Democratic U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah resigned from Congress on Thursday, two days after his conviction in a Philadelphia racketeering case. Fattah, who served on the powerful Appropriations Committee during 11 terms in office, said he hastened his exit out of respect for House leadership and to avoid being a distraction…. Read More
Tornadoes leaves scores dead in China
A powerful tornado and hailstorm struck the outskirts of an eastern Chinese city on Thursday, killing at least 78 people and destroying buildings, smashing trees and flipping vehicles on their roofs. The tornado hit a densely populated area of farms and factories near the city of Yancheng in Jiangsu province,… Read More
Supreme Court smacks down Obama immigration plan
A tie vote by the Supreme Court has blocked President Barack Obama’s immigration plan that sought to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The justices’ one-sentence opinion on Thursday effectively kills the plan for the duration of Obama’s presidency. A tie vote sets no national precedent but leaves in… Read More
World Trade Center skyscrapers: 3 up, 1 to go (pics)
The World Trade Center’s newest, $2.5 billion skyscraper reached its full 80 stories Thursday — one of three high-rises now up at the site, with one more to go. Almost 15 years after the twin towers collapsed, the site of the Sept. 11 terror attacks has turned into a resplendent… Read More
Marine in iconic Iwo Jima photo misidentified
One of the six men long identified in an iconic World War II photograph showing the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima was actually not in the image, the Marine Corps announced Thursday after conducting an investigation prompted by the claims of two amateur historians. The Marines formed… Read More
What!? Investigators can’t get EgyptAir black box data
Initial attempts to download information from the flight data and voice recorders of an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month have been unsuccessful, according to a U.S. official. The recorders are being flown to the offices of the French aviation accident investigation bureau near Paris, which has… Read More
Supreme Court upholds affirmative action
In a major victory for affirmative action, a divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the University of Texas admissions program that takes account of race. The justices voted in favor of the Texas program by a 4-3 vote, an outcome that was dramatically altered by the death of Justice Antonin… Read More
Supreme Court puts new limits on drunk driving laws
The Supreme Court on Thursday placed new limits on state laws that make it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse alcohol tests. The justices ruled that police must obtain a search warrant before requiring drivers to take blood alcohol tests, but not breath tests, which the… Read More
Apparent gunman killed in Germany, none others wounded
Police say a man has been shot dead after entering a movie theater in southwestern Germany, apparently with a weapon. They say they believe that no one else was injured in the incident. Police spokesman Bernd Hochstaedter said authorities were told early Thursday afternoon that an armed man had entered… Read More
US stocks jump ahead of Brexit vote
U.S. stocks are rising Thursday morning as investors grow more optimistic that Britons will vote to stay in the European Union. Investors are buying stocks and selling bonds, sending banks higher. Energy companies are up with the price of oil. KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 145… Read More