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  • Occupy DC faces eviction as deadline passes

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

     

    An Occupy protester sits at the McPherson Square Occupy encampment in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2012.

    Occupy protesters chanting "let us sleep so we can dream" set up a large, blue tarp with the words "tent of dreams" in the nation's capital as a noon deadline to end camping at some of the movement's last remaining large encampments passed.

    The National Park Service said in a flier released Friday that it would begin enforcing regulations prohibiting camping and the use of temporary structures for camping at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza. Individual violators may be subject to arrest and their property subject to seizure as evidence, the flier said.

    Washington Post live-blogs Occupy D.C.

    Justin Jacoby Smith, a 25-year-old activist with OccupyKSt and member of their media team, said the protesters at McPherson Square had plans for the deadline but noted: “We’re still sorting of keeping the specifics under wraps … we like to have surprises when we can.”

    Still, by noon the blue tarp, also decorated with the words "dream together" and yellow stars and a moon, could be seen in the square via a video livestream. "This is what democracy looks like," protesters chanted.

    “Today what we’re trying to do is make sure that everyone knows that when you enforce a regulation against sleeping then you can’t dream of a better world, either … when you can’t sleep, you can’t dream," he said. "We’re going to make sure that we still have the opportunity to dream and that the people in this demonstration that have no place else to go are kept safe from the criminalization of homelessness that this order effectively creates.”

    Officers would be on site to monitor the situation and try to get protesters to comply, Carol Johnson, a Park Service spokeswoman, told msnbc.com on Friday. Compliance entails removing all camping materials and leaving one side of all temporary structures open.

    “People can be there 24 hours a day, but they can’t live there, they can’t sleep there,” she said.

    “We still do back the First Amendment, and it is their right. It is not their right to camp. And ... we would, you know, support them if they came into compliance and they had a vigil and they had tents that were there for logistical or symbolic purposes,” she added. "They can occupy as a vigil but not camping."

    More than 80 arrests have occurred at the two sites, including for public urination, drunkenness, assault and drug use, she noted.

    On Sunday, a protester at one of the camps -- in McPherson Square -- was Tasered and arrested following a confrontation with law enforcement, according to NBCWashington.com. A video of the incident, posted on YouTube, shows the man yelling at officers, "We all know you're coming tomorrow."

    Many of the Occupy camps were closed across the country last fall and early winter, and the sites in the nation's capital were two of the bigger outfits remaining.

    The Park Service noted that two "compliant" 24-hour First Amendment vigils have been running in Lafayette Park and near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial since the early 1980s. Johnson said they were "very small" vigils and also noted that they were not evicting the Occupy protesters.

    But the McPherson Square camp said it was a de facto eviction: "Rather than own up to the fact that they're evicting us, the 'camping ban' allows NPS to pick us off one by one. Death by attrition," read a tweet from the OccupyKSt twitter account.

    The action by the Park Service also comes after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Subcommittee held a hearing last week about the McPherson Square encampment.

    "Late is better than never," Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the subcommittee on the District of Columbia, said in a statement after learning of park authorities' notice. "I continue to wonder whether others who are 'camping' in national parks would have been afforded a 100-day grace period before the law was enforced."

    Occupy groups across the country continue to assemble and organize protests, with about 400 demonstrators in Oakland arrested late Saturday after authorities thwarted their attempt to take over a vacant convention center for a new camp site. Some protesters broke into City Hall and smashed glass display cases and burned the U.S. and California flags, while others ran into a YMCA to evade police.

    At least three officers and one protester were injured. Mayor Jean Quan said the cost to the city related to the Occupy Oakland protests is about $5 million.

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  • How do we keep candidates from lying over and over?

    By Bill Dedman, Investigative Reporter, NBC News

    Why doesn't the fact-checking come first?

    After a presidential debate, even before the debate has ended, we're able now to read fact-checks from Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact and many news organizations.

    But shouldn't the candidates get their facts straight and tell the truth in the first place?

    "American politics has become a battle of talking points," said Bill Adair, editor of PolitiFact and Washington bureau chief for The Tampa Bay Times. "Once candidates find a talking point they like, they often stick with it — even when fact-checkers say it's wrong."

    Perhaps the first questions in the next presidential debate should be something along these lines...

    For Newt Gingrich:

    Former Speaker Gingrich, in debate after debate, you've taken credit for balancing four federal budgets when you were the speaker of the House. As has been pointed out repeatedly by fact-checking organizations, the four years of balanced budgets were fiscal 1998 through 2001, but you were in office for only the first two of those budgets. You left the House in January 1999 and had no role in crafting the budgets for the subsequent two years. In addition, you opposed the two tax-raising deals that were largely responsible for balancing the budget. (Fact-checks here from The New York Times and here from The Washington Post.)

    Similarly, you said that people can use food stamps "to go to Hawaii," claimed that the ethics charges against you were conducted by "a very partisan political committee," and said that "no federal official at any level is allowed to say 'Merry Christmas.'" 

    All these statements were false, according to PolitiFact.

    PolitiFact scorecard on Gingrich

    Equal-time: Questions for the other candidates are below 

    It's been nearly five years since PolitiFact and a host of similar services started debunking the most outrageous statements. In that time, have the candidates become more honest?

    "Not overall, but we've seen glimpses that they will alter their wording after we've called out a falsehood," Adair said. "For example, the way Newt said the balanced budget line in the last debate was more accurate, because he didn't say the four consecutive years were when he was speaker. So maybe he responded to the fact-checking."

    Here are specific follow-up questions for each of the current Republican candidates, as well as President Barack Obama, based on fact-checking by PolitiFact and the major newspapers:

    For Mitt Romney:
    Former Governor Romney, in every debate so far, you've said something like, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were a big part of why we have the housing crisis." But studies have shown that Fannie and Freddie were late to invest in subprime mortgages, following the lead of Wall Street firms that you never mention. (Fact-check from The New York Times here and here.) The unspoken narrative in your comments, and those of the other candidates, panders inaccurately to those who want to believe that loans to unworthy minorities, driven by the Community Reinvestment Act, caused the financial crisis. In fact, most subprime loans were made by lenders who were not covered by the CRA, but who were driven by the need for profits to satisfy their Wall Street investors. Are you trying to deflect blame from Wall Street?

    Similarly, you have said repeatedly that President Obama "went around the world and apologized for America," said "I don't have lobbyists running my campaign," and claimed that President Obama's health care law "represents a government takeover of health care."

    All false, according to PolitiFact.

    PolitiFact scorecard for Romney.

    For Rick Santorum:
    Former Senator Santorum, you have repeatedly criticized Gov. Romney's health insurance program in Massachusetts for the so-called individual mandate, for requiring individuals to buy health insurance. Why not mention that in 1994, when you were running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, you supported an individual mandate.

    Similarly, you said that an Obama administration policy prohibits people who work with at-risk youth from promoting marriage as a way to avoid poverty, claimed that "a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion," and said, "Any child born prematurely, according to the president, in his own words, can be killed." 

    All false, according to PolitiFact.

    PolitiFact scorecard for Santorum.

    For Ron Paul:
    Representative Paul, you've said that the United States "is bankrupt." The country isn't unable to pay its debts, nor is it impoverished. The credit rating of the United States is AA+ at Standard & Poor's (one step below the top of a 20-step scale), and AAA at the other rating agencies.

