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July 27, 2016 at 10:28 am
Washington - The man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan will be allowed to leave a Washington mental hospital and live full-time in Virginia, a judge has ruled.
John Hinckley Jr. is ready to live in the community, Judge Paul L. Friedman ruled Wednesday, granting him full time convalescent leave that shall begin no sooner than Aug. 5. Friedman’s ruling comes more than 35 years after the March 30, 1981, shooting outside a Washington hotel in which Reagan and three others were injured.
Doctors have said for many years that the now 61-year-old Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, is no longer plagued by the mental illness that drove him to shoot Reagan in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster.
Hinckley’s release...
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July 27, 2016 at 10:25 am
West Bank - Israeli forces tracked down a group of suspects behind the deadly ambush of a family car in the West Bank earlier this month and killed the man who pulled the trigger in that attack in a shootout early on Wednesday, the military said.
The July 1 attack killed Miki Mark, a 48-year-old father of 10 children, and wounded his wife and two teenage children. The military subsequently sent hundreds of troops to the area of the attack to search for the perpetrators in what was the largest operation in the territory in two years. Israel also vowed to take unprecedented steps to capture the killers.
On Wednesday, the military said that after almost a month of pursuing the perpetrators, troops closed in on the Hamas cell behind the ambush. It said troops surrounded a house nea...
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July 27, 2016 at 10:23 am
Paris - President Francois Hollande displayed interfaith solidarity with France’s religious leaders on Wednesday after two Islamist militants killed a Roman Catholic priest in a church, igniting fierce political criticism of the government’s security record.
One of the assailants was a known would-be jihadist awaiting trial under supposedly tight surveillance, a revelation that raised pressure over the Socialist government’s response to a wave of attacks claimed by Islamic State since early in 2015.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into the politics of Daech (Islamic State), which wants to set the children of the same family against each other,” the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, told journalists after the meeting at...
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July 27, 2016 at 10:21 am
Moscow - The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed allegations Russia had hacked Democratic Party emails as “horror stories” dreamt up by U.S. politicians, saying it never interfered in other countries’ election campaigns.
“Moscow is at pains to avoid any words that could be interpreted as direct or indirect interference in the election process,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters.
“... We see that the Russian card is in the red corner on the writing table of all Washington politicians during the election campaign, and that very often they make it a trump card in their game.”
Peskov was responding after U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with NBC News said it was possible Russia would try to influenc...
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July 27, 2016 at 10:18 am
Riyadh - Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry is distancing itself from a recent visit to Israel by a number of Saudi citizens, including an outspoken former military general.
The Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper quotes on Wednesday an unnamed ministry official as saying the rare public engagement “does not reflect the views of the Saudi government.”
The official referred to Israel as “the occupied territories.”
Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official relations and the kingdom prohibits its citizens from traveling to Israel. It also does not grant visas to Israelis.
However, Saudi government permission was likely necessary for Anwar Eshki and the delegation of Saudi academics and businessmen to make the visit.
While in Jerusalem, Eshki met with a senior...
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July 27, 2016 at 10:16 am
New York - The fallout from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) WikiLeaks’ e-mail scandal continues, with the revelation that DNC staff members did not want to issue a statement of remembrance for Yom Ha’Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which fell this year on the evening of May 4, ending on May 5, the Daily Caller reports (http://bit.ly/2awHCNU). “We need to do a statement from the DNC. Is there a reason we haven’t?” emailed Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the former DNC Chairwoman, to two Congressional employees and two DNC staffers with the subject heading, “Yom Ha’Shoah Statement.”
DNC Senior Communications Director Ryan Banfill forwarded Wasserman-Schultz’s request to DNC employee Kate Houg...
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July 27, 2016 at 9:59 am
Prosecutors have have dropped the charges against three remaining officers in Freddie Gray related trials: Officers Miller, Porter and White. More streaming on 1090 AM and streaming here.
9:20 a,.m.
Officer Garrett Miller has arrived at Courthouse East for a motions hearing on his trial related to the death of Freddie Gray.
Miller and his attorney arrived at the courthouse at around 9:15 this morning.
This is a very unique hearing, known as a Kastigar Hearing, named for a 1972 Supreme Court case.
