Sandusky

For Notre-Dame, lessons from a fire-damaged New York cathedral

Before the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris can begin, engineers may have to tap nearly every stone in the cathedral and listen for subtle sounds of damage, according to specialists who repaired one of the largest cathedrals in the world in New York after a devastating 2001 fire. French President Emmanuel Macron's vow to restore the Paris landmark within five years after a fire consumed Notre-Dame's roof and toppled its spire on Monday may prove unrealistic, they said. "Everything is done in 'cathedral time,'" said James Patterson, director of facilities and capital projects at St. John's on Manhattan's Upper West Side near Columbia University.

In unflattering detail, Mueller report reveals Trump actions to impede inquiry

(Advisory: Story includes language that might offend some readers.) By Sarah N. Lynch and Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election described in extensive and sometimes unflattering detail how President Donald Trump tried to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice. The release of the 448-page report on Thursday after a 22-month investigation marked a milestone in Trump's tumultuous presidency and inflamed partisan passions ahead of his 2020 re-election bid. Democrats said the report contained disturbing evidence of wrongdoing by Trump that could fuel congressional investigations, but there was no immediate indication they would try to remove him from office through impeachment.

Judge upholds New York City's mandatory measles vaccination order

In a six-page decision rendered hours after a hearing on the matter, Judge Lawrence Knipel denied the parents' petition seeking to lift the vaccination order, imposed last week to stem the worst measles outbreak to hit the city since 1991. The judge sided with municipal health officials who defended the order as a rare but necessary step to contain a surge in the highly contagious disease that has infected at least 329 people so far, most of them children from Orthodox Jewish communities in the borough of Brooklyn. Another 222 cases have been diagnosed elsewhere in New York state, mostly in a predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Rockland County, northwest of Manhattan.

Explainer: Five ways Trump's moves to stem border surge have hit hurdles

On Wednesday, the acting director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan visited the Texas border to underscore the administration's concerns about a growing crisis. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Thursday that the agency would set up two temporary tent facilities in Texas to process migrants, each with a capacity to hold up to 500 people. Such camps have been criticized by Congress members for holding migrants too long and not providing adequate places to sleep or shower.

U.S. court upholds most of California's 'sanctuary' migrant laws

The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement, "We continue to prove in California that the rule of law not only stands for something but that people cannot act outside of it." Scores of Democrat-controlled cities and counties have adopted policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, making them a target for President Donald Trump.

U.S. launches four-state study to find ways to reduce opioid overdose deaths

The National Institutes of Health will award grants to research sites in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said at a news conference to unveil the plan. Prescription opioid pain treatments and drugs like heroin and the more potent fentanyl were responsible for 47,600 U.S. deaths in 2017, according to government figures, with only a small decline last year, according to provisional data. The plan calls for the research centers to work with at least 15 communities hard hit by the crisis to measure how integrating prevention, treatment and recovery interventions can reduce overdoses.

Key quotes from U.S. Special Counsel Mueller's report

The following are some key quotes from Mueller's 448-page report: "When (former Attorney General Jeff) Sessions told the President that a Special Counsel had been appointed, the President slumped back in his chair and said, 'Oh my God. You gotta call Rod ...," Trump told former White House Counsel Donald McGahn during a June 17, 2017, phone call in which he asked McGahn to remove Mueller due to conflicts of interest. "Call Rod, tell Rod that Mueller has conflicts and can't be the Special Counsel," Trump said during a second phone call that same day.

Banks ordered to disclose bondholder information to Puerto Rico board

A judge on Thursday ordered banks to comply with a request from Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board to disclose customer information related to certain debt issued by the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth. The ruling boosts a potential effort by the board to recover billions of dollars in payments made to bondholders should a federal court hearing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy cases choose to invalidate disputed debt issued by the government and its agencies. U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Gail Dein's order said "good cause exists" to grant the board's motion, which seeks to compel banks to submit bondholder names and addresses along with Puerto Rico debt payments the bondholders received between 2013 and 2017.

Factbox: New revelations from the Mueller report

U.S. President Donald Trump believed the appointment of a special counsel to take over an active federal investigation would spell the end of his presidency, according to Mueller's report. When then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Trump of Mueller's appointment on May 17, 2017, the report said, Trump slumped back in his chair and said: "Oh my God. Trump asked Sessions, whom he had berated for months for recusing himself from the investigation of Russian interference in the election: "How could you let this happen, Jeff?" and told Sessions he had let him down.