    Similarly, you claimed that only a few sentences in your racist and conspiratorial newsletters were inflammatory, that the majority of the American people believe we should go back on the gold standard and that you never vote for legislation unless it's specifically authorized in the Constitution.

    All false, according to PolitiFact.

    PolitiFact scorecard for Paul.

    And in the general election, maybe the first question to the incumbent could start something like this:

    For Barack Obama:
    President Obama, you've said that most of the money for your campaign came from small donors, that you've excluded lobbyists from policy-making jobs, that you haven't raised taxes once.

    All false, according to PolitiFact.

    You've claimed that your opponents plan to cut funding for Israel to zero. PolitiFact rated that claim "Pants on Fire," its lowest rating.

    "One theme we've seen in Obama's statements," says PolitiFact's Bill Adair, "is that he is exaggerating how he has fulfilled promises. We know this, of course, because we keep track of all 500+ promises on our Obameter."

    PolitiFact scorecard for Obama and Obameter keeping track of his campaign policies

    Should the candidates be asked: As you prepare for a debate, is part of your preparation to remind yourself, whatever I say, I should play it straight with the American people? Aren't you embarrassed to repeat statements that any 8th-grader could look up in 20 seconds and discover have been proven untrue? Or do you calculate that it's acceptable to twist the facts to win an election?

    Readers, what do you think? What would make the candidates stick to the facts? Add your comments below. 

  • Native Americans, given less time to vote for president, sue S.D.

    Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, a heavily Democratic group, are getting only six days for early voting in the presidential primary election, while the rest of the state gets 46. Their lawsuit is described in a story published Monday by 100Reporters, a new investigative reporting group.

    The man they are suing is Jason Gant, who is not only the secretary of state, which means he oversees elections in South Dakota, but also the treasurer of a Republican Party political action committee.

    Stephanie Woodard has the story at 100r.org.

  • Occupy Oakland: 400 arrested after violent protest

    A violent Occupy Oakland protest over the weekend resulted in damage to Oakland's historic City Hall and YMCA and about 400 arrests. KNTV reports.

    By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

    Crews cleaned up Oakland's historic City Hall on Sunday from damage inflicted overnight during violent anti-Wall Street protests that resulted in about 400 arrests, marking one of the largest mass arrests since nationwide protests began last year.

    At a press conference on Sunday, Oakland police and city officials said they did not have a final tally of arrests. Earlier in the day, the city's emergency operations office put the figure at around 400. The skirmishes injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.

    Police said a group of protesters burned an American flag in front of City Hall, then entered the building and destroyed a vending machine, light fixtures and a historic scale model of the edifice. The city's 911 emergency system was overwhelmed during the disturbances.

     

    "While City Hall sustained damage, we anticipate that all city offices will be open for regular business tomorrow," said Deanna Santana, Oakland city administrator.

    Beck Diefenbach / AP

    Occupy Oakland protesters burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall on Saturday.

    Oakland has become an unlikely flashpoint for the national "Occupy" protests against economic inequality that began last year in New York's financial district and spread to dozens of cities.

    The protests in most cities have been peaceful and sparked a national debate over how much of the country's wealth is held by the richest 1 percent of the population. President Barack Obama has sought to capitalize on the attention by calling for higher taxes on the richest Americans.

    Related stories:

    Occupy protests focused on Oakland after a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, Scott Olsen, was critically injured during a demonstration in October. Protesters said he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister but authorities have never said exactly how he was hurt.

    The Occupy movement appeared to lose momentum late last year as police cleared protest camps in several cities.

    Violence erupted again in Oakland on Saturday afternoon when protesters attempted to take over the apparently empty downtown convention center to establish a new headquarters and draw attention to the problem of homelessness.

    'Violent splinter group'
    Police in riot gear moved in to drive back the crowd, which they estimated at about 500 protesters.

    "Officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares," the Oakland Police Department said in a statement. "The Oakland Police Department deployed smoke, tear gas and beanbag projectiles in response to this activity."

    Oakland Mayor Jean Quan accused a "violent splinter group" of the Occupy movement of fomenting the Saturday protests and using the city as its playground. Protesters have accused the city of overreacting and using heavy-handed tactics.

    Police move in on Occupy Oakland protesters on Oak Street and 12th as tear gas gets blown back on them in Oakland.

    Oakland officials on Sunday were inspecting damage inside City Hall that was caused by about 50 Occupy protesters who broke in and smashed glass display cases, spray-painted graffiti, and burned the U.S. and California flags.

    The break-in on Saturday was the culmination of a day of clashes between protesters and police. At least 300 people were arrested on charges ranging from vandalism and failure to disperse.

    At least three officers and one protester were injured.

    Quan said Occupy protesters have caused an estimated $2 million in damages from vandalism since October. She said the cost to the city related to the Occupy Oakland protests is pegged at about $5 million.

     

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

    This article includes reporting from NBCBayArea.com, The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Miranda Leitsinger.

       

     

       

  • Missing toddler Ayla Reynolds' blood found at dad's home in Waterville, Maine

    Police have told Trista Reynolds the 'significant amount' of blood found in the home where her missing daughter Ayla was last seen is indeed Ayla's.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    WATERVILLE, Maine -- Some of the blood found in a Maine home where a missing toddler was last seen six weeks ago belonged to the little girl, an official said Sunday.

    State Police spokesman Steve McCausland would not say how much of Ayla Reynolds' blood was found in her father's home in Waterville, where exactly it was found or how long it might have been there.

    "Our first priority is finding Ayla,” McCausland told the Bangor Daily News.

    But investigators told Ayla's mother's family that the amount of blood was "more blood than a small cut would produce," according to a family-run website.

    "Even in light of this evidence we are more determined than ever to find out what has happened to Ayla and we still cling to the hope that she is alive and will be returned to us," the website said. "We urge anyone that has information about Ayla to come forward now and unburden yourself of the truth."

    According to Alya Reynolds' father, she was wearing green pajamas with polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" on them when she was last seen on Dec. 16.

    Broken arm
    Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, reported her missing Dec. 17. He had put her to bed the night before and said she wasn't there the next morning. DiPietro told police she was wearing green pajamas with polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" on them and had a soft cast on her broken left arm.

    DiPietro could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday; his cellphone voicemail was full and unable to accept messages.

    After hours of intense questioning, the mother of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds says she had to stop participating in a lie-detector test due to a medical condition. NBC's Aditi Roy reports.

    Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared. She had been staying with her father at the time in the house where DiPietro lives with his mother. Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.

    The blood was among hundreds of pieces of potential evidence that were removed from the Waterville home as part of a criminal investigation into the girl's disappearance.

    Trista Reynolds and DiPietro were photographed together at a vigil for Ayla on Saturday.

    WCVB quoted Trista Reynolds as saying she was "ready to go knocking at people's doors myself because I want to know what happened to my daughter. "

    'It was a surprise'
    Trista Reynolds' father said the family was told late Saturday by McCausland that blood found in the home was determined to be Ayla's.

    "It was a surprise," Ronald Reynolds said.

    He said police did not give any indication what the discovery means.