It centers on Officer Garrett Miller’s testimony at the trial of Officer Edward Nero in May, in which Miller testified, he was the only officer to arrest Freddie Gray.
Under an immunity agreement, none of this testimony can be used in Miller’s trial, there ...
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July 27, 2016 at 7:37 am
Israeli security forces capture three accomplices who helped Mohammed Fakih carry out the shooting attack in southern Mount Hebron that claimed Mark's life and left his wife and two of his children wounded.
The terrorist who murdered Rabbi Michael "Miki" Mark in a drive-by shooting earlier this month was killed in an IDF raid in the Hebron area overnight Tuesday, it was cleared for publication early Wednesday morning.
Mohammed Jabarah al-Fakih, a 29-year-old Hamas operative from Dura, barricaded himself in a house in the village of Surif in the Hebron area, ignoring calls by forces from the IDF's elite Duvdevan unit and Israel Police's counterterrorism unit Yamam to surrender.
After a firefight, the IDF troops fired and anti-tank missile and several other...
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July 27, 2016 at 7:24 am
5:00 a.m.
It is back to court today for one of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.
Today's hearing for Officer Garrett Miller is precedent setting.
Garrett Miller is believed to be the first defendant in Maryland history to testify for the state at the trial of a co-defendant, and then go on trial himself.
In May, Miller testified at the trial of Officer Edward Nero that it was he and no other officer who actually arrested Freddie Gray.
Under a 1972 decision by the Supreme Court (Kastigar v. U.S.) none of that testimony can be used at Miller's trial, and so today a hearing will be held to make sure prosecutors don't use any of Miller's testimony or evidence coming from it at his trial.
This hearing is called a Kastigar hearing, named a...
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July 27, 2016 at 7:22 am
Katz donated large sums to many Israeli and Zionist causes and worked his whole life to strengthen ties between Israel and the diaspora.
Jewish philanthropist Marcus Katz passed away last night at the age of 89. His funeral will take place tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30 pm at the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
Katz, a holocaust survivor and owner of honorary Doctorates from NYU and Bar-Ilan University, was renowned for his contribution to promoting reconciliation between Halakha (Jewish law) and modern life. He established the Marcus Katz award, given annually to outstanding contributors in the area.
Among those receiving the award during its 41-year existence were: Rabbi Zalman Nehamiah Goldberg, one of the great Halakhic decisors of the generation; Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sac...
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July 27, 2016 at 7:17 am
The new fighter jets, AS-1 class, herald a new age for the Israel Air Force.
On its maiden flight at US manufacturer Lockheed-Martin, Israel's first F-35 Lightning II "Adir" (Hebrew for "Great One") passed all tests, and is due to be delivered in December.
A lighter version of the F-22, the F-35 Lightning II Adir has top-of-the-line stealth technology, highly sensitive sensors of every kind, and fuel-optimizing computer systems to keep it in the air.
Israel was the first country to buy the fighter jet under the US's Foreign Military Sales process. A Letter of Agreement was signed in October 2010.
On June 22, 2016, the Israeli Air Force welcomed the first F-35A Adir for Israel at a ceremony at the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attended...
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July 27, 2016 at 7:14 am
Police are investigating a car explosion on Keren Hayesod Street. All indications point at criminal activity.
A car exploded around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning near Dan Panorama Hotel, on Keren Hayesod Street, in Jerusalem.
Police report that an explosive device was attached to white Citroen Berlingo, probably with the intent of killing the driver. The device was detonated as the car turned from King David Street to Keren Hayesod Street.
The driver himself, 58, was moderately injured, and has been rushed by MDA emergency personnel to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
The hospital spokesperson said in a statement that the man is fully conscious and is suffering from wounds to his lower-body .
Police confirm that they are investigating the circumstances of the explosion. As of now, they ...
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July 27, 2016 at 5:23 am
Authorities reported that a blaze in the basement of a Pikesville residence quickly spread throughout the home.
PIKESVILLE, MD — A basement fire broke out in a house in Pikesville Tuesday night, according to Baltimore County public safety officials. Firefighters were responding to the blaze in the 800 block of Smoke Tree Road at approximately 10 p.m.
The fire was knocked by 10:20 p.m. Officials said it had extended from the basement of the home to the second story.
A fire investigator was at the scene evaluating the cause of the blaze.
