Home / National News (Page 473)

• Tropical Storm Debby: Florida Declares State of Emergency

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (TAMPA, Fla.) — Florida’s governor has declared a statewide emergency as rain from Tropical Storm Debby continues to drench the Gulf Coast and the panhandle. The state is expected to be pounded with even more rain as the storm moves closer. Governor Rick Scott says at least nine shelters have opened across Florida. “We declared a state of emergency so we can coordinate the use of all state resources to make sure that we can respond promptly if anything happens,” the governor said Monday. “Like always, everybody should have food and water on hand, but just be prepared and use… Read more

• Faking Heroism: Top Court to Rule on Stolen Valor

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (WASHINGTON) — In the few days left in its current term, the nation’s highest court is set to decide a controversial case over whether people who lie about military honors should be protected under the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause. California man Xavier Alvarez is challenging a law known as the Stolen Valor Act; federal legislation that in 2006 made it illegal for people to claim to have won or wear military medals or ribbons they did not earn. Alvarez was convicted of violating the act in 2007 after he publicly claimed to have won the country’s highest military… Read more

• Supreme Court Nixes Life Without Parole for Juveniles

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Eighth Amendment forbids sentencing that mandates life in prison without possibility of parole for juvenile murderers. The 5-4 decision is the latest in a series from the court limiting the penalties imposed on juvenile offenders who commit violent crimes. In 2005 — in a case called Roper v. Simmons — the court rejected the death penalty for juveniles. And in 2010, in Graham v. Florida, it said that juveniles who commit non-homicide offenses can no longer receive sentences of life without parole. Those decisions were written by Justice Anthony Kennedy who… Read more

• Photo Finish: US Olympic Berth Could Be Decided by Coin Toss

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (NEW YORK) — After thousands of photographs taken within a second could not determine who placed third in a race for a spot on the U.S. Olympic track and field team, the tie may be broken by a coin toss. Allyson Felix and Jenebah Tarmoh finished in a dead heat in Saturday’s 100-meter race, and only one of them could be granted a berth on the team in this summer’s London Games. The tie caught USA Track and Field officials off-guard, and for most of Sunday, the outcome was anyone’s guess. But Sunday night, USA Track and Field spokeswoman Jill… Read more

• Supreme Court Upholds Controversial Part of Arizona Immigration Law

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (WASHINGTON) — Police officers in Arizona are allowed to check the immigration status of every person who is stopped or arrested, the Supreme Court ruled Monday morning.  But the court struck down other key parts of the law. The controversial immigration law passed in Arizona two years ago and has been opposed by President Obama. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the policy could interfere with federal immigration law, but that the court couldn’t assume that it would. The law — known as SB 1070 — was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in April 2010, but immediately challenged by… Read more

• Jerry Sandusky Verdict: Victim 1′s Mother Speaks Out

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (NEW YORK) — The 45 guilty verdicts made it clear: The jury believed the eight young men who testified against Jerry Sandusky. But before the jury read the verdicts to the court, the biggest fear for the victims and their families was that Sandusky would walk away a free man. “That was my biggest fear … that he would not be found guilty,” said Victim 1′s mother, who spoke exclusively to ABC News over the weekend. She shared the fears and emotions of her son — an 18-year-old boy whose testimony helped send Sandusky away for possibly 400 years. “It… Read more

• Denver Cop Shot and Killed at Jazz Concert

  In National News / 25 June 2012

  

  (DENVER) — A female police officer was fatally shot Sunday night while trying to break up a fight at a jazz concert in Denver, according to police. The officer, who was identified by The Denver Post as a single mother and a seven-year veteran of the Denver Police Department, was struck in the head just after 8 p.m.  She was taken to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The shooting sent hundreds of City Park Jazz concert-goers running in panic. “We were just sitting here listening to the music, and all of a sudden we saw everybody… Read more