    Ronald Reynolds said he is convinced the family in DiPietro's house has more information than they have shared.

    Trista Reynolds, the mom of missing Maine toddler Ayla, tells TODAY's Matt Lauer she's still suspicious of the baby's father for his sudden interest in the case.

    "Every day, it gets hotter and hotter," he said. "I hope they pull them back in, set them down and give them the opportunity to say something."

    DiPietro, his mother and a third adult were home the night of Dec. 16, and police have questioned all three, McCausland said Saturday.

    "We believe they have not given us the full story," he said.

    DiPietro has said he took a polygraph test, but has declined to say what the results were.

    The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

  • Avalanche kills snowboarder in half-mile slide

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    A 24-year-old snowboarder has died after becoming trapped in an avalanche in a steep Utah backcountry area that the public was warned to avoid after potent snowstorms.

    The death marks the ninth avalanche fatality in the West this season, and experts say the risk of additional slides could remain high all winter.

    NBC affiliate KSL TV reported that Alecsander Barton was with two other men when the avalanche occurred Saturday morning in the Wasatch Range's Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City. 

    Heading back from Stewart, British Colombia, Aaron Garner captures a controlled avalanche technicians set off to clear a highway pass. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.

    The other two — a snowboarder and skier — watched as Barton descended Kessler Peak and triggered an avalanche that carried him an estimated 2,400 feet, or half a mile, down the mountain. They found his body under three feet of snow about an hour later using avalanche beacons. 

    STORY: Avalanche danger across West is high

    Experts say a weak base layer of snow, packed with large grains of ice, is plaguing parts of Utah, Colorado, Montana and California. They say these conditions could keep avalanche risks high for the rest of the season.

    Helmet-cam video shows a snowmobiler caught in an avalanche in Washington State and his friends quickly rushing to his rescue. KING-TV's Jim Forman reports.

    So far, four people have died in avalanches in Colorado, three on the Wyoming-Montana border and two in Utah.

    Last season saw 25 avalanche deaths, and the one before saw 36.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • Body of girl, 6, who fell into Ore. river is recovered

    By KGW.com

    ESTACADA, Ore. -- The body of a 6-year-old girl swept into the Clackamas River last week was recovered Saturday, deputies said.

    Vinesa Snegur, of Portland, fell into the river about 30 miles east of Estacada on Sunday, Jan. 22. A volunteer located her body Saturday afternoon about four miles downstream, on the rocks of a shallow island.

    The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and recovered her remains soon afterward.

    "It is believed Vinesa’s body had been previously trapped underwater, further upstream, and was recently dislodged by the high water levels," said Sgt. James Rhodes of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

    See video, read the original story at KGW.com

    "She had been playing in the snow with her family when she fell into the frigid water and was swept downstream," Rhodes said last Sunday.

    Crews searched for her from that night until the effort was suspended Tuesday. Water conditions had become too dangerous to send searchers into the river, Rhodes said.

    Clackamas County Search and Rescue teams had planned to resume the search Sunday morning.

    More: Father of girl who fell in river asks for prayers Reporter Katherine Cook of NBC station KGW contributed to this report.

     

  • Oakland assesses City Hall damage after Occupy break-in

    Beck Diefenbach / AP

    Occupy Oakland protestors burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall on Saturday.

    By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

    Story updated 12:30 p.m. ET:

    Oakland officials on Sunday were inspecting damage inside City Hall that was caused by about 50 Occupy protesters who broke in and smashed glass display cases, spray-painted graffiti, and burned the U.S. and California flags.

    The break-in on Saturday was the culmination of a day of clashes between protesters and police. At least 300 people were arrested on charges ranging from vandalism and failure to disperse.

    At least three officers and one protester were injured.

    Mayor Jean Quan said Occupy protesters have caused an estimated $2 million in damages from vandalism since October. She said the cost to the city related to the Occupy Oakland protests is pegged at about $5 million.

    Riot police fought running skirmishes with anti-Wall street protesters in Oakland. TODAY's Thomas Roberts reports.

    The scene around City Hall was mostly quiet Sunday morning. It was unclear whether protesters would mount another large-scale demonstration later in the day.

    Story updated 6:00 a.m. ET:

    A U.S. flag was burned by a group of protestors inside City Hall, according to City Council President Larry Reid. City officials also said three police officers and one protester were injured during Saturday's events.

    Story updated 3:15 a.m. ET:

    Sgt. Christopher Bolton of the Oakland Police Department told msnbc.com that the number arrested was likely between 200 and 300. "We are still processing the arrests," he said. He was speaking after the release of a statement on the Oakland City website that put the number of arrests at 200. "That figure is probably on the low side and we don't have a confirmed total yet," said. Sgt Bolton. In the statement, released in a PDF file format, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said: "Once again, a violent splinter group of the Occupy Movement is engaging in violent actions against Oakland. The Bay Area Occupy Movement has got to stop using Oakland as their playground." The statement also said there were reports of damage to exhibits inside City Hall during the protest.

    Story published 1:30 a.m.:

    Police arrested about 300 people Saturday as Occupy Oakland protesters were thwarted trying to take over a vacant convention center and enter a YMCA. Protesters later broke into City Hall, where they burned a flag taken from inside.

    Police used tear gas and "flash" grenades in the afternoon against 2,000 protesters who tried to tear down fences around the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center, where they hoped to establish a new camp. Police said some demonstrators started throwing objects at officers. There were at least 19 arrests in the afternoon.

    After 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), police in riot gear declared a group of protesters gathered near the YMCA under mass arrest for failing to disperse, according to local media reports and livestreams. Police said about 100 demonstrators were arrested at the YMCA.

    Several protesters at  the YMCA appeared to be put hard to the ground as police moved in and at least one protester had blood on his face.

    Protesters chanted, "Let us disperse," but instead were taken one by one for police processing.

    Some protesters claimed they were trying to flee police by running through the YMCA rather than take over the building.

    Later in the evening, about 100 police officers surrounded City Hall while others swept the inside of the building.

    Police arrived after protesters had broken into City Hall, stole an American flag from the council chamber and set it ablaze, the Oakland Tribune reported. Officers stomped out the fire.

    Earlier, protesters met at Frank Ogawa Plaza around noon and marched toward the convention center in hopes of making it their new meeting place and social center, NBCBayArea.com reported.

    Read NBCBayArea.com coverage of the protest

    Oakland officials said about 250 people were in the group when the protest started but the crowd grew to about 2,000.

    Earlier during the rally one of the organizers, Shake Anderson, said, "We are here to protect each other and to be civil disobedient. ... We're doing it to change the world, not just today but every day."

    Stephen Lam / Reuters

    Police officers arrest an Occupy Oakland demonstrator during a clash Saturday in Oakland, Calif., where officers fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters who tried to take over a shuttered convention center.

    The protesters were walking through Laney College around 2:30 p.m. Some people were wearing bandanas over their mouths and others were holding signs saying, "We are the 99%." A marching band dressed in pink and black tutus and neon pick tights also was in the crowd.

    Officer Jeff Thomason said police started making arrests when some in the crowd started throwing objects at them during the afternoon rally. Three officers were injured, police said, but did not elaborate.

