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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

School district police stock up free military gear

School district police stock up free military gear

School district police stock up free military gear

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:25 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — School police departments across the country have taken advantage of free military surplus gear, stocking up on mine resistant armored vehicles, grenade launchers and scores of M16 rifles.

Eyeing 2016, Rubio pushes American strength abroad

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:23 PM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2014 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rubio is positioning himself as the leading foreign policy hawk among Republicans considering runs for the White House, pushing for more military spending and greater intervention abroad as the United States confronts Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)MIAMI (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio called Wednesday for boosting U.S. defense spending and greater intervention abroad, positioning himself as the leading foreign policy hawk among Republicans considering runs for the White House.

Fed chief Yellen's remarks at press conference

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:22 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The following are highlights of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's remarks at a press conference on Wednesday following the conclusion of the U.S. central bank's two-day policy meeting. ON INTEREST RATE PATH PROJECTIONS "I would say there is relatively little upward movement in the (federal funds rate) path, and I would view it as broadly in line with what one would expect with a very small downward reduction in the path for unemployment and a very slight upward change in the projection for inflation. "So most participants in deciding on the path ... ...

Dow closes at record after Fed keeps policy unchanged

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:17 PM PDT

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on September 5, 2014. About an hour into trade Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 29.92 points (0.17 percent) at 17,161.89New York (AFP) - The Dow Wednesday closed at a fresh record after the US Federal Reserve stuck to a plan to begin raising near-zero interest rates only in 2015.

Crews battle California fire's explosive growth

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:17 PM PDT

In this Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 photo, smoke and flames loom up over the King Fire in the Eldorado National Forest, seen from U.S. Highway 50 near the town of Pollock Pines, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe. The flames later jumped Highway 50, necessitating its closure. Crews on Wednesday battled another fast-moving blaze threatening homes in Northern California, just days after a wildfire tore through a small town in the region. Hundreds of additional firefighters were dispatched to the fire near the town of Pollock Pines, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of the state capital, Sacramento, bringing the number fighting the blaze to more than 2,500 personnel. That was an increase of about 1,000 from the previous day. (AP Photo/Brendan Rice) MANDATORY CREDITWEED, Calif. (AP) — Just days after a wildfire tore through a small Northern California town and destroyed scores of homes, crews on Wednesday battled another fast-moving blaze in the region that was also threatening residences.

NFL, union agree to new drug policy, HGH testing

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:13 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2014, file photo, Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) watches the action from the sideline in the second half of a NFL preseason football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. The NFL reached an agreement with the players association on changes to its performance-enhancing drug policy, including the addition of human growth hormone testing, which will allow the Welker and two other previously suspended players to return to their teams this week. Under the new rules announced Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, players who test positive for banned stimulants in the offseason will no longer be suspended. Instead, they will be referred to the substance abuse program. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL finally will have HGH testing, perhaps as early as the end of this month.

Obama vows U.S. will not fight another ground war in Iraq

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:12 PM PDT

By Jeff Mason MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE Fla. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, trying to reassure war-weary Americans, vowed on Wednesday the United States will not fight another ground war in Iraq but his spokesman said some military advisers could end up in front-line positions against Islamic State. Obama, who has spent much of his presidency distancing himself from the Iraq War, stressed that air strikes would be the central U.S. contribution to the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, along with coordinating a coalition that he said now includes more than 40 countries. ...

U.S. inflation surprisingly weak, Fed keeps low rates pledge

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:11 PM PDT

Shoppers carry their purchases along Broadway in New York CityBy Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in nearly 1-1/2 years in August and underlying inflation pressures were muted, which could lessen the urgency for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. The Labor Department said on Wednesday its Consumer Price Index dropped 0.2 percent last month as a broad decline in energy prices offset increases in food and shelter costs. It was the first decrease since April last year and followed a modest 0.1 percent gain in July. Economists had expected consumer prices would be flat in August. ...

Mechanical issue delays first lady Tennessee trip

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:05 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Who was the mystery passenger President Barack Obama greeted aboard a government aircraft after he spent most of the day in Florida?

Tulsa deputy resigns after sexual assault arrest

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:03 PM PDT

In this photo provided by the Tulsa County Jail is Tulsa County sheriff's deputy Gerald Nuckolls. Oklahoma authorities say Nuckolls, 26, was arrested Tuesday and resigned Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2104 after two women said he sexually assaulted them at a Tulsa County home while he was on duty. (AP Photo/Tulsa County Jail)TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma sheriff's deputy resigned Wednesday after two women said he sexually assaulted them at a Tulsa County home while he was on duty, a case that comes on the heels of a state trooper and an Oklahoma City police officer being arrested on sexual assault complaints.