Man who carried gas cans into NY cathedral charged with attempted arson

Wednesday's incident occurred two days after a massive fire severely damaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, causing global shock and sorrow. A New York City Police Department official said Marc Lamparello, a New Jersey resident, was charged with second-degree attempted arson, second-degree reckless endangerment and trespassing after he entered the Roman Catholic cathedral in midtown Manhattan just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday and was confronted by a security guard. As Lamparello turned to leave the cathedral, police said, gasoline spilled from the cans he was carrying, causing cathedral staff to alert police officers stationed outside the church.

Senate leader calls for raising minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21

McConnell said https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C7912202-0742-4404-8775-8836F261DDEF the bill would be introduced in May. Shares of Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, which owns a 35 percent stake in e-cigarette maker Juul, fell 3 percent on the news. Philip Morris International and U.S-listed shares of British American Tobacco were also trading lower.

In campaign against gun violence, Columbine students aim to shock with final photos

“In the event that I die from gun violence, please publicize the photo of my death,” the pledge reads. The group's website, http://www.mylastshot.org, says the public should not be shielded from the gruesome scenes of mass shootings. A Florida teenager who authorities said was armed, dangerous and "infatuated" with the Columbine massacre became the latest victim of the Columbine tragedy on Wednesday.

Barr says Mueller did not uncover evidence Trump obstructed Russia probe

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not uncover evidence that President Donald Trump obstructed the probe of whether he or members of his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. "The deputy attorney general and I concluded that the evidence developed by the special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense," Barr said during a media conference.

Barr says Mueller probe did not establish Trump coordination with Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find that President Donald Trump or members of his campaign worked with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr told a news conference. (Reporting By Amanda Becker, Ginger Gibson and Karen Freifeld)

Ban the bunny: California aims to end post-Easter parade of unwanted rabbits

Californians can eat chocolate bunnies and snuggle plush Peter Cottontail dolls to their heart's content this Easter. The legislation, which took effect in January, prohibits retail shops from selling commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. Legislatures in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are considering similar bills.

Florida judge blocks release of video in Patriots owner prostitution case

Prosecutors said earlier in the day in court filings that they would release the recordings, which were captured by police using hidden cameras, in response to public records requests under Florida's expansive open government laws. Lawyers for Kraft, who has apologized for his actions at the Orchids of Asia Spa but pleaded not guilty to the charges, on Friday asked the judge handling Kraft's case to suppress the videotaped evidence of their client, saying it amounted to "basically pornography." A hearing on that matter is scheduled for next week.

Creditor group seeks to wrest probing power from Puerto Rico board

A group of public labor unions and other creditors on Wednesday asked a judge to grant it power to pursue probes into individuals who contributed to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis because the U.S. commonwealth's federally created financial oversight board has failed to do so. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which includes Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, as well as suppliers and contractors to the Puerto Rican government, said the board recently informed the committee it will not pursue claims against advisers, underwriters and public officials involved in debt sales by the island prior to its May 2017 bankruptcy filing. "The oversight board has alternated between slow-walking a proper investigation into potential causes of action relating to Puerto Rico’s debt issuances, actively obstructing the committee’s own efforts to investigate the debtors’ prior conduct and indebtedness, and simply allowing causes of action to lapse by failing to anticipate and meet statutory deadlines," the motion stated.

Wisconsin governor says he wants to renegotiate Foxconn contract

Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who took office in January, inherited a deal to give Foxconn around $4 billion in tax breaks and other incentives that was championed by Scott Walker, Evers' Republican predecessor. Announced at a White House ceremony in 2017, Foxconn's 20-million-square-foot campus marked the largest greenfield investment by a foreign-based company in U.S. history and was praised by President Donald Trump as proof of his ability to revive American manufacturing. Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple Inc, has pledged to eventually create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, but said earlier this year it had slowed its pace of hiring.

'I wanna be dead': Teen obsessed with Columbine posted dark thoughts online

The Florida teenager whose purported fascination with the 1999 Columbine school massacre sparked a massive hunt for her this week appears to have kept an online journal peppered with violent imagery and awash in despair, anger and suicidal thoughts. An online journal written by someone who identified herself as "Sol Pais" - the teenager who authorities said was found dead on Wednesday - included entries that alluded to "plans" that would lead to the author's death, though they did not describe specific threats against others. Pais, 18, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday, authorities said, days after she traveled to Denver from her home in Florida and bought a shotgun ahead of Saturday's 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado.