    @OaklandPoliceCA tweeted around 3 p.m., "Area of Oakland Museum and Kaiser Center severely impacted. Persons cutting and tearing fences for entry. Bottles and objects thrown at OPD."

    Once they reached the center, organizers planned to kick off a two-day "Oakland Rise-up Festival" to celebrate the establishment of the movement's new space.

    Occupy Oakland spokesman Leo Ritz-Bar said the action would signal "a new direction for the Occupy movement: putting vacant buildings at the service of the community."

    Stephen Lam / Reuters

    Occupy Oakland demonstrators shield themselves from an explosion Saturday during a confrontation with the police near the Oakland Museum of California in Oakland, Calif.

    He also warned that protesters could retaliate against any repressive police action by blocking the Oakland International Airport, occupying City Hall or shutting down the Port of Oakland.

    City officials said that while they are "committed to facilitating peaceful forms of expression and free speech, police would be prepared to arrest those who break the law.

    "The city of Oakland will not be bullied by threats of violence or illegal activity," city administrator Deanna Santana said in a statement issued Friday.

    This article includes reporting from NBCBayArea.com, The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Miranda Leitsinger and Alastair Jamieson.

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    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • 74 cats in a camper: Owner may face charges

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    AUBURN, Wash. -- A man who had 74 cats and one dog crammed in his camper may faces charges of second-degree animal cruelty, authorities say.

    Jerry Reynolds, who is originally from Oregon, has been living in his truck for the last five weeks while he visits his girlfriend at Auburn Regional Medical Center, NBC station KING 5 of Seattle reported.

    See photos, read the story on KING 5

    Thursday evening, someone reported seeing multiple cats in the windows of the camper outside the medical center.

    King County Animal Control responded and found the camper to be unsafe for the animals.

    KING 5 News was there as the cats were counted and examined by veterinarians at a makeshift clinic. The conditions inside the camper were cramped and unsanitary, with feces on the floor.

    Reynolds helped animal control officers remove the cats from the camper as veterinarians examined them. He said the name of almost every cat as he handed them to authorities.

    Reynolds said he had no other choice but to take the cats with him in the camper, instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.

    "It was better than letting them go," he said. 

    Officials said the animals were not available for adoption yet, but that more information would be available on the King County animal services Facebook page and the agency's website.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

     

  • St. Louis hosts first big parade to welcome Iraq War veterans

    Jeff Roberson / AP

    Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, in St. Louis, Mo. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the United States since the last troops left Iraq in December.

    AP reports:

    People in the crowd waved American flags and held signs reading, "Welcome Home" and "God Bless Our Troops." Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted three huge American flags along the route.

    Two St. Louis men launched a grass-roots effort to hold the parade after noticing there'd been no large public celebrations to welcome troops home.

    Full story: St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end

    Sarah Conard / Reuters

    Larry Connor, center, Vietnam veteran, salutes his fellow servicemen during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade in downtown St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 28.

    Jeff Roberson / AP

    Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott, who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans, Jan. 28, in St. Louis, Mo.

     

  • Police officer shot, killed by fellow officer trying to arrest him

    SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A Santa Maria police officer was shot and killed Saturday by a fellow officer who was trying to arrest him for suspected sexual misconduct with a minor, the Santa Maria Times reported.

    The slain officer was on duty when police tried to take him into custody early Saturday, the Santa Maria Police Department said in a press release.

    The suspect officer allegedly drew his weapon and fired. "In response, one officer on scene fired at the suspect officer hitting him once," officials said in a news release, according to the Times.

    The wounded officer was taken to a hospital, where he died.

    The name of the slain officer was not released. Authorities said he was being investigated on an allegation of sexual misconduct against a minor.

  • Blood found in home where toddler disappeared

    AP file

    Police in Maine are appealing to the public for help in locating Ayla Reynolds.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    WATERVILLE, Maine -- Investigators say they've found blood inside the Maine home where a toddler was reported missing six  weeks ago.

    State police spokesman Steve McCausland confirmed Saturday that blood was found in the basement early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville.

    Her father, Justin DiPietro, says Ayla was not in her bed when he checked on her the morning of Dec. 17.

    McCausland called the discovery of the blood "troubling."

    "We have questioned the three adults that were there in the home that night," McCausland told The Associated Press. "We believe they have not given us the full story."

    The blood is being analyzed to determine whose it is. McCausland said he didn't know when the results would be available.

    Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared. A vigil for her was being held Saturday in downtown Waterville.

    WCVB-TV in Boston first reported the discovery of the blood.

    Ayla was staying with her father at the time she was reported missing. Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.

    McCausland declined to discuss how much blood was found in the basement or how old it might have been.

    WCVB said DiPietro did not return several phone calls for comment.

    DePietro has previously said publicly that he would never do anything to hurt his child. He has also said he took and passed a lie detector test -- an assertion Maine State Police would not confirm nor deny.

    When asked Saturday if the family members were suspects in Ayla's disappearance, McCausland said, "No one has been ruled in, and no one has been ruled out," according to WCSH-TV.

    The Associated Press contributed to this story.

  • Man falls to death aboard cruise ship in Bahamas

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    Authorities are investigating the death of a passenger aboard the Carnival Fantasy who fell from an upper deck to a lower deck while the cruise ship was docked in the Bahamas.

    The 26-year-old victim, whose identity was not released, fell from one of the upper levels of the ship's atrium to the lobby level late Friday night,  Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement Saturday. The ship was docked in Nassau at the time.

    Bahamas police said the man was from South Carolina and that initial reports indicate he may have jumped. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The ship was cleared by authorities to sail Saturday morning, but because of the delay due to the investigation a scheduled visit to Freeport was canceled.      

    Carnival Fantasy was sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise that departed Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday and is scheduled to return to Charleston on Monday.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • Bodies pile up at Cook County morgue; activists outraged

    Cook County officials say they are being forced to change morgue procedures due to an overflow of unclaimed bodies. Charlie Wojciechowski reports.

    By Dick Johnson and Michelle Relerford, NBCChicago.com

    CHICAGO – Outraged pastors and community activists on Friday descended upon the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office and called for an independent investigation after reports that bodies have been piling up for weeks.

    At least one activist openly called for the facility's director, Dr. Nancy L. Jones to step down.

    "Somebody needs to be held accountable for what happened," said Dawn Valenti, who works to help families find missing loved ones.

    Read original story at NBCChicago.com

    Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle a day earlier said Jones will remain -- for now -- but called for a top-to-bottom review of the facility.

    "This is a reminder of how my ancestors -- how the remains of our ancestors were treated like garbage," Peggy Hudgens said through tears at the building at 2121 W. Harrison St.

    Hudgens claimed to have been trying to resolve her brother's death and burial since October.

    The issue has been simmering for months, if not years. As many as 363 bodies were reportedly once collected in a cooler designed to hold just 300. Ministers gathered Friday to pray for the deceased and to call for justice.

    Anti-violence community activist Andrew Holmes was among the protesters and wondered aloud about the accountability of missing persons at the morgue.

    "We want those deceased finger-printed and identified. We still have a lot of missing, unclaimed and missing people that have not been found," he said.

    Holmes focused specifically on Carmelita Johnson, a woman who'd gone missing and was ultimately found in the facility. Her family said they tried to find her for more than a year. Johnson has since been buried.

