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The day’s top national and international news
Millions of Americans Will Cross "Structurally Deficient" Bridges This Weekend
AP
The Washington state bridge that collapsed on Thursday underscores a growing crisis of aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance and design flaws in crossings in the United States, NBC News reported. With millions of people hitting the road over Memorial Day weekend and crossing some of the 66,000 bridges that the federal government has deemed "structurally deficient," Thursday night's incident could give travelers a pause and with good reason. Big potholes, weight restrictions and lane closings are some of the inconveniences bridge users face unless reconstruction and replacement is ramped up across the nation, said Dan Goldberg, communications director for Transportation for America. "We are going to see probably some more of this, but the more likely scenario is contending with the issues of decay that happen before the collapse," he said. The Interstate 5 bridge in Mount Vernon, Wash., which apparently crumpled after being hit by an oversized truck, was not on the Federal Highway Administration's structurally-deficient list. Click through to read about six crossings, used by more than 1 million vehicles each day, that don't make the grade.
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Oklahoma Teacher: After Tornado, the "Crying Stopped"
The principals and faculty members of Plaza Towers Elementary School describe the grisly aftermath of a deadly tornado that ripped through their city and turned the school into a debris field. The teachers recount the disaster that left seven students dead.
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15-Year-Old Arrested in Stabbing Deaths of Two Younger Brothers
AP
A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday for the deaths of his younger adopted siblings, The Associated Press reported. He was taken into custody after authorities investigating the stabbing deaths of the boys, ages 4 and 10, found him miles away with traces of blood on him, officials said. The county attorney has not filed charges yet as he was trying to find out more about the boy and killings that shocked the community, which is located about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City at a Utah subdivision of new houses and tidy lawns. The younger brothers died from knife wounds following the attack, according to the medical examiner. The 15-year-old, whose name was not published because of his age, allegedly acted alone, officials said. The 15-year-old and his two younger brothers had been left home alone and police said their mother took her other three children to a dance recital, returning to find first one body, then another. Their father, reportedly a Department of Defense engineer, was away in Alabama.
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Are "Lone Wolf" Attacks the New Path to Terror?
AP
The public slaying of a soldier in London and last month's Boston Marathon bombing illustrates the possible emergence of a new terror trend towards unsophisticated attacks that are practically impossible to prevent, according to intelligence experts. Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old father who had served in Afghanistan, was killed in broad daylight Wednesday as he walked near an army barracks in Woolwich, southeast London. “I think what we've seen in London, and Boston previously, is largely the new face of al Qaeda-inspired attacks,” said NBC News counter-terrorism analyst, Michael Leiter. “These are no longer the large scale sophisticated plots from overseas but instead very unsophisticated and simple attacks which can still very much affect the psyche of cities.” Leiter adds that such attacks by "lone wolves" are harder to stop than planned attacks initiated by overseas terror organizations whose activities are monitored by intelligence agencies. Click to read more on the emergence of this trend.
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Judge Rules Dept. of "Toughest Sheriff" Involved in Racial Profiling
AP
A federal judge ruled on Friday a sheriff's office in Arizona systematically singled out Latino in its immigration patrol, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people, The Associated Press reported. The 142-page decision by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow in Phoenix backs up allegations from critics that the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff Joe Arpaio and his officers rely on race in their immigration enforcement. "For too long the sheriff has been victimizing the people he's meant to serve with his discriminatory policy," said Cecillia D. Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants' Right Project. "Today we're seeing justice for everyone in the county." A small group of Latinos alleged in their lawsuit that Arpaio's deputies pulled over some vehicles only to make immigration status checks. The group asked Snow to issue injunctions barring the sheriff's office from discriminatory policing and the judge ruled that more remedies could be ordered in the future. A hearing is set for June 14, according to the lawyer leading the case against Arpaio.
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Toronto Mayor Finally Denies Use of Crack Cocaine
AP
Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who was allegedly filmed using drugs, said on Friday that he does not smoke crack cocaine and could not comment on a video he had not seen or does not exist, Reuters reported. "There has been a serious accusation from the Toronto Star that I use crack cocaine. I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," he said at a news conference. His comments mark his first direct response to the allegations since the Star and Gawker published stories last Thursday reporting that they had separately seen a cell phone video of Ford smoking a substance from a crack pipe in the presence of those involved in the drug trade. He called the reports "ridiculous" and did not give a full statement or denial at the time. The video is allegedly being shopped around by people involved in the drug trade.
