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Making mentally ill defendants ready for trial Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 23:31:34 GMT KERRVILLE, Texas -- The judge ascended the bench. He looked down at cafeteria-style tables marked "Prosecuting Attorney" and "Defense Attorney." To his left, two men sat in a box marked "Jury." The witness stand was marked "Witness.""Sustained," proclaimed the judge, who wore a striped polo shirt, a thick goatee and a shock of greasy hair. He gave the gavel a sharp bang and waved it arou... Read more...

Get an online sneak peek at Comet ISON, potential 'comet of the century' Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 23:31:33 GMT The much-anticipated incoming Comet ISON, which some scientists hope will become the "comet of the century" later this year, may not be visible to the naked eye yet, but you don't have to wait months to see this icy wanderer. The comet takes center stage in an online telescope webcast on Sunday.Comet ISON was first discovered last year and is currently expected to swing extremely close by the sun ... Read more...

How to prepare for your parents' retirement Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 23:31:33 GMT When Eileen Crehan thinks about her parents’ retirement plans, she worries.The 27-year-old PhD candidate, like many young adults, knows that her parents’ future finances aren’t only a source of concern for them—they directly impact her life as well.“They are careful spenders and savers, but they hit some bad luck when the mortgage broker industry tanked and some medical issues came up suddenly and... Read more...

Town throws dream wedding for triple amputee Marine Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 23:31:33 GMT Juan Dominguez lost his both his legs and his right arm after stepping on improvised explosive device while serving as a Marine Corporal in Afghanistan in 2010. But that didn't stop him from finding true love a few months later, when he met his now-wife Alexis after returning to the States."I thought she was cute, so I kind of dumped my girlfriend at the time and asked her out," Dominguez told TOD... Read more...

Tornadoes tear through Kansas, Oklahoma Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 23:09:37 GMT People in two states were taking shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma as part of an extreme weather system plowing through the nation's midsection.The system, which stretched from North Texas to Minnesota, also heaved hail -- dime to softball sized -- as well as heavy rainfall. Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were t... Read more...

Tornado spotted near Wichita, Kan., residents told to take cover Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 22:26:02 GMT People in two states were taking shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma. Thunder clouds were also heaving hail -- dime to softball sized -- as well as rain across broad swaths of both states. Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were told to seek shelter Sunday afternoon after a tornado was confirmed on the ground – with i... Read more...

Obama stresses personal responsibility to Morehouse graduates Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 22:14:57 GMT President Barack Obama on Sunday stressed the importance of personal responsibility and “what it means to be a man” in his commencement address at historically-black Morehouse College in Atlanta.In the midst of a driving rain, Obama told graduates at the all-male private college that they have obligations to “those still left behind” to be role models for the entire African-American community, bot... Read more...

Small Florida town buzzing over news of local winner Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 22:14:57 GMT The residents of a small Florida town known for its bottled water are now thirsty to know if one of their neighbors is the sole winner of the largest Powerball jackpot in history.Lottery officials confirmed early Sunday that the one winning ticket for the estimated $590.5 million prize was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla.But so far, only the losers have come forward.  “I wish it w... Read more...

'Star Trek Into Darkness' boldly goes to $84 million at box office Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 22:04:04 GMT Paramount and Skydance Productions' "Star Trek Into Darkness" topped the box office chart with a solid four-day opening of $84.1 million -- even if it didn't engage warp speed and hit $100 million.Overseas, the J.J. Abrams-directed tentpole took in another $40 million over the weekend for an early global total of $164.6 million, including $80.5 million internationally. The 3-D pic, playing in... Read more...

Tornado spotted in Wichita, Kan., residents told to take cover Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 21:20:11 GMT Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were told to seek shelter Sunday afternoon after a tornado was confirmed on the ground – with its presence hidden by heavy rainfall.The National Weather Service in Wichita warned of a large and “extremely danger and potentially deadly” tornado late Sunday.  Weather spotters confirmed the tornado 7 miles northwest of Haysville and moving northeast at 30 mph, the... Read more...

Palestinian kids swept up in wave of Israeli arrests Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 20:41:37 GMT TEL AVIV – Ahmed Jawabreh, 14, was asleep in his home in early April at the al-Arub refugee camp near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, when Israeli soldiers came looking for him. He had been anticipating exams at school in the morning, not a knock at the door at 3:30 a.m.Ahmed was arrested that night for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in the camp earlier in the day and wasn’t rele... Read more...

US diplomat in spy flap leaves Moscow, Russian TV reports Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 20:41:36 GMT The U.S. diplomat who Russia claims tried to recruit one of its intelligence officials to spy for the CIA has left Moscow, Kremlin-loyal TV reported on Sunday.A Russian NTV broadcast appeared to show the U.S. embassy employee, Ryan Christian Fogle, moving through security at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on Sunday, according to reports from the Associated Press and the BBC.Fogle... Read more...

Retiring baby boomers are selling their small businesses Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 20:03:07 GMT Baby boomers preparing for retirement are driving a surge in small business sales, as they find more and more buyers confident enough in the improving economy to expand their own businesses through acquisitions.In the first three months of this year, the number of sales that closed jumped 56 percent from the same time in 2012, according to BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for small busine... Read more...

