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Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial reaches final death penalty sentencing stage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

(CNN) — The final phase of the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman’s death penalty trial began Monday as prosecutors laid out why the shooter should be sentenced to death, including his continued lack of remorse in the attack that left 11 worshippers dead and six others wounded.“He defiled a house of worship, turning it into a place of violence and death,” prosecutor Nicole Vasquez Schmitt said. “He made these decisions, and he is proud of them.”“At the end of this trial, we will ask you to return a verdict of death, a verdict of justice,” she added. “The defendant made his decisions, and he must be held accountable.”In contrast, defense attorneys for the gunman, Robert Bowers, emphasized his difficult upbringing and told jurors to follow their own moral code. They said a life sentence was enough of a penalty.“The death penalty is never required – not in this case and not in any other case. It is each of you who decides Mr. Bowers’ fate,” defense attorney Elisa Long said. “You are neve...

Trump is notified he’s a target of the US criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has received a letter informing him that he is a target of the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, an indication he could soon be charged by U.S. prosecutors.New federal charges, on top of existing state and federal counts in New York and Florida and a separate election-interference investigation nearing conclusion in Georgia, would add to the list of legal problems for Trump as he pursues the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump disclosed the existence of a target letter in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he received it Sunday night and that he anticipates being indicted. Such a letter often precedes an indictment and is used to advise individuals under investigation that prosecutors have gathered evidence linking them to a crime; Trump, for instance, received one soon before being charged last month in a separate investi...

Gas leaked from bad fitting at Pennsylvania chocolate factory where 7 died in blast, report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

Natural gas leaked from a defective fitting at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory where a powerful explosion leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people, federal safety investigators said Tuesday, while noting they have yet to determine the cause of the blast.The leak at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading was traced to a gas fitting that was installed in 1982 and was determined to have fractured, according to an investigative update released by the National Transportation Safety Board.The fitting, made by DuPont, had a known tendency to crack, and was added to a federal government list of pipe materials with “poor performance histories” in 2007, the safety board said.Investigators also determined there was a small leak on a natural gas fitting installed in 2021, the board said.About 70 Palmer production workers and 35 office staff were working in two adjacent buildings at the time of the March 24 blast. Employees in both buildings told federal in...

Dozens of officers respond to South Carolina gunfire; no injuries immediately reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Reports of gunfire around noon Tuesday brought dozens of police officers to a busy intersection near Columbia, South Carolina, authorities said.No injuries were immediately reported, and officers were trying to find the shooter, Columbia police tweeted.Several hotels are near the intersection about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from downtown Columbia, and police were evacuating them as they searched for a male suspect, authorities said.Patients at nearby clinics and people in other businesses were asked to stay inside. Police asked reporters and others to stay away, saying the area was not secure.The area blocked off is also about a half-mile (600 meters) from the Riverbanks Zoo.The Associated Press

US soldier facing military disciplinary actions flees to North Korea while touring a border village

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier facing military disciplinary actions fled across the heavily armed border from South Korea into into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.Two U.S. officials said the soldier detained was Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States.King, who’s in his early 20s, was escorted to the airport to be returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, but instead of getting on the plane he left and joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he ran across the border, the officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement.Details about King, including his hometown and what additional charges he faced, were not immediately available. It was also unclear how he ...

Record wildfire season in B.C. for area burned with almost 400 fires in the province

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

British Columbia’s disastrous wildfire season has set a new record for the total area burned in a year, with almost 14,000 square kilometres scorched and hundreds of fires burning across the province.The B.C. Wildfire Service website says 13,935 square kilometres have been burned since April 1, surpassing the previous record of 13,543 square kilometres set in 2018.But there are still months to go in this year’s season and the service says there are almost 400 fires currently burning.There have been 1,186 fires so far this year, suggesting the average size of the fires this year has been 84 per cent larger than in 2018.Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management, said in a statement Tuesday that this fire season has been the most persistent on record. “We know that the road ahead of us is long, complex and challenging,” she said. Canadian Armed Forces troops are arriving in B.C. this week to join the battle, bringing helicopters and a Hercules aircraft, while ...

Saskatchewan government releases recommendations from review of Prince Albert police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan government has released the recommendations from an investigation into Prince Albert police amid ongoing concerns from Indigenous leaders over how the force handled several cases.Last year, the Saskatchewan government appointed former Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht to conduct an independent review of the force in the city 140 kilometres north of Saskatoon.The report was completed this spring and included 45 recommendations.Christine Tell, minister of policing, says the recommendations identify a number of areas for improvement and the province is working with the force, police union and the interim chief to move forward so people can be confident in the service’s ability to keep the community safe.Recommendations include the creation of an annual strategic plan and clearly defined processes and training around discipline and human resources.The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations called for changes after the deaths of three Indigenous...

Trump and his legal problems overshadow DeSantis campaigning in South Carolina

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a brief news conference Tuesday as part of a shift in strategy for his presidential campaign, but the governor took only four questions, almost all of which centered on the party’s front-runner Donald Trump. DeSantis’ attempt to change the conversation, which came while campaigning in South Carolina as he rolled out a policy plan for the military, underscored the challenges he faces to try to overtake the former president and his command of the spotlight in the GOP presidential race.The Florida governor’s day on the campaign trail was supposed to be focused on his filing paperwork for South Carolina’s Republican primary, followed by his news conference and a CNN interview later Tuesday. But shortly before DeSantis’ event was scheduled to start, Trump, as he often does, overshadowed the day. The Republican former president broke the news on his social media network that he’d been informed he is a ...

Blockade dismantled at Winnipeg landfill days after judge grants temporary injunction

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WINNIPEG — A blockade is down at a Winnipeg landfill where demonstrators have been demanding a different landfill be searched for the remains of two Indigenous women.Workers with front-end loaders and other machinery, along with police, arrived at the landfill Tuesday morning to begin taking apart the blockade. Dozens of protesters have blocked the main road to the Brady Road landfill for nearly two weeks, after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not search the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill, north of the city, for the remains of two slain Indigenous women.A Manitoba judge granted a temporary injunction to end the blockade at the Brady Road landfill Friday after the City of Winnipeg argued in court it was causing environmental and safety risks. A city official posted the court order, stapled to a wooden board, at the blockade later that evening.The judge had said demonstrators could continue to protest at the Brady Road landfill but they could not blo...

Cybersecurity labeling for smart devices aims to help people choose those less vulnerable to hacking

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration and major consumer technology players on Tuesday launched an effort to put a nationwide cybersecurity certification and labeling program in place to help consumers choose smart devices that are less vulnerable to hacking.Officials likened the new U.S. Cyber Trust Mark initiative — to be overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, with industry participation voluntary — to the Energy Star program, which rates appliances’ energy efficiency.“It will allow Americans to confidently identify which internet- and Bluetooth-connected devices are cybersecure,” deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters in a pre-announcement briefing. Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung are among industry participants.Devices including baby monitors, home security cameras, fitness trackers, TVs, refrigerators and smart climate control systems that meet the U.S. government’s cybersecurity requirements will bear ...