A Florida woman pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the attempted murder of singer Rihanna after authorities said she fired shots from a semiautomatic weapon at the Grammy-winning musician's Los Angeles mansion this month. The woman, Ivana Lisette Ortiz, entered her plea in Los Angeles Superior Court. Ortiz, from Orlando,...
Long Lines Reported at Major US Airports as More TSA Officers Quit
Long lines were reported at major airports on Wednesday as the Transportation Security Administration said the number of airport security officers quitting had jumped to more than 480 since the mid-February start of a partial government shutdown. Ha McNeill, the senior official at the Transportation Security Administration, told a U.S....
Merced Police Seek Public Help Identifying Suspects in Home Depot Thefts
The Merced Police Department is asking the public for help identifying two individuals connected to multiple thefts at the Home Depot in Merced. Authorities say a female suspect entered the store on three separate occasions during February and March and is believed to have stolen merchandise valued at approximately $2,000....
California Governor’s Race Gets Weirder With Debate Cancellation, New Poll
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Just when we thought the campaign for California’s governorship couldn’t get any weirder, it did. A Tuesday night debate at the University of Southern California was cancelled late Monday amid allegations of racism because all the candidates invited...
Iran Still Reviewing US Proposal Despite Negative Initial Response, Senior Iranian Official Says
Iran is still reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war in the Gulf, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright. Publicly, Iranian officials poured withering scorn on the prospect...
Massachusetts Teacher Charged With Raping Two Students
A former teacher at Miss Hall’s School, a private girls’ boarding school in western Massachusetts, was indicted by a Berkshire County grand jury on three counts of rape Tuesday for allegedly assaulting two students. The case had incited outrage about the teacher’s long history of alleged abuse and had prompted...
New Records in Trump Documents Case Raise Concerns Over Business Conflict, US Lawmaker Says
Newly released records in the now-dismissed classified documents case against U.S. President Donald Trump raise fresh concerns over national security risks and potential private business motivations, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said. The records, handed over by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the Republican-led...
How Epstein Helped Solve Billionaire Leon Black’s Problems With Women
In October 2017, a yoga instructor emailed Jeffrey Epstein with a delicate question: When might she receive the tens of thousands of dollars she’d been promised by billionaire Leon Black? She and Black had been in a sexual relationship, and since at least 2009, hundreds of thousands of dollars had...
Minneapolis Submits Bid to Host 2028 NFL Draft
Minneapolis has submitted a formal bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft at U.S. Bank Stadium. Wendy Blackshaw, president and CEO of the Minnesota Sports and Events Commission, confirmed the bid to ESPN on Wednesday. The draft is taking place in Pittsburgh next month and in Washington, D.C., in 2027....
US Offers $3 Million Reward, Possible Relocation, for Information on Finances of Haiti Gangs
The U.S. on Wednesday offered a reward of up to $3 million and possible relocation in exchange for information on the financial activities of Haiti's Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif criminal groups. Washington has designated both groups, which bring together hundreds of gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince, agricultural Artibonite region...