This Just In

Report: North Korea launches short-range missiles

jasonhanna — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:54:54 +0000

North Korea launched three short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast Saturday, South Korea's semi-official news agency Yonhap cited the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying.

The ministry said it had detected two launches in the morning, followed by another in the afternoon, Yonhap reported.

The missiles were fired in a northeasterly direction, away from South Korean waters, the ministry said.

South Korea has beefed up monitoring on North Korea and is maintaining a high-level of readiness to deal with any risky developments, the ministry added, according to Yonhap.

Plea to officers: 'Please don't let me go'

jasonhanna — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:53:11 +0000

When officers arrived at Ariel Castro's home in Cleveland, a crowd had formed on the porch.

But where was the woman they came for? Where was Amanda Berry?

Then she stepped forward, holding a crying baby. It was really her, the missing girl they had searched for for 10 years.

It is Amanda Berry, Officer Michael Tracy said.

"Just the emotion at that point of my partner confirming that it was Amanda ... It was overwhelming," Officer Anthony Espada recalled.

Cleveland police this week released the emotional video interviews of officers Espada, Tracy and Barbara Johnson, who helped in the May 6 rescue of the three women from Castro's home.

Trains collide in Connecticut; dozens hurt

gbotelho — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:55:42 +0000

Two Metro-North passenger trains heading in opposite directions collided during rush hour Friday evening, damaging both trains and leaving some "bloody" and wounded as a result, a witness and transit official said.

A train heading from New Haven to New York City derailed around 6:10 p.m., hitting the other train in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said. That caused some cars on the second train, which was destined for New Haven, to likewise leave the tracks.

Two Bridgeport hospitals were treating dozens of patients, three of whom were in serious condition, officials said.

Earthquake rattles eastern Canada

gbotelho — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:19:36 +0000

People on both sides of the border felt an earthquake originating around the Quebec and Ontario borders, the Canadian government said.

Natural Resources Canada gave it a preliminary magnitude of 5.2; the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 4.4.

With an epicenter about 11 miles (18 kilometers) from Shawville, in western Quebec, the quake was felt in the Ottawa-Gatineau area and out to Toronto, more than 260 miles away. It hit a nerve in New York state and Cleveland, too.

Ousted IRS chief: No intentional political targeting

jasonhanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:33:49 +0000

A huge increase in workload, rather than deliberate targeting, led to "foolish mistakes" and the political discrimination in the Internal Revenue Service cited by an inspector general's report, the agency's outgoing commissioner said Friday.

The testimony by Steven Miller, who was forced to announce his resignation this week as acting IRS commissioner, came at the first congressional hearing on the matter that has put President Barack Obama's administration on the defensive.

Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the Republican-led panel, and other GOP members sought to depict the controversy as indicative of government gone wild, with the IRS abusing conservative groups and other political foes of the administration.

"This kind of reconfirms that, you know what, they can do anything they want to anybody they want any time they want," GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania said about the IRS.

Powerball jackpot hits $600 million

jasonhanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:51 +0000

The multi-state Powerball jackpot has risen to $600 million, with a cash value of $376.9 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The jackpot marks the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, after no one matched the winning numbers in Wednesday night's draw.

Texas storms: 'I thought that lady was gonna die'

jasonhanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:38:34 +0000

[Updated at 3:31 p.m. ET] Tina and Billy Clark saw the funnel cloud approaching and did what many of their neighbors did.

"We just ran and hid in the closet," Tina Clark told CNN after one of a swarm of tornadoes descended Wednesday night into their neighborhood in Hood County, some 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Texas.

"I was holding the door shut," Billy Clark told CNN. "You could feel the pressure from inside the house. It was like pulling on the door a little bit. The whole house was shaking really bad. It felt like the house was getting ripped apart, but we couldn't see anything from inside the closet, so we didn't know what exactly was going on."

"You could just hear stuff hitting the house," his wife said.

Arias could face death penalty, jury decides

gbotelho — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:48:27 +0000

Jodi Arias could face the death penalty, nearly five years after she stabbed, shot and almost decapitated her ex-boyfriend.

A jury Wednesday found that Arias was "exceptionally cruel" when she murdered Travis Alexander in 2008. That verdict is a key step that makes Arias, 32, eligible for the death penalty in the next phase of her trial.

Season's first named storm forms in eastern Pacific

gbotelho — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:36:00 +0000

The hurricane season opened Wednesday with a flourish, and more specifically, with the debut of its first named storm, Tropical Storm Alvin.

Tropical Depression 1-E was upgraded and named a tropical storm on Wednesday, which happens to be the first day of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1, and both seasons end November 30.

"Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours," the Miami-based hurricane center said, "and Alvin could become a hurricane in a couple of days."

Alaska volcano spews ash 20,000 feet

gbotelho — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:33:27 +0000

An Alaska volcano exhibiting "elevated seismic activity" has spewed ash clouds skyward - as high as 20,000 feet above sea level - an observatory reported Wednesday.

As was the case a day earlier, the Pavlof Volcano was on "watch" status on Wednesday because of heightened activity, and it was also under an orange code that relates to how its rumblings might affect planes flying over its summit. Both these alert levels are the second most serious out of four options, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The same alert levels also continue to apply Wednesday to the Cleveland Volcano, which like Pavlof is in the Aleutian Island range southwest of mainland Alaska. Lava was reported flowing Tuesday at Pavlof and Cleveland.