Directors Guild finds TV diversity hiring stalled

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:03 PM PDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 file photo, Paris Barclay attends the LA Premiere Screening of "Sons Of Anarchy" at at TCL Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles. A new guild study says that women and minorities were largely shut out of the ranks of TV directors again last season. In a Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 statement, Directors Guild President Barclay said it can be "shockingly difficult" to persuade those who control industry hiring to make even small improvements. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, file)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Women and minorities are largely shut out of the ranks of TV series directors in a stubbornly unchanged pattern of hiring, according to a Hollywood guild study released Wednesday.

NYC jazz musicians fear poverty in retirement

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 01:03 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Keisha St. John has been singing at some of the most famous jazz clubs in the nation for more than five decades.

Maps provide early warning of California fire risk

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:57 PM PDT

FILE - In this May 14, 2014 file photo, a helicopter drops fire fighting material over a house as smoke envelopes the area in Carlsbad, Calif. Fire-hardened Southern Californians know that when the Santa Ana winds blow, a wildfire probably isn't very far behind, the only questions are where and how bad it will be. A new mapping tool developed by the U.S. Forest Service will help homeowners and emergency responders get a better handle on both those questions with detailed color-coded early warning system that will indicate which areas have the highest risk of a devastating blaze during the hot, dry wind events. (AP Photo, File)ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — Fire-hardened Southern Californians know that when the Santa Ana winds blow, a wildfire probably isn't far behind.

Ex-VA doctor: Phoenix report a 'whitewash'

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:55 PM PDT

Assistant Inspector General for Healthcare Inspections John Daigh, Jr., from left, with; Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Inspector General Richard Griffin; Retired Medical Director Samuel Foote, of the Diamond Community-Based Outpatient Center, Phoenix VA Health Care System, Veterans Health Administration; and Medical Director Katherine Mitchell of the Iraq and Afghanistan Post-Deployment Center, Phoenix VA Health Care System, Veterans Health Administration, testifies during a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing on "Scheduling Manipulation and Veteran Deaths in Phoenix: Examination of the OIG's Final Report" on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON (AP) — A doctor who first exposed serious problems at the troubled Phoenix Veterans Affairs hospital said Wednesday that a report on patient deaths there is a "whitewash" that minimizes life-threatening conduct by senior leaders at the hospital.

Florida, WVU with chance for breakthrough wins

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:51 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2104, file photo, West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen watches from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Atlanta. There are signs a program is heading in the right direction. Then there are victories that have the potential to change a season, accelerate the rebuilding process and ease the pressure on a coach who was facing heavy scrutiny. Florida has a chance for that kind of breakthrough at No. 3 Alabama on Saturday. Same goes for West Virginia. The Mountaineers host No. 4 Oklahoma. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)Some victories can be a sign that a program that has hit hard times could be heading for better days.

Nuclear deal elusive as Iran, six powers resume talks in New York

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:50 PM PDT

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses the media during a news conference in ViennaBy Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A diplomatic breakthrough is unlikely on a nuclear deal to end sanctions against Iran when talks resume in New York this week between Tehran and six world powers deadlocked after a year of negotiations. The talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China are re-starting after a two-month hiatus and amid Washington and Tehran ruling out cooperation on fighting Islamic State militants who have taken over swaths of Iraq and Syria. ...

Beanie Babies creator's sentence debated in court

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:49 PM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2014 file photo, Ty Warner, the billionaire who created Beanie Babies, arrives at federal court where he was sentenced to community service but no prison time for hiding at least $25 million from U.S. tax authorities in Swiss bank accounts. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, a three-judge appellate panel at the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago is scheduled to hear arguments from prosecutors who say Warner's punishment was way too lenient and from defense attorneys who say it was just right. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles, File)CHICAGO (AP) — Federal prosecutors seeking to put the billionaire creator of Beanie Babies in prison for hiding millions in Swiss bank accounts told appellate court judges Wednesday that the toymaker's sentence of probation threatens to erode the judicial system's ability to deter other tax evaders.

Air France pilot strike to enter fourth day as talks sputter

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:48 PM PDT

Air France was running only four out of 10 flights on Wednesday, as frantic negotiations between unions and management failed to provide the hoped-for breakthroughParis (AFP) - Striking Air France pilots dug in their heels Wednesday, rejecting government calls to go back to work and new assurances from management that low-cost operations would not threaten their jobs.

