, Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert left the popular "Colbert Report" news satire program to be David Letterman's replacement on CBS's "Late Show." Stewart's lampooning of public figures and politicians earned him a loyal following across age groups.

Gay rights advocates in Alabama sue for right to marriage licenses Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:44 PM PST A U.S. judge in Alabama said on Tuesday she will hear arguments later this week on whether to force a local judge to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a day after officials in most of the state refused to do so in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyers for same-sex couples unable to obtain marriage licenses in Mobile County filed separate legal challenges against the county's probate court judge late on Monday, part of a series of events echoing the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Mobile County was the most populous of the 42 of Alabama's 67 counties that continued to refuse to provide marriage licenses to gay couples on Tuesday, advocates said, down from 52 counties a day earlier.

NYC cop said to be indicted for stairwell shooting of unarmed man Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:06 PM PST By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City rookie police officer was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man while patrolling the darkened stairwell of a housing project last November, local media reported. Peter Liang, the officer, was patrolling with his partner in the Brooklyn housing project around 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 20 when his gun discharged a single bullet, killing Akai Gurley, 28, who was in the stairwell a flight below with his girlfriend. A spokeswoman for Kenneth Thompson, the Brooklyn district attorney who oversaw the grand jury's secret consideration of Liang's case, declined to comment. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has angered many members of his police force by expressing support for some of those protests, released a statement reacting to the reports that the grand jury had voted.

History of lynching in U.S. worse than believed, study finds Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:58 PM PST By Rich McKay ATLANTA (Reuters) - Lynchings in which mobs raided jailhouses to hang, torture and burn alive black men, sometimes leading to public executions in courthouse squares, occurred more often in the U.S. South than was previously known, according to a report released on Tuesday. The slightest transgression could spur violence, the Equal Justice Initiative found, as it documented 3,959 victims of lynching in a dozen Southern states. The report cited a 1940 incident in which Jesse Thornton was lynched in Alabama for not saying "Mister" as he talked to a white police officer. Bryan Stevenson, founder and director of the Montgomery, Alabama-based EJI, said that while current events did not directly equate with lynching, "what happened then has its echoes in today's headlines." He cited racial differences in reactions to last year's shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, by a white police officer.

Domino's Pizza driver kidnapped, sexually assaulted in California Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:39 PM PST (Reuters) - A female delivery driver for Domino's Pizza was kidnapped at gunpoint in Northern California and sexually assaulted by a teenager, apparently after he ordered the pizza, police said on Tuesday. The 17-year-old boy approached the woman on Sunday with a handgun when she exited her car with the pizza in a residential area of Antioch, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco, Antioch police said in a statement. He ordered the woman, 22, back into the car and forced her to drive a short distance away where he sexually assaulted her, police said. He then told her to drive him back to the location where he had kidnapped her, and ran off with some of her property, police said.

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