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July 26, 2016 at 10:42 pm
Brooklyn, NY - Facing 50 years to life in prison for the ghastly kidnapping and murder of Brooklyn landlord Menachem Stark, suspect Kendel Felix asserts he was only the driver in the failed January 2, 2014 robbery which led to Stark’s death, a claim supported by the lead detective on the case.
The 28-year-old from Brooklyn is charged with snatching Stark from outside his office during a snowstorm and driving the getaway van, according to an article in the New York Daily News (http://nydn.us/2acfEl9).
NYPD Detective Christopher Scarry testified at Felix’s pre-trial hearing today, saying “He (Felix) was quiet, lazy, laid back, a follower, definitely not the mastermind of this.” At issue in the pre-trial hearing is whether Felix’s statements were obta...
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July 26, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Philadelphia - Protesters have set an Israeli flag on fire and chanted “long live the intifada” outside of the Democratic convention site.
A woman wearing a black bandanna on her face lit the flag on fire Tuesday night as protests continued outside of the secure zone around the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Someone stood nearby waving a Palestinian flag.
Protesters also set pro-Bernie Sanders fliers on fire that were hanging on steel fencing around the site.
Separate groups of Sanders supporters, protesters marching against police brutality and others have joined together in the streets outside of the convention.
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July 26, 2016 at 9:48 pm
Abu Dhabi, UAE - The world’s first round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun’s energy made history on Tuesday as it landed in Abu Dhabi, where it first took off on an epic 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) journey that began more than a year ago.
Since its March 2015 take off, the Swiss-engineered Solar Impulse 2 has made 16 stops across the world without using a drop of fuel to demonstrate that using the plane’s clean technologies on the ground can halve the world’s energy consumption, save natural resources and improve quality of life.
After landing the plane, pilot Bertrand Piccard was greeted outside the cockpit by his Solar Impulse partner and fellow pilot Andre Borschberg. They hugged and pumped their fists in the air.
“The future i...
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July 26, 2016 at 9:41 pm
hiladelphia - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party’s 2016 nomination for the White House on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in U.S. history.
Delegates from South Dakota gave Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
After a tough battle with Democratic rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton is now the party’s standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election.
Delegates chanted “Hillary, Hillary” as U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Clinton’s name for the alphabetical roll-call vote.
&l...
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July 26, 2016 at 9:40 pm
Orlando, FL - Officials in central Florida say the cost of responding to last month’s Pulse nightclub shooting by police officers, firefighters, hazmat crews and others comes to more than $1.7 million.
Figures released Tuesday by the city of Orlando show the city’s expenses at under $600,000, with almost two-thirds of the costs from overtime outlays.
More than a dozen other central Florida agencies spent a combined $1.1 million. The cost to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where most victims were treated, was $632,000.
The U.S. Department of Justice has made $1 million available to help reimburse agencies for the costs of responding to the Pulse massacre.
Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse on June 12, killing 49 patrons and injuring 53 people. He was killed in ...
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July 26, 2016 at 9:38 pm
Washington - U.S. President Barack Obama said it was possible that Russia would try to influence the U.S. presidential election, after a leak of Democratic National Committee emails that experts have attributed to Russian hackers.
“Anything is possible,” Obama told NBC News in an interview broadcast on Tuesday when asked if the Russians would try to influence the Nov. 8 election.
Obama said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the leak on Friday of more than 19,000 DNC emails, which showed the committee had favored Hillary Clinton over Senator Bernie Sanders for the party’s presidential nomination.
“I know that experts have attributed this to the Russians,” Obama said.
“What we do know is that the Russians hack our syst...
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July 26, 2016 at 9:37 pm
Dallas - The deaths of four children in hot cars in recent days has brought the number across the U.S. this year to at least 23, nearly matching the total for all of last year and prompting experts to plead for vigilance and warn parents that it can happen to anyone.
“It just breaks your heart,” said Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, a national child safety nonprofit based in Philadelphia. “We’ve done so much to try to get the word out and maybe that’s why last year was down a bit but this year is not looking very good.”
Four-year-old Samaria Motyka died on Friday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania after her caregiver drove to work instead of taking her to day care. In Dallas, 2-year-old Boi Lei Sang died after being left i...
