Author: Sunfire

Mail.com

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new Kansas law tells poor families that they can’t use cash assistance from the state to attend concerts, get tattoos, see a psychic or buy lingerie. The list of don’ts runs to several dozen items.

More than 20 other states have such lists. But, the one included by the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature in a bill that GOP Gov. Sam Brownback planned to sign Thursday appears to be the most exhaustive, according to state Department for Children and Families officials.   Continue reading “New Kansas rules would limit spending of welfare benefits”

Mail.com

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A Long Island cardiologist had the office of another doctor torched, then hired someone who turned out to be an undercover police officer in a failed attempt to have the doctor hurt or killed, authorities said.

Dr. Anthony J. Moschetto allegedly used drugs, guns and blank prescriptions as currency while trying to have the other doctor harmed amid a professional dispute, investigators said Wednesday. Moschetto first allegedly hired two men to set fire to the man’s office; it happened beneath a sprinkler and damage was minimal, prosecutors said.   Continue reading “Authorities: Cardiologist tried to have rival doctor killed”

RT

Low-wage fast food workers are preparing for a one-day nationwide protest in what some are saying will be the largest mobilization of US workers seeking to achieve higher pay, benefits and the right to unionize.

Fast food employees are planning a labor walkout in some of the largest American cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis and Kansas City, as part of the Fight for $15 movement.   Continue reading “Big Mac attack: US low-wage workers prepare to strike in over 200 cities”

Mail.com

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri inmate has been executed for killing a man in a fit of rage over child support payments 16 years ago.

Andre Cole, 52, on Tuesday night became the third convicted killer put to death this year in Missouri. His fate was sealed after the U.S. Supreme Court turned down several appeals, including one claiming Cole was mentally ill and unfit for execution.   Continue reading “Missouri executes inmate after last-minute appeals rejected”

Mail.com

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Caretakers of Abraham Lincoln’s tomb are on the defensive over an unflattering critique in National Geographic magazine and looming budget cuts that could threaten management of the historic site, even as they commemorate the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War president’s assassination.

For the state that calls itself the “Land of Lincoln,” the timing of a ceremony Wednesday in Springfield to mark his death is awkward because Illinois faces a financial crisis and Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed eliminating the state Historic Preservation Agency that manages sites including the tomb as it currently exists. He would roll the agency into another department.   Continue reading “As death of Lincoln marked, caretakers of tomb face setbacks”

Mail.com

MEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A man facing charges in connection with the discovery of human body parts inside a discarded duffel bag was ordered held on $1 million at his arraignment Monday.

Carlos Colina, 32, pleaded not guilty in Cambridge District Court to charges of being an accessory after the fact to assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of a body. Remains, including a torso and limbs, first were found in a discarded duffel bag outside a Biogen building Saturday morning, according to the police report.   Continue reading “Suspect held on $1M bail after discovery of human remains”

RT

Turkish authorities blocked access to Twitter, YouTube and briefly to Facebook over the publication of photos of the prosecutor taken hostage and killed by militants in Istanbul last week.

Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said a prosecutor sought the ban on social media after the photos’ release.   Continue reading “Turkey blocks social media over photos of slain prosecutor”

Mail.com

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen has asked Pakistan to contribute soldiers, Pakistan’s defense minister said Monday, raising the possibility of a ground offensive in the country.

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif made the comments as Pakistan’s parliament debates whether to contribute militarily to the campaign against the rebels, known as Houthis. Pakistan previously offered its verbal support for the mission, but hasn’t offered any military assistance.   Continue reading “Pakistan says Saudi-led coalition in Yemen wants troops”

Mail.com

CLEVELAND (AP) — The outcome of voluntary manslaughter charges against a Cleveland police officer likely will rest on a judge’s decision whether the final 15 shots he fired during a 137-shot barrage by officers was justified.

Michael Brelo, 31, goes on trial Monday on two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the November 2012 deaths of Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, after a high-speed chase. Brelo is the lone officer among the 13 who fired their weapons to be charged criminally. Prosecutors have said the threat to officers’ lives was over when Brelo jumped from a police cruiser onto the hood of a beat-up Chevy Malibu to fire down into the windshield.   Continue reading “Trial to start for officer charged in deaths of 2 suspects”

Mail.com

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya launched air strikes against Islamic militants in Somalia following an extremist attack on a Kenyan college that killed 148 people, a military spokesman said Monday.

Warplanes attacked positions of the al-Shabab militant group on Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning, said Col. David Obonyo of the Kenyan military. Al-Shabab, which is based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the college attack Thursday in the Kenyan town of Garissa. Four gunmen died in the assault.   Continue reading “Kenyan warplanes attack suspected militant positions”

Mail.com

GARISSA, Kenya (AP) — A leading Kenyan newspaper reports that police waited for seven hours before sending a special tactical unit into Garissa college to fight the extremist gunmen who killed 148 people on Thursday.

Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper said Sunday that when the specially-trained police unit finally went into the college campus it took them only 30 minutes to kill the four al-Shabab gunmen and stop the siege.   Continue reading “Kenyan paper: Police waited 7 hours to fight attackers”

RT

The Pentagon has upgraded and tested the largest bunker-buster bomb in the US, powerful enough to disable Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear facilities in case of failure to reach a nuclear deal, a senior US official told the Wall Street Journal.

“The Pentagon continues to be focused on being able to provide military options for Iran if needed,” an unnamed senior US official has been quoted as saying. “We have not taken our eyes off the ball.”    Continue reading “Pentagon upgrades biggest ‘bunker buster’ bomb in case Iran talks fail – report”

Mail.com

BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State extremists at Iraq’s ancient city of Hatra destroyed the archaeological site by smashing sledgehammers into its walls and shooting Kalashnikov assault rifles at priceless statues, a new militant video purportedly from the group shows.

Militants attacked Hatra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, last month, officials and local residents said, though the extent of the damage remains unclear as it is in territory still controlled by the Islamic State group.   Continue reading “Islamic State group shot, hammered away Iraq’s Hatra”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Two women accused in New York City’s latest homegrown terrorism case may be part of what some experts say is an evolving threat — a greater willingness by women to shed blood in the name of militant Islamic jihad.

The pair allegedly wanted to “make history” on their own by building a bomb and attacking a domestic target. Just a day after the New York pair was arrested, a Philadelphia woman was accused of expressing her willingness to die as a martyr for the Islamic State group.   Continue reading “Terror cases allege women wanted to fight, not wed fighters”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — A weakening U.S. economy spilled into the job market in March as employers added just 126,000 jobs — the fewest since December 2013 — snapping a 12-month streak of gains above 200,000.

The unemployment rate remained at 5.5 percent, the Labor Department said in its monthly report Friday. The March jobs data raised uncertainties about the world’s largest economy, which for months has been the envy of other industrialized nations for its steadily robust hiring and growth. Employers now appear wary about the economy, especially as a strong dollar has slowed U.S. exports, home sales have sputtered and cheaper gasoline has yet to unleash more consumer spending.   Continue reading “Hiring slowdown: US employers added just 126K jobs in March”