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Pakistan Airways Plane Intercepted in U.K., 2 Arrested
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Police in the U.K. have arrested two men aboard a Pakistan Airways passenger plane that was diverted to London's Stansted airport. The plane was forced to divert after an "angry passenger" told a flight attendant he would set off a bomb, a senior Pakistan International Airlines official told NBC News. Fighter jets from Britain's Royal Air Force intercepted the Boeing 777, which was traveling from Lahore to Manchester, England earlier Friday, NBC News reported. The British Ministry of Defence said in a statement that typhoon aircraft were launched to "investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft within U.K. airspace" after the plane sent an emergency radar signal to air traffic controllers. The two men, ages 30 and 41, have been removed from the plane and are being taken to a police station to be interviewed by detectives, Essex police said in a statement. Stansted airport tweeted that it "is open and operating as normal."
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Sexual Misconduct Probe Under Way at Alaskan Military Base
The Army has launched a probe into possible sexual misconduct or sexual assault at the Space and Missile Defense Command at Fort Greely, Alaska, officials tell NBC News. The sources report there are allegations that an Army commander or commanders had sexual relations with female soldiers under their command. It's not clear whether the alleged contact was forced or consensual. If it was forced, it could result in criminal sexual assault charges, though onsensual relations with a subordinate would still be a violation of regulations, according to NBC News. The commanding general ordered the investigation upon learning of the allegations. The military has been hit with a number of high-profile cases within the unit that monitors sexual abuse. The Defense Department said earlier this month that the number of sexual assault cases spiked last year. The department has been ramping up efforts to fight sexual assault within the ranks.
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Friday, May 24, 2013 at 2:54 PM
Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong.
Obama: Sex Crimes Threaten Trust in U.S. Military
President Barack Obama touched on the sexual assault crisis that has been plaguing the military's image in a speech Friday directed to the graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. "Those who commit a sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong," he said. His remarks, at a stadium in Annapolis, Md., come less than two weeks after an Army sergeant first class responsible for handling sex assault cases had been accused of sexual misconduct. That incident came on the heels of a similar case, in which a lieutenant colonel in charge of an Air Force sexual assault prevention program was accused of groping a woman in a parking lot.
"If we want to restore the trust that the American people deserve to have in their institutions," Obama added, "all of us have to do our part and those of us in leadership, myself included, have to constantly strive to remain worthy of the public trust."
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Officials Look for Temporary Fix After Bridge Collapse
AP
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said federal officials are looking for a possible replacement for a bridge that collapsed along Interstate-5 in Washington State, the main freeway that runs up and down the West Coast between the Canadian and Mexican borders. If a bridge is found, a temporary fix could be in place in weeks, said Inslee at a press conference Thursday. If one can't be quickly secured, he said it could be months before a replacement can be built. Three people were rescued from a rushing river after the collapsed, plunging two cars into the water below, according to Washington State Patrol. Dan Sligh, one of the three people rescued, told NBC affiliate KING 5 News that he thought his life was over when he felt the water rushing into his car. "When you looked at all the carnage of the metal and stuff around you, I assumed that was it at that point." His wife and another rescued man were hospitalized with hypothermia. The 57-year-old bridge fell into the Skagit River around 7 p.m. local time after a truck slammed into part of it. Officials are investigating the incident.
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Man Killed in FBI Questioning Described as Talented Fighter
AP
The friend of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev who was fatally shot in a confrontation with FBI interrogators Wednesday was described by people acquainted with him as a talented mixed martial arts fighter. "You get a fair mix of guys who come from solid backgrounds, and then you get guys who probably shouldn't be fighting already but just kind of jump in there," Chris Palmquist, who operates the registry for amateur and professional MMA fighters, told NBC News. "He was definitely a pretty good amateur fighter." Ibragim Todashev attended the same gym as Tsarnaev, and was acquainted with the bombing suspect. Law enforcement officials said that the 27-year-old man of Chechen origin confessed to committing a triple homicide in 2011 with Tsarnaev before attacking an agent with a knife. Agents then shot and killed the man.
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Jersey Shore Towns to Vacationers: We’re Still Here
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Calif. Reveals Prices for "Obamacare" Health Insurance
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California announced the plans and rates on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under President Barack Obama’s health care law, Reuters reported. Under the Affordable Care Act, people who do not get or cannot afford health insurance through their jobs can buy coverage through an exchange, at a group rate negotiated by state regulators. The cost to a 40-year-old would range from about $40 to $300 per month for a mid-level plan. The prices in Calif. and those announced in Washington, Vermont and other states, show that premiums under the sweeping federal reform law can be more affordable than had previously been thought. "Most consumers buying coverage in the individual market will get financial help and see their premiums go down,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of advocacy group Health Access. Republicans predicted that high premiums would doom “Obamacare” as the uninsured would not be able to pay for coverage even with federal subsidies.
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N.J. Shore Town Destroyed by Sandy Confronts an Uncertain Future
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- 'Like a Hollywood movie': Driver survives I-5 bridge collapse into Wash. river
- Millions of Americans will cross 'structurally deficient' bridges this weekend
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