    The Illinois Department of Labor said it's also opened an investigation into "worker safety issues."

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • 8 sea lions found shot to death near Seattle

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    SEATTLE -- At least eight sea lions have been found shot to death in the Puget Sound region in recent weeks, wildlife officials say.

    The bodies of seven sea lions were recently found on the Nisqually River, south of Tacoma, all apparently shot, NBC station KING 5 of Seattle reported. On Monday, a mature male California sea lion was found dead on West Seattle's Lincoln Park beach.

    During a necropsy, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife removed a bullet from the left lung of that sea lion, according to the animal protection group Seal Sitters, which keeps watch over baby seals left on the beach while their mothers are foraging.

    State and federal authorities are investigating, but they said they don't know who killed the sea lions. The penalty could range from fees to possible jail time.

    California sea lions are a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Stellar sea lions are a federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

    Almost two years ago, five sea lions were found shot to death on West Seattle beaches. In that instance, the Humane Society offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest.

    Sea lions have proved to be pests in some parts of the Puget Sound. Extensive efforts have been used to prevent them from devouring salmon schooled at the ship locks that lead from Puget Sound into Seattle's Lake Union. Authorities have tried to scare those away with firecrackers, fired rubber bullets and bean bags at them, even captured and trucked them all the way to California. Sea lions that refused to take the hint have been killed by authorities.

    A photograph taken recently and published in the Seattle Times showed dozens of sea lions on an old barge near the north end of the Nisqually Delta, where the seven sea lions were found shot. 

    "This is the most sea lions I have ever seen at once in south sound," Pete Topping, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist, told the Times.

    Msnbc.com's Gil Aegerter contributed to this report from NBC station KING 5 of Seattle.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

     

  • Cops: 4-year-old brings nine bags of pot to school

    By msnbc.com staff

    A 4-year-old boy brought nine bags of pot to his elementary school and pulled them out during snack time, police said.

    A teacher at Hanover Elementary School in Meriden, Conn., alerted officials to the drug early Tuesday afternoon, according to a report in the Record-Journal.  Detective Lt. Mark Walerysiak, a police spokesman, told the newspaper that the child turned over the bags to his teacher.

    Walerysiak could not be reached for comment by msnbc.com on Friday.

    "The case remains under investigation," Walerysiak told the Record-Journal. The Department of Children and Families "was called in to also conduct an investigation."

    School Superintendent Mark D. Benigni called the event “isolated incident,” the newspaper said.

    “Our concern is for the 4-year-old student who had no knowledge of what he was bringing to school," Benigni said. "The student is safe and we will continue to ensure a safe learning environment to all of our students."

    He said the teacher was close to the child when he pulled the bags out of his coat pocket. No other student was involved, the Record-Journal reported.

    Benigni told the newspaper that the child was not at fault. "This is clearly an adult issue," he said.

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  • Feds: 'Mob Wives' dad charged in NYC racketeering case

    NBC New York

    DEA and FBI agents arrested four members of the Bonanno organized crime family early Friday for alleged crimes that include racketeering, gambling and drug sales, NBC New York has learned.

    By Joe Valiquette, NBCNewYork.com

    NEW YORK CITY -- DEA and FBI agents arrested four alleged members of the Bonanno organized crime family early Friday on charges that include racketeering, gambling and drug sales, NBC New York has learned.  The father of a "Mob Wives" reality show star was also charged in the federal case.

    Vincent Badalamenti, identified as a member of the Bonanno crime family administration, Nicholas Santora, a Bonanno family capo, Vito Balsamo, an acting captain, and Anthony Calabrese, a soldier, were arrested Friday and are are charged with racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, and conspiracy to distribute marijuana, a law enforcement official said.

    Anthony Graziano -- a Bonanno family captain whose daughter Renee Graziano stars on the reality show  "Mob Wives" -- was also charged.  Graziano was already in custody on a prior conviction.

    Read original story on NBCNewYork.com

    Also arrested was James Laforte, an associate of the Gambino crime family, the official said.

    All five men entered pleas of not guilty in federal court.  Calabrese and Balsamo were released on $1.5 million bail, which includes home confinement and electronic monitoring. 

    Investigators used electronic and physical surveillance and cooperating witnesses in the investigation.

    If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

    The arrests are the latest in the federal government's investigation of the Bonanno crime family which has resulted in the prosecution of more than 175 members and associates of the family, officials said.

    So far, more than 10 Bonanno family bosses, acting bosses and administration members have been convicted.

    The suspects are due back in court on Feb. 7.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • Authorities to end camping at Occupy DC sites; not 'eviction' but 'slow creep,' activist says

    Karen Bleier / AFP - Getty Images file

    A view showing the Occupy DC encampment in McPherson Square in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2012.

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Federal park authorities in the nation's capital told Occupy protesters at two sites on Friday that they will begin enforcing park rules that prohibit camping -- a move seen by the activists as a "slow creep" aimed at whittling down their demonstration in Washington, DC.

    The National Park Service said in a flier that starting Monday at noon it will begin to enforce regulations prohibiting camping and the use of temporary structures for camping. Individual violators may be subject to arrest and their property subject to seizure as evidence, the flier said.

    Three officers will be on hand to monitor the situation, try to get protesters to comply and make arrests or seizures as needed, Carol Johnson, a NPS spokeswoman, told msnbc.com. Compliance entails removing all camping materials and leaving one side of all temporary structures open.

    “People can be there 24 hours a day, but they can’t live there, they can’t sleep there,” Johnson said. “This has been something in the works for some time. I mean what we’ve been trying to do is use measured and progressive means to get people into compliance.”

    “We still do back the First Amendment, and it is their right. It is not their right to camp. And ... we would, you know, support them if they came into compliance and they had a vigil and they had tents that were there for logistical or symbolic purposes,” she added. "They can occupy as a vigil but not camping."

    More than 80 arrests have occurred at the two sites, including for public urination, drunkenness, assault and drug use, she noted.

    Many of the Occupy camps were closed across the country last fall and early winter, and the sites in the nation's capital were two of the bigger outfits remaining. Occupy Wall Street, which was evicted in mid-November, holds its general assemblies in their former camp site, while other group meetings are held elsewhere.

    Justin Jacoby Smith, a 25-year-old activist with OccupyKSt, said that the protesters were conducting a 24-hour vigil in line with the NPS use guidelines for the site and that he thought people were "incorrectly" reading the NPS moves as an eviction notice.

    "I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with here. I think what we’re seeing from the park police is a sort of very slow creep of their enforcement of this so-called no-camping rule," he said, adding that he thought the enforcement was also “just another part of that broader strategy of trying to whittle down the (protester) numbers slowly.”

    The Park Service noted that two "compliant" 24-hour First Amendment vigils have been running in Lafayette Park and near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial since the early 1980s. Johnson said they were "very small" vigils.

    The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday about the McPherson Square encampment.

    "Late is better than never," Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the subcommittee on the District of Columbia, said in a statement after learning of the park service notice. "Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason: so as not to see who is in front of her. I continue to wonder whether others who are 'camping' in national parks would have been afforded a 100-day grace period before the law was enforced."

     

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • 'Barefoot Bandit' gets federal sentence to match state term

    The surfacing of emails in which the "Barefoot Bandit" bragged of his feats in stealing and flying airplanes and made fun of law enforcement authorities doesn't seem to have hurt his sentencing in federal court on Friday:

    The federal judge gave him 6 1/2 years in prison for his two-year international crime spree, a sentence that will run concurrently with a seven-year term he received last month in state court.

    Colton Harris-Moore pleaded guilty to numerous state and federal charges involving a string of break-ins and boat and plane thefts that began in Washington state and ended in the Bahamas in 2010.

    Before Friday's sentencing, defense attorneys said federal prosecutors released cherry-picked excerpts from emails in an effort to make Harris-Moore appear callous and self-aggrandizing.

    He called the Island County sheriff "king swine," called prosecutors "fools," and referred to reporters as "vermin." He also described his feats — stealing and flying planes with no formal training — "amazing" and said they were unmatched by anyone except the Wright brothers.

    Read more from The Associated Press here.

     

  • Doubts cast over Yale QB's Rhodes honor

    The New York Times' Richard Perez-Pena shares details from a report about the quiet collapse of Patrick Witt's Rhodes Scholar candidacy amidst claims of sexual assault.

    By Becky Bratu, msnbc.com

    Patrick Witt, the 22-year-old Yale quarterback who made headlines in November when he chose to lead Yale against arch rival Harvard University over an interview for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship may not have been faced with that tough choice after all.

    According to a New York Times article, the Rhodes Trust suspended Witt's candidacy several days before he announced he had removed himself from consideration on Nov. 13, 2011.

    According to the article, the Rhodes Trust had learned several days earlier "through unofficial channels" that a Yale student had accused Witt of sexual assault.

    In a statement released Friday, Mark Magazu, Witt's agent, said,"The New York Times story incorrectly connects Patrick's decision to forego the Rhodes Scholarship with an informal complaint process that had concluded on campus weeks prior to his withdrawal – a process that yielded no disciplinary measures, formal reports, or referrals to higher authorities."

    Citing interviews with several unnamed sources “with knowledge of all or part of the story,” the Times reported a female Yale student approached the school’s assault response center in September alleging that Witt had sexually assaulted her in her dorm room. She later also made a complaint to the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct, according to the article.

    Students at Yale can file formal or informal complaints with this committee, and the university maintains confidentiality in both cases. Yale College Dean Mary Miller told the Yale Daily News that she is only notified of formal complaints.

    An informal complaint, which the Times reported was filed against Witt, leads to either brief or no investigation and can be resolved within a few days. Magazu's statement claims Witt's request to the sexual misconduct committee for a formal inquiry was denied because "there was nothing to defend against since no formal complaint was ever filed." Witt considered the matter closed.

    The statement claims Witt was aware an anonymous source had contacted the Rhodes Trust about the informal complaint. It goes on to say that Witt and the woman who filed the informal complaint had had an on-again, off-again relationship that began in the spring of 2011 and ended two months before the complaint was filed.

    Magazu's statement on behalf of Witt went on to say, "To be clear, Patrick's Rhodes candidacy was never "suspended", as the article suggests, and his official record at Yale contains no disciplinary issues."

    Elliot Gerson, the American secretary for the Rhodes Trust, declined to comment on whether Witt's candidacy was indeed suspended.

    Witt attended Commencement in May, 2011 and returned to Yale in the fall to complete his studies as a second-semester senior. He told the Yale Daily News on Jan. 8 that he had “already graduated,” but, according to the college paper, University spokesman Tom Conroy said Thursday night that Witt has not graduated. Conroy told NBC News that was not uncommon.

    According to the statement, Witt completed all necessary coursework and will graduate upon completing his senior essay this spring.

    Witt has been training in California in preparation for the Feb. 22-28 NFL Combine at Indianapolis, according to the Yale athletics website.

    Witt found out on Oct. 31, 2011 that he was one of the 212 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, which provides full financial support for scholars to pursue a degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. But the date of the mandatory interview in Atlanta coincided with "The Game," a longstanding football rivalry between Harvard and Yale taking place in New Haven, Conn.

    Witt, the most accurate passer in Yale University history, spoke with NBC Nightly News in early November about the tough decision he was facing.

    "It's thrilling," Witt said at the time, "but, again, it's a big dilemma."

    On the one hand, the opportunity to be a Rhodes Scholar, Witt said, is tremendous. “And it is a difficult process. There are plenty of excellent candidates every year that aren’t selected, so that’s one part of it,” he said.

    On the other, the game against Harvard would be Witt’s last college game. “And I’ve invested a lot of time. This is a sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”

    Witt, a history major with a 3.91 grade point average, told Nightly News he wanted to study international relations at Oxford in preparation for a career in politics. "At the end of the day, the best advice I've been given is ‘this is your decision and you have to do what's right for you,’” he said at the time.

    Witt transferred to Yale in 2009 from the University of Nebraska, where he had a four-year athletic scholarship as a quarterback for the Cornhuskers. While the football was challenging, Witt told Nightly News he felt frustrated in the classroom.

    The Texas native graduated from high school early and enrolled at Nebraska in January 2007, where he participated in spring drills. He prepared as Nebraska’s No. 3 quarterback throughout the year, but redshirted. Off the field, Witt posted a 4.0 grade-point average.

    In December 2007, Witt was arrested on suspicion of trespassing in a student dorm, third-degree assault by menacing threats, and possession of a false ID, according to an article published in the Lincoln Journal Star. The paper reported Witt signed in with a different name and went up to a floor without waiting to be escorted.

    Police told the paper Witt pushed a dorm resident assistant several times, making threatening remarks. Police told the paper Witt also showed signs of alcohol intoxication and his blood alcohol content was 0.115.

    The Times reported a second arrest came in New Haven in 2010 for third-degree criminal trespass and was sparked by a disagreement when Witt was denied entry into Toad's Place, a club near the Yale campus.

    In the statement released on his behalf, Witt's agent wrote that "Patrick respects the academic traditions of both Yale and the Rhodes Trust, and he remains grateful for the opportunities each has afforded him." 

    In an appearance Friday on MSNBC’s NewsNation, Times education reporter Richard Perez-Pena, who wrote the article, defended the reporting. While anonymous, the sources are “unimpeachable,” he said.

    Several comments on the Times website had criticized the story as “lazy reporting” and “sensationalism.” The story “was filled with innuendo and numerous anonymous sources,” a commenter called Lillian wrote.

    “Had [Witt] not been a Rhodes candidate, this isn’t something that we would have reported on,” Perez-Pena said. 

     

  • New sheriff mired in domestic abuse drama

    Jeff Chiu / AP

    San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi and his wife Eliana Lopez leave City Hall in San Francisco on Jan. 13. A prosecutor has charged the newly sworn-in sheriff with misdemeanors, including domestic violence, related to a New Year's Eve incident with his wife.

    By Kari Huus, NBC News

    In another blow to San Francisco’s newly elected sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, a judge has refused to lift an order that prevents him from contact with his wife and 2-year-old son.

    Mirkarimi -- inaugurated less than three weeks ago with wife and son at his side, and now embroiled in a domestic abuse case -- called the decision on Thursday "enormously crushing" and "disproportionately cruel," according to a report in The Bay Citizen, a nonprofit news site.

    The legal case promises personal and political drama fit for afternoon soaps, starting with Mirkarimi's reputation as fiercely liberal --even in the context of progressive San Francisco -- and prone to hotheaded tirades against his staff. Witnesses will include an ex-girlfriend whom the politician dropped in favor of a Venezuelan actress who is now his wife and the alleged victim of abuse. The prosecutor in the case is well known as Mirkarimi’s political adversary.

    The abuse allegations go back to a New Year’s Eve fight between Mirkarimi, 50, and his wife, Eliana Lopez, 36. According to court documents, Lopez went to a neighbor the next day and tearfully confided the story about a heated argument in which an enraged Mirkarimi grabbed her with such force it left a large bruise on her arm.

    Lopez didn’t report the incident to the police, but neighbor Ivory Madison did. According to court documents, Madison (identified as "the reporter") said she helped make a videotape of the story and Lopez’s bruised arm in case Lopez needed ammunition in a custody battle over the couple's son, Theo.

    According to her, Lopez said: "I told Ross I want to work on the marriage, we need help, I been telling him we need help and I’m going to use this just in case he wants to take Theo away from me because he did said (sic) that he is very powerful and can do it."

    District Attorney George Gascon is pursuing the case. On Jan. 13 — just days after Mirkarimi, Lopez and Theo appeared together in a glittering inauguration event — Gascon issued a warrant for Mirkarimi’s arrest on three misdemeanor charges: domestic violence battery, child endangerment (because the child was present for the dispute) and dissuading a witness.

    In a statement, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee called the charges against Mirkarimi "extremely serious and troubling." The mayor questioned Mirkarimi's ability to keep the sheriff's department running while juggling the legal case, but did not move to suspend him — which would require a vote by the Board of Supervisors. "I must also ensure that we do not take steps that undermine the integrity of the criminal justice proceedings underway," the statement said.

    Paul H. Fitzgerald, president of the National Sheriff’s Association, spoke to msnbc.com about the case, emphasizing that Mirkarimi is innocent unless the court decides otherwise. In the meantime, he said, the case will make it tougher in all his dealings -- with subordinates, politicians and constituents.

    "There’s certainly a taint to it … especially for the chief law enforcement authority,” he said. “He going to have a challenge because as I understand it he is new to the office. He didn’t come up through the ranks."

    Mirkarimi’s was elected in November after serving seven years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the Haight-Ashbury and Western Addition areas of the city. The son of an Iranian immigrant father and a Jewish-Russian immigrant mother, the sheriff is known for advocating environmental causes, legalization of marijuana, gun control and minority rights. He co-founded the Green Party of California in 1990, and worked for Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign for president. He left the Green Party to become a Democrat in 2010.

    In the run for sheriff, Mirkarimi touted his background as a police academy graduate and work as an investigator for the district attorney before his tenure on the Board of Supervisors. He was well known to voters, but his election victory came without much support from cops. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Association overwhelmingly endorsed his opponent, Capt. Paul Miyamoto — one of their own.

    "If the rank-and-file didn’t want you there, you’re starting at a deficit before you get some domestic abuse charges," said Josh Richmond, politics reporter for the Bay Area News Group. "I can’t imagine how their staff meetings are going."

    Mirkarimi's wife not cooperating
    Mirkarimi — who was released on $35,000 bail -- has denied the abuse charges. He has rejected the idea of taking leave while charges are pending, but said he would forego salary during the days spent on trial. He has been forced to turn over his guns to authorities.

    Lopez -- the alleged victim in the case -- rejects the case against her husband, and says he is the victim of a politically motivated attack. She has publicly protested the restraining order prohibiting Mirkarimi from having contacting her and their son.

    Beck Diefenbach / Reuters

    Eliana Lopez, wife of San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, talks to the press following the arraignment of her husband's domestic violence case at the San Francisco County Court House on Jan. 19. Lopez is protesting domestic abuse charges against her husband that keep him from contacting her or their son Theo, 2.

    Lopez reportedly said that the domestic abuse charges are part of an effort by "the richest people in California" to ruin her husband.

    "Everybody believes that politics in the United States is very transparent … It’s very dirty, really, and there are many hidden interests at play," she told the Venezuelan news website Noticias 24 when the charges were filed. The comments were translated and reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

    But in California as in many states, the state can pursue domestic abuse charges even if the alleged victim does not or if the alleged victim files charges and then drops them — which is fairly common.

    Dueling politicians?
    Although Lopez provided no evidence of foul play, it’s hard to ignore the political dimensions of the case. The prosecutor, Gascon, who is a former police chief, and Mirkarimi, who is a former supervisor, have a history of public animosity — clashing over the handling of immigrants, profiling of Arab Americans, the use of foot patrols and other issues.

    "The clash between Gascon, 57, a conservative lawman, and Mirkarimi, 50, a lifelong progressive … has spawned a citywide game of speculation of whose political fortunes may benefit, or be ruined, by this showdown," The Bay Citizen reported. "It is almost impossible to separate the political aspects of the case from the legal issues."

    Adding to the intrigue, a former girlfriend of Mirkarimi’s came forward this week, offering to act as a witness in the abuse case. In a police report, the woman, who said she dated Mirkarimi in 2007 and 2008, said that he exhibited a “raging pit bull aggressiveness” toward her and that he had once grabbed her and pinned her against a wall, leaving her arm bruised.

    By her account, she and Mirkarimi parted ways in late 2008 after he admitted he had also been seeing a woman from Venezuela and that the woman was pregnant.

    In the police report, the ex-girlfriend's name is redacted, but she has been identified by news outlets as Christina Marie Flores, whose name also appears on the witness list for the abuse trial.

    A tyrant, but not an abuser?
    On Tuesday Mirkarimi’s attorney Robert Waggener, talking about the new allegations by Flores told a throng of reporters that his client was “a bit of a tyrant.”

    The comment was apparently intended to address Mirkarimi’s reputation for losing his temper with people — especially his staff. He told reporters that Mirkarimi has “a bombastic personality and occasionally he can be a bit of a tyrant, but he is no abuser.”

    On Wednesday, Mirkarimi retained Berkeley defense attorney Lidia Stiglich to replace Waggener for his defense, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

    On Thursday, the sheriff was scheduled to be in court seeking a modification of the judge's order to stay away from his wife and son. It was unclear whether his change of defense attorney’s would delay the effort.

    Mirkarimi’s abuse trial is scheduled for Feb. 24. If convicted he could face up to a year in jail.

    "He needs to have his day in court," said politics reporter Richmond, but he says the political prognosis is still iffy. "Some political consultants say he bungled it enough… by downplaying a serious accusation -- that even if he were to beat the charges… it’s cost him a lot of political capital."

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

    Click here to follow Kari Huus on Facebook

  • 50-year-old woman chases, corners, lectures robber

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    NBC Chicago

    Jenar Sanders, 18, was charged with theft early Friday, police said.

    Thou shall not steal. And one Chicago woman went to great lengths Friday to impart it.

    A 50-year-old woman gave a robber a religious lecture early Friday after chasing him for almost a mile and cornering him in an alley, according to the Chicago Tribune.

    Read the story by NBCChicago.com

    The woman was riding a Chicago Transit Authority bus in the Loop just after midnight when police said Jenar Sanders, 18, swiped her wallet from her purse, jumped off the bus at Huron and State streets and made a run for it.

    Trailing Sanders, the woman alerted others as she ran down the street, according to the Tribune. A hotel staff member at the Omni Hotel and the CTA bus driver notified police, officers said.

    The race came to a quick halt when police said Sanders ended up cornered in an alley off Superior Street between Wabash Avenue and Rush Street, surrounded by the victim and others who had joined the chase.

    “She kept telling him God didn’t want him to steal her wallet,” a police source told the Tribune.

    Sanders, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds, was arrested by two officers at 12:35 a.m.  The woman is 5-foot-8 and a little more than half his weight.

    “The woman’s lucky," a police officer told the Tribune. "She grabbed him. She was lucky this guy wasn’t a violent guy. They had him in an alley without an exit. He’s a fairly substantial man.” 

    Authorities say Sanders admitted to the crime and was charged with theft.

    NBCChicago.com's Shawna Hendrix and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report. 

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  • School suspends cancer-survivor boy for growing hair for Locks of Love

    Lathan Goumas / Flint Journal via AP

    J.T. Gaskins was suspended from school for violating the school's dress code policy because his hair is too long.

    By msnbc.com staff

    A few inches of hair stand between J.T. Gaskins and an education.

    The 17-year-old, who had been treated for cancer and said he now wants to grow his hair to give to Locks of Love -- a charity that provides wigs for kids who lose their hair due to chemotherapy and other treatments -- was recently suspended from Madison Academy, a  charter school in Burton, Mich., for refusing to trim his tresses.

    Gaskins told The Flint Journal that he was diagnosed with leukemia as an infant and has been cancer-free since age 7. “This is something I want to do, and I feel very strongly about it.”

    The school’s dress code policy, spelled out in the student-parent handbook, says hair must bair must  be kept “clean, neat, free of unnatural or distracting colors, off the collar, off the ears and out of the eyes” for boys.

    Gaskins’ hair, which resembles the windswept bangs of Justin Bieber, dangles at his eyes and covers his ears.

    His mother, Christa Plante, told the Journal she supports her son and remembers his cancer fight as a small child. “The fact that he’s ready to talk about everything he went through, his strength ... I can’t deny him that. He’s ready to speak out about what he’s been through,” Plante said, according to the newspaper.

    Plante started an online petition asking the school board to amend the hair policy for boys. As of Friday, more than 160 people had signed on.  

    "Female students can grow and donate their hair, yet boys cannot," the petition says. "... we are simply asking for compromise and to allow not only my son, but anyone wanting to donate to be allowed to do so, to allow the boys the same rights and freedoms as the girl students."

    Board meeting
    Superintendent Will Kneer says school officials have been trying to work out a solution. He says the five-member school board may soon take up a possible revision to the dress-code policy to take into account special situations like Locks of Love.

    “The board is charged with the responsibility of assembling a group of policies and procedures that most uphold the vision and mission of the school and serve the school best as a whole and the community as a whole,” Kneer told msnbc.com on Friday.

    Friday was the fourth straight day of classes Gaskins has missed. Kneer says school officials are trying to find ways to provide for his continuing education while he remains out of class.

    “My immediate concern is, what are we going to do for this kid to make sure he doesn’t lapse,” Kneer said.

    "Personally, my heartfelt desire at this moment is to have that child back in school."

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

  • Southwest Airlines employee killed following accident at Dulles airport

    By msnbc.com news services

    A Southwest Airlines employee at Washington Dulles International Airport died on Friday after being injured in a collision with a luggage cart and a vehicle used to transport passengers.

    The incident, according to airline spokesperson Brandy King, occurred on Thursday at approximately 7 a.m. ET.

    The employee, who has not been named, was rushed to an area hospital and received medical attention. The airline learned early Friday that the employee died.

    "We continue to work with the local authorities and the airport to investigate the accident," King said in a statement to msnbc.com. "The Southwest Airlines Family is greatly saddened by the passing of our Southwest Family Member, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies and support to his entire family at this time."

    The airline said it is not planning on releasing additional information at this time.

    More from Overhead Bin:

  • Second Conn. home invasion killer is sentenced to death

    By NBC News and news services

    AP file

    Joshua Komisarjevsky,

    NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A Connecticut man was sentenced Friday to die for killing a woman and her two daughters during a night of terror in their suburban home, a gruesome crime that unsettled the suburbs and halted momentum to abolish the death penalty in the state.

    Joshua Komisarjevsky will be joining Steven Hayes on death row for killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. He is scheduled to be executed in July.

    The girls were tied to their beds and doused in gasoline before the house was set ablaze; they died of smoke inhalation. Komisarjevsky was convicted of the killings and of sexually assaulting Michaela.

    The only survivor, Dr. William Petit, was beaten with a baseball bat and tied up but escaped.

    "I will never find peace within. My life will be a continuation of the hurt I caused," Komisarjevsky said in court. "The clock is now ticking and I owe a debt I cannot repay."

    Komisarjevsky said he walked out of court condemned to die by 12 members of the community. 

    "It's a surreal experience, being condemned to die," Komisarjevsky said.

    Forgiveness is not his to have, he said, and he needs to forgive his worst enemy -- himself.

    Read story at NBCConnecticut.com

    Before the sentencing, Judge Jon Blue said sentencing another human being to death is the most somber task a judge can have.

    The court then heard some emotional victim impact statements from the Hawke and Petit families.

    Petit read his statement as a slide show of his family played on the screen.

    Petit called the crime a "personal holocaust" as he testified during the sentencing hearing. He said his wife was his friend and confidante, and a wonderful mother. He also noted that Hayley would have been in medical school by now and that Michaela loved to cook and sing.

    "I lost my family and my home," he said. "They were three special people. Your children are your jewels."

    Michaela came into the world smiling, Petit said. He recently received a card from one of Michaela's friends. It said it was sad to know that she wouldn't be in 10th grade this year.

    "I miss her running to the door and yelling 'Dada's home,'” Petit said.

    'Was it worth the price?'
    The Rev. Richard Hawke spoke directly to the convicted killer and said he’s presided over many funerals, but never dreamed he would bury his daughter and grandchildren. It was the worst thing he’s had to go through.  

    "Was it worth the price?" he asked at one point.

    If Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela could endure the pain that Komisarjevsky put them through, their families can endure the pain of the trials, Hawke said.

    “You have not only destroyed your family, you have destroyed your own and destroyed a noble family name,” Hawke told the man who killed his family members.

    The statement from Jennifer’s mother, Marybelle Hawke, was also played in court and she said the love of family will carry them through.

    The Petit and Hawke families left court before the sentence was handed down.

    Lawyers fought for jurors to hear videotaped testimony from Komisarjevsky’s 9-year-old daughter, but the defendant made a plea against it. 

    Last month, a jury delivered the death verdict for Komisarjevsky after finding him guilty of the crimes. On Friday, the judge handed down that sentence.

    The Associated Press and NBCConnecticut.com contributed to this report.

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