Fed signals plan to keep key rate at record low

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:46 PM PDT

U.S. Federal Reserve Board chair Janet Yellen delivers opening remarks at her news conference in WashingtonThe Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it plans to keep a key interest rate at a record low for a considerable period because a broad range of U.S. economic measures remain subpar.

Wary House set to approve arms for Syrian rebels

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:44 PM PDT

President Barack Obama speaks at US Central Command (CentCom) at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. Obama spoke to members of the military after consulting with military officials about the U.S. counterterrorism campaign against Islamic State militants. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House lined up half-heartedly to give the U.S. military authority to train and arm Syrian rebels on Wednesday as President Barack Obama emphasized that American forces "do not and will not have a combat mission" in the struggle against Islamic state militants.

Russian tycoon's arrest sparks fears of 'second Yukos'

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:40 PM PDT

Vladimir Yevtushenkov, then president of Russian conglomerate Sistema, pictured in London on February 5, 2005Moscow (AFP) - The arrest of a top billionaire sent shockwaves through Russia's business and political circles on Wednesday and prompted fears of a state-orchestrated asset grab similar to the prosecution of ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

U.S. House passes Fed audit bill; measure seen doomed in Senate

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:37 PM PDT

By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday that would open up Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions to a congressional audit, reviving a measure passed in 2012. But the legislation approved by the Republican-dominated House is expected to meet a fate similar to its predecessor's: death in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The "Federal Reserve Transparency Act" passed 333-92 in a bipartisan vote. It is largely similar to the 2012 "Audit the Fed" bill championed by former libertarian Representative Ron Paul. ...

Rain from tropical storm begins falling on Arizona

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:35 PM PDT

Mesa residents, reflected in a truck window, take free sandbags to protect their homes, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 in Mesa, Ariz. Phoenix area residents are filling sandbags in anticipation for the remnants of Category 3 Hurricane Odille which decimated Mexico's Baja California. (AP Photo/Matt York)TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — People lined up in bumper-to-bumper traffic and scooped sand into trash and canvas tote bags Wednesday as rain from a weakened Pacific storm began to fall on Arizona.

Puerto Rico police arrest reggaeton star Don Omar

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:34 PM PDT

FILE - In this April 25, 2013 file photo, Puerto Rico reggaeton star Don Omar receives his tenth award at the Latin Billboard Awards in Coral Gables, Fla. Authorities said in a statement that 36-year-old William Omar Landron Rivera was detained early Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, at a house in the northern coastal Puerto Rican town of Vega Alta. Authorities said he is suspected of threatening his 26-year-old partner. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico reggaeton star Don Omar was arrested Wednesday in the U.S. territory on suspicion of domestic violence.

Biden: Troops not needed now, but will reassess

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:34 PM PDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is apparently leaving the door open to U.S. ground troops helping Iraqi security forces repel Islamic State militants.

Online sleuths aid probe into gay couple's beating

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:33 PM PDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police searching for a group of people suspected in the beating of a gay couple got an outpouring of help from Twitter and Facebook users, who located a photo of the clean-cut young men and women at a restaurant and helped match names to faces.

Most Alaskans to get nearly $1,900 in oil money

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:26 PM PDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Most Alaskans will receive nearly $1,900 for this year's share of the state's oil wealth that's distributed annually to residents just for living here.

Yellen: Fed balance sheet to take years to shrink

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:24 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says "it could take until the end of the decade" to shrink the Fed's record investment portfolio to more normal levels.

NASA's Maven spacecraft reaches Mars this weekend

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:22 PM PDT

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 file photo, technicians work on NASA's next Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN), at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's Maven spacecraft will reach the red planet in September 2014 following a 10-month journey spanning more than 440 million miles. If all goes well, Maven will hit the brakes and slip into Martian orbit Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars, get ready for another visitor or two.

Texas woman set to die for starvation of child, 9

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:20 PM PDT

This undated handout photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Lisa Ann Coleman. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, Coleman is set for execution for the 9-year-old Davontae Williams' starvation death 10 years ago. (AP Photo/Texas Department of Criminal Justice)HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Attorneys asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the scheduled Wednesday evening execution of a Texas woman convicted of the starvation and torture death of her girlfriend's 9-year-old son a decade ago.

