National & International News
The day’s top national and international news
NBCNews.com
2 hours ago

Tragedy in Oklahoma: "Horrific" Damage For Miles

AP Rescue teams combed through flattened homes for survivors Tuesday and President Obama vowed to help victims get needed assistance "right away" after a category EF-5 tornado tore through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, killing at least 24 people, NBC News reported. Gov. Mary Fallin said there were 237 injuries "that we know of" and there were no firm numbers on those killed. "It’s horrific,” the governor earlier told "Today." “It looked like somebody set off something that destroyed structures. Not blocks, but miles.” The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said that nine children were among 24 confirmed dead, revising down an earlier death toll more than twice as high. Seven of the dead were children who drowned at Plaza Towers Elementary School in heavily hit Moore, and where a teacher said she huddled with students in a bathroom when the storm struck. Forecasters said the tornado, with winds up to 200 mph, could be an EF4, the second-strongest category. The tornado tore a 20-mile path during its 40 minutes on the ground, while kicking up a cloud of debris perhaps two miles wide. "Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today," Obama said after having declared a major disaster for Oklahoma. He pledged to "back up those prayers with deeds." Get More at NBC News

5 hours ago

WATCH: View of Tornado's Path of Destruction By Air

"Today's" Natalie Morales reports from a helicopter on the destruction left behind by a tornado that hit Moore, Okla., looking down on the rubble that used to be an elementary school. Get More

2 hours ago

Jodi Arias Pleads for Her Life

AP Convicted killer Jodi Arias asked jurors to spare her life instead of sentencing her to death for the brutal killing of her ex-boyfriend, saying that if she's allowed to live she could contribute to society. The former waitress called the killing of Travis Alexander "the worst mistake of my life." "To this day, I can hardly believe I was capable of such violence,” she said. Arias said that she would like to begin a prison recycling program and "start a book club" to help other women become literate. Arias said she "lacked perspective" when earlier saying that she would rather die than spend the rest of her life in prison. She asked jurors to spare her life on behalf of her family. “I’m asking you, please, please don’t do that to them,” she said. “I want everyone’s pain to stop.” After the statement the judge gave the jury final instructions before making their decision.
Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
39 minutes ago

More "Devastating" Tornadoes Possible Tuesday

About 9.5 million people remained under the threat of more "large and devastating" tornadoes Tuesday as the storm system that devastated the suburbs of Oklahoma City moved east, forecasters warned. A tornado watch was issued for Dallas-Fort Worth as well as all of north and central Texas until 8:00 p.m. ET. Tornado watches were also issued for a large portion of the south including Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee until 11:00 p.m. ET. Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said early Tuesday that the threat area appeared to be east and south of Oklahoma City. "Tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible throughout the threat area," Roth said. He added that cities including Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Texarkana and Little Rock were among the cities "close to the the larger tornado threat." The National Weather Service said storms were expected Tuesday "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas." Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
3 hours ago

Senators Demand Answers from IRS Officials


U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle demanded answers as to why action was not taken sooner to stop the IRS' practice of targeting conservative groups, NBC News reported. Senate Democratic leader Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- who demand to know why those at the top of the tax agency did not take action -- called the conduct "outrageous" and "unacceptable." Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, the Bush-era appointee who served during much of the time that the IRS targeting of conservatives took place, testified Tuesday that he was not aware of all the facts surrounding the abuses until earlier this month. Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner who resigned last week amid outrage over the scandal, also testified before the Senate Finance Committee. He said he was responsible for having another IRS official, Lois Lerner, answer a planted question at an American Bar Association panel discussion to publicly reveal the targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservatives, NBC News reported. Miller said his original plan for was the IRS to simultaneously brief Capitol Hill about the forthcoming inspector’s general report that detailed the abuses. “Obviously, the entire thing was an incredibly bad idea,” Miller said. Get More at NBC News

2 hours ago

Apple CEO: "We Pay All the Taxes We Owe"


Apple CEO Tim Cook was grilled before a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing Tuesday after the subcommittee found that Apple had avoided paying taxes on billions in profits by keeping them parked in Irish subsidiaries. "We pay all the taxes we owe — every single dollar," Cook told lawmakers. "We don't depend on tax gimmicks." He stressed that Apple is the nation's largest corporate taxpayer and that he supports an overhaul of the U.S. tax code. Subcommittee staffers said before the hearing that Apple was not breaking any laws, Reuters reported. But committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan urged closing "unjustified tax loopholes" that had allowed Apple to avoided $9 billion in U.S. taxes in 2012. Sen. John McCain added that Apple's tax strategy reflected "a flawed corporate system." Apple's main subsidiary in Ireland, "Apple Operations International," has not paid any corporate income taxes in the last five years, the subcommittee's report found. Get More at NBC News

NBC DFW
6 hours ago

Accused Fort Hood Shooter Paid $278K While Awaiting Trial

AP Accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has been paid more than $278,000 since the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured, the Department of Defense confirmed to NBC 5 DFW. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty. Meanwhile, more than three years after the Fort Hood mass shooting wounded soldiers are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat. Click through for the full story. Get More at NBC DFW

NBCNews.com
3 minutes ago

Peace Corp Opens Up to Same-Sex Couples

Getty Images The Peace Corp will now start accepting applications from same-sex partners who want to serve together overseas, NBC News reported. Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said on Tuesday that opening up to same-sex domestic partners will diversify the pool of applicants for the volunteer force who serve in education, health, economic development and agriculture projects. Same-sex couples can start applying June 3 and those wishing to join will need to sign an affidavit to verify their relationship. Get More at NBC News

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6:25 AM
 

The whole city looks like a debris field.  

— Mayor Glenn Lewis of the city of Moore, Oklahoma on the tornado's devastating effect.
NBCNews.com
24 minutes ago

Pakistan's New Leader Makes Landmark Offer of Talks to Taliban

AP Pakistan's prime minister designate Nawaz Sharif told members of his party on Monday that talks with the Taliban is not off the table, NBC News reported. "All options should be tried, and guns and bullets are not a solution to all problems … Why shouldn't we sit and talk and engage in dialogue?" Sharif said. His announcement in Lahore has created a divide among Pakistan's political classes with many saying this is a war which must be committed to and won. The Pakistani Taliban would be willