| Five charged in deadly Philadelphia dungeon case Jan 23rd 2013, 18:39 PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Five people are accused of imprisoning disabled adults in a dank Philadelphia basement to steal their Social Security checks, a scheme that led to the murders of two of the victims, a federal prosecutor said on Wednesday. Each defendant in the so-called Philadelphia dungeon case faces life in prison, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said at a press conference to unveil the 196-count indictment. The alleged ringleader, Linda Weston, 52, also could face the death penalty because she is charged with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, Memeger said. ... |  | Senate Democrats praise House Republican debt limit bill Jan 23rd 2013, 18:35  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate will take up a nearly four-month extension of U.S. borrowing authority if the Republican proposal is passed by the House of Representatives, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said on Wednesday. Senate Democratic leaders, unlike their House counterparts, praised the legislation, saying that it would cut the link Republicans had previously insisted upon between future debt limit increases and new spending cuts. The House is poised to vote on the legislation on Wednesday. (Reporting by Kim Dixon and Richard Cowan; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
| | Voice of Charlie Brown arrested for alleged threats, stalking Jan 23rd 2013, 18:32 SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The former child actor who was the voice of Charlie Brown in the 1960s "Peanuts" animated television specials will be arraigned on Wednesday, after being arrested at a border crossing near San Diego on a warrant accusing him of making criminal threats and stalking, authorities said. Peter Robbins, 56, was taken into custody on Sunday evening as he was returning to California from Mexico at the San Ysidro crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, said Ralph DeSio, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ... | | Empire State Building shooting victim sues the NYPD Jan 23rd 2013, 18:25 NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of nine bystanders shot when two New York police officers fatally shot a homicidal suspect outside the Empire State Building last summer has filed a lawsuit charging that the officers - who fired 16 bullets, killing the suspect - were not adequately trained. The tense August 24 showdown, at the height of morning rush hour on one of Manhattan's busiest streets, was captured on video and shows suspect Jeffrey Johnson stepping from behind a concrete flower pot and pointing his gun at two approaching officers, who swiftly returned fire. ... | | Kaiser study finds Medicaid coverage gaps in states Jan 23rd 2013, 17:54 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Adults who qualify for Medicaid often must have incomes well below the federal poverty line, while adults who have no dependent children are allowed to receive benefits in only nine of the 50 states, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The survey by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation provides a snapshot of widespread coverage gaps in the national healthcare program for the poor, less than a year before Medicaid is scheduled to undergo a dramatic expansion under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law. ... | | U.S. authorities charge three over "Gozi" computer virus Jan 23rd 2013, 17:51 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors charged three people in as many countries with creating and distributing a computer virus that infected more than a million computers around the world, including some operated by the U.S. space agency and others by banks. Known as the Gozi virus, it infected at least 40,000 computers in the United States and caused millions of dollars in losses by stealing online banking credentials, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office said on Wednesday. ... | | Man sues Georgia for blocking "GAYGUY" vanity license plate Jan 23rd 2013, 17:35 ATLANTA (Reuters) - An Atlanta man is suing the state of Georgia after his application for a vanity license plate that he said described his sexual orientation was denied. State officials turned down the three text choices - 4GAYLIB, GAYPWR and GAYGUY - that James Cyrus Gilbert, 30, submitted on January 2 for a personalized tag, according to a lawsuit filed this month against the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Driver Services. Georgia offers drivers the opportunity to purchase "prestige license plates" for their cars for an extra $35 fee. ... | | Clinton says she never saw security requests for Benghazi Jan 23rd 2013, 17:03 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said she never saw the requests for additional security for the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, which was attacked in September, because they were handled by other State Department officials and normally would not reach her level. Clinton was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the September attack in Benghazi by Islamist militants in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. Her testimony had been delayed for health reasons. ... | | Clinton says U.S. cannot allow northern Mali to be terrorism base Jan 23rd 2013, 17:03 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States cannot permit northern Mali to become a safe-haven for Islamist rebels that could eventually pose a more direct threat to U.S. interests, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday. Clinton, testifying to a Senate committee about the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, called the growing international campaign against Islamist fighters in northern Mali a response to "a very serious, ongoing threat." "We are in for a struggle, but it is a necessary struggle. ... | | Mississippi River barge traffic restored after lock repair Jan 23rd 2013, 16:22 (Reuters) - Commercial shipping traffic on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis was restored late on Tuesday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed emergency repairs to a lock gate damaged by a boat earlier in the day. Army Corps spokesman Mike Petersen said on Wednesday that 15 barge tows containing 85 barges were waiting to pass through the lock at 9:30 a.m. CST (10.30 a.m. ET). He said a queue of 19 tows containing 142 barges had formed before the lock reopened at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. ... | |
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