NYC praised as most vegan-friendly in US

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:17 PM PDT

The New York skyline rendered in vegan-friendly vegetables attracts attention outside of New York's City Hall, where The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals declared that New York is the nation's most vegan-friendly city, Wednesday Sept. 17, 2014. On hand for the City Hall presentation was the actor Alan Cumming who praised the city's commitment to vegan restaurants. (AP Photo/Jonathan Lemire)NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan's skyline never looked so appetizing.

On eve of secession vote, UK's fate hangs on a divided Scotland

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:16 PM PDT

The Final Day Of Campaigning For The Scottish Referendum Ahead Of Tomorrow's Historic VoteBy Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Smout EDINBURGH (Reuters) - On the eve of Scotland's independence referendum, the fate of the United Kingdom rests on hundreds of thousands of wavering Scottish voters as opinion polls showed supporters of the 307-year union just a whisker ahead of secessionists. In an intense final day of campaigning, leaders of both sides beseeched Scots to seize the reins of history in a vote that has divided families, friends and lovers but also electrified this country of 5.3 million. ...

UK traders gear up for long night before Scottish vote result

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:16 PM PDT

By Nigel Stephenson LONDON (Reuters) - London's trading rooms are gearing up for an extra long shift to cover Scotland's independence referendum and drafting in extra staff, anticipating a surge in activity when the result comes through early on Friday. The vote on whether Scotland should end its 300-year-old union with England was set for a nail-biting finish. Three polls on Wednesday put opponents of independence slightly ahead, though many voters remained undecided. The final result could come any time between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. ...

Muted expectations for Obama, Rouhani meeting

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:16 PM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, after he spoke by telephone earlier in the day with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the first conversation between American and Iranian leaders in more than 30 years. One year ago, Obama and Rouhani came close to ending the decades-long freeze on face-to-face meetings between their countries' leaders. In late September 2014 both men are scheduled to again be in New York for United Nations meetings but expectations for even a handshake are more muted than they were last fall. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — One year ago, President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came close to ending the decades-long freeze on face-to-face meetings between their countries' leaders.

U.S. Fed maintains guidance, expects rate hikes at quicker pace

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:15 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday renewed a pledge to keep interest rates near zero for a "considerable time" and repeated concerns over slack in the labor market, standing firm against calls to overhaul its policy statement. Many economists and traders had expected the central bank to alter the rate guidance it has provided since March, given generally improving data on the economy's performance. KEY POINTS: * The Fed repeated its assurance that rates would stay ultra-low for a "considerable time" after a bond-buying stimulus program wraps up. ...

Mayor offers to help McGraw find Portland, Maine

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:15 PM PDT

Country singer Tim McGraw performs on stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Portland, Maine? Tim McGraw doesn't know where it is. And he doesn't want to know, either.

U.S. scientist: Ebola unlikely to become airborne

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:13 PM PDT

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations hearing on the Ebola virus on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)A top government scientist says it's very unlikely that Ebola would mutate to spread through the air.

Police: Ambush suspect was military re-enactor

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:13 PM PDT

This undated PennDOT identification photo released Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Penn., being sought in Friday's shooting that left one trooper dead and another critically wounded at a state police barracks in Blooming Grove. The gunman killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson, 38, and critically wounded Trooper Alex Douglass outside the barracks during a late-night shift change, then slipped away. (AP Photo/PennDOT via Pennsylvania State Police)The suspect in last week's fatal ambush outside a rural Pennsylvania State Police barracks belonged to a "military simulation unit" whose members play the role of soldiers from eastern Europe, police said Wednesday.

Emma Watson 'touched' by reception in Uruguay

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:12 PM PDT

Uruguay's Vice President Danilo Astori, left, and Director of UN Women Gulden Turkoz, right, applaud after a speech by Emma Watson, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, at Parliament in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. Watson attended the event organized by women's groups pushing the country's lawmaking body to increase their numbers of elected female senators and deputies. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — British actor Emma Watson says she is "immensely touched" by the reception she received in Uruguay, where she traveled as a goodwill ambassador for the UN's women's agency.

Venezuela threatens citizenship of actress Alonso

Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:09 PM PDT

FILE - In this July 7, 2010 file photo, Cuban-born actress Maria Conchita Alonso poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, California. Venezuela's authorities announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, that they began proceedings to revoke Alonso's Venezuelan citizenship. Alonso, who was born in Cuba and moved to Venezuela at age 5, was a strong critic of the government of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's leftist government says it is moving to revoke the citizenship of actress Maria Conchita Alonso, a bitter critic of the government.
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