Big reason for stock boom? Companies buying back stocks Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 20:03:06 GMT It's the narcissist rally.Sure, there are plenty of forces pushing stocks higher — record corporate earnings, small investors finally buying again, signs the U.S. economy may be strengthening, central banks flooding the financial system with money.But you may want to spare a thought, and a healthy dose of worry, for what is one of the biggest, and least appreciated, reasons for the rally: buyba... Read more...

Report: Iran hangs 2 alleged spies working for Israel, US Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 20:03:06 GMT DUBAI — Iranian authorities executed two men on Sunday convicted of working for Israeli and U.S. spy agencies, Iran's Fars news agency reported.Mohammad Heidari, accused of passing security-related information and secrets to Israeli Mossad agents in exchange for money, and Kourosh Ahmadi, accused of gathering information for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, were hanged at dawn, it said. The s... Read more...

Christine White, seatmate to William Shatner in iconic 'Twilight Zone' dies at 86 Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:45 GMT Christine Lamson White may have had a career in Hollywood spanning over 20 years, but to many she'll always be known as "the woman on the plane next to William Shatner."The actress starred alongside Shatner in the iconic "Twilight Zone" episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he believes he sees a gremlin tearing up the wing of the plane.Lamson died on April 14 at Brinton Woods Nursing Home i... Read more...

Report: Yahoo agrees to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:45 GMT The Yahoo board has approved a deal to pay $1.1 billion for the blogging site Tumblr, according to The Wall Street Journal's All Things D. Yahoo will pay for the blogging site in cash, All Things D reported. Yahoo nor Tumblr released official statements.Tumblr's media team did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In a statement to NBC News, a Yahoo spokeswoman said Yahoo would not comment... Read more...

Xbox to flash steel in new console war Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:44 GMT It's like a seven-year storm: High-pressure fronts from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft come together creating high winds and stormy seas, with the world's gamers sitting — and grinning — right in the eye of it all. Yes, the next console war is on.Nintendo started it. Last November, the House of Mario released the quasi-next-generation Wii U console to middling results. Sony made the next move, offic... Read more...

AP CEO calls records seizure unconstitutional Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:44 GMT The president and CEO of The Associated Press said Sunday that the government's seizure of AP journalists' phone records was "unconstitutional" and already has had a chilling effect on newsgathering.Gary Pruitt says the Justice Department's secret subpoena of reporters' phone records has made sources less willing to talk to AP journalists. The Justice Department disclosed the seizure of two m... Read more...

Severe weather to begin the week Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:44 GMT Middle America should prepare for a stormy start of the week as much of the Plains will be watching the skies for twisters Sunday.There is an increasing storm and tornado threat from Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska southward to Kansas, according to Weather Channel meteorologists — and low pressure in the Plains states will keep things "very unsettled and stormy" as the week goes on.On Monday, the sev... Read more...

Conn. train outage expected for days following crash that injured 72 Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 19:57:44 GMT BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Commuters are bracing for a difficult trip around southwest Connecticut and to New York City beginning Monday as workers repair the Metro-North commuter rail line crippled by a derailment and crash.Crews will spend days rebuilding 2,000 feet of track, overhead wires and signals following the collision between two trains Friday evening that injured 72 people, Metro-North Pr... Read more...

Father, daughter reunited after separated by military service Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 15:50:34 GMT Last fall, Pvt. Victoria Piccoli, 19, was about to graduate from basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina when she appeared on TODAY to talk to Lester Holt about serving her country at such a young age. Inspired by her father, an active-duty Marine deployed to Afghanistan, Piccoli had enlisted in the Army with his encouragement. “It’s been working out,” she said. “It’s great for my future.... Read more...

Bill Hader steals the show in star-packed 'Saturday Night Live' sendoff Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 15:50:33 GMT Ben Affleck joined the five-timers club as host, but departing castmember Bill Hader stole the show on "Saturday Night Live’s" season 38 finale.Hader gave a cinematic sendoff to Stefon, that perennially irritating scenester kid. During Weekend Update, he faced his usual dressing down from Seth Meyers. Stefon had finally had enough, and announced he’d met someone else and was leaving Meyers. Meyer... Read more...

'Eternal' delays to airport, billion-dollar concert hall hit German reputation for efficiency Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 15:50:33 GMT BERLIN – Germans are world-famous for their efficiency, a stereotype both mocked and admired by their economically ailing European neighbors.But this hard-won reputation is now under threat after a catalog of calamities affecting major construction projects.Perhaps worst of all is what should already be the main airport for the capital, Berlin, which has been dubbed the “eternal” construction site... Read more...

North Korea fires projectile into eastern waters Posted Sun, 19 May 2013 15:50:33 GMT SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a projectile into waters off its eastern coast Sunday, a day after launching three short-range missiles in the same area, officials said.North Korea routinely test-launches short-range missiles. But the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing recent tension, including near-daily threats by North Korea to attack South ... Read more...

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