Young woman obsessed with Columbine found dead after frantic manhunt

The body of Sol Pais, a student from Surfside, Florida, was found by authorities about 40 miles (64 km) west of Columbine High School, at about 10:30 a.m. local time, said Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the Denver office of the FBI. Pais was found alone in a wooded area of Clear Creek County and appeared to have shot herself with the pump-action shotgun she had purchased after arriving in Colorado from Miami earlier this week, Phillips said at a news conference hours later.

Florida judge blocks release of video in Patriots owner prostitution case

Prosecutors said earlier in the day in court filings that they would release the recordings, which were captured by police using hidden cameras, in response to public records requests under Florida's expansive open government laws. Lawyers for Kraft, who has apologized for his actions at the Orchids of Asia Spa but pleaded not guilty to the charges, on Friday asked the judge handling Kraft's case to suppress the videotaped evidence of their client, saying it amounted to "basically pornography." A hearing on that matter is scheduled for next week.

Creditor group seeks to wrest probing power from Puerto Rico board

A group of public labor unions and other creditors on Wednesday asked a judge to grant it power to pursue probes into individuals who contributed to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis because the U.S. commonwealth's federally created financial oversight board has failed to do so. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which includes Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, as well as suppliers and contractors to the Puerto Rican government, said the board recently informed the committee it will not pursue claims against advisers, underwriters and public officials involved in debt sales by the island prior to its May 2017 bankruptcy filing. "The oversight board has alternated between slow-walking a proper investigation into potential causes of action relating to Puerto Rico’s debt issuances, actively obstructing the committee’s own efforts to investigate the debtors’ prior conduct and indebtedness, and simply allowing causes of action to lapse by failing to anticipate and meet statutory deadlines," the motion stated.

Dozens of doctors in Appalachia charged in opioid fraud bust

Sixty people, including 31 doctors, were accused of illegally prescribing opioid drugs in exchange for cash and sexual favors in the rural, mountainous region stretching from Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Alabama and Louisiana. “The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement.

U.S. advances review of Musk's Baltimore-Washington tunnel project

Musk's Boring Co has proposed a privately funded 35.3-mile "loop project" that would include twin underground tunnels transporting passengers at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The company says passengers would be able to travel from downtown Washington to Baltimore in as little as 15 minutes. Musk, who also leads electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc and rocket company SpaceX, is seeking to revolutionize transportation by digging tunnels, including one that would connect downtown Chicago and the city's main airport.

Twenty years after Columbine, mass shooting survivors help others heal

Michelle Wheeler, 38, escaped the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, when two students killed 12 students and a teacher, thrusting the horror of school shootings into the American consciousness. Chad Williams, 19, was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student killed 17 students and staff members, including one of Williams’ best friends, on Feb. 14, 2018. The conversation with Wheeler made him feel less alone, Williams said.

Companies warn Trump: Census citizenship question could be costly

Corporate executives, lobbyists and representatives from major industry groups like the Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers have raised the issue in meetings with government officials, according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the matter. Some meetings date back to 2017, when the administration was first mulling adding the question. Industry officials continue to seek assurances from the Census Bureau and the Commerce Department that the question's impact on the quality of Census data will be minimized, according to the sources, who described the meetings on condition of anonymity.

Trump attorney general's ruling expands indefinite detention for asylum seekers

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday struck down a decision that had allowed some asylum seekers to ask for bond in front of an immigration judge, in a ruling that expands indefinite detention for some migrants who must wait months or years for their cases to be heard. The first immigration court ruling from President Donald Trump's newly appointed Attorney General William Barr is in keeping with the administration's moves to clamp down on the asylum process as tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans cross into the United States asking for refuge. U.S. immigration courts are overseen by the Justice Department and the Attorney General can rule in cases to set legal precedent.

Columbine principal, haunted by 20-year-old massacre, still recites victims' names

Each morning for the last two decades, Frank DeAngelis has recited aloud the names of the 13 people killed at Columbine High School, where he served as principal during the 1999 massacre that marked a modern era of mass school shootings. On April 20, 1999, two heavily armed Columbine students stormed the school in suburban Denver, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. At the time, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

FBI seeks woman 'infatuated with Columbine' in Colorado schools threat

"We consider her a credible threat to the community,"said Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Denver office, Dean Phillips, at a news briefing. Earlier Tuesday, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued a warning, calling the woman they identified as Sol Pais, 18 of Florida, as "extremely dangerous." Phillips said the local FBI were notified by the FBI's Miami office that Pais made verbal threats and had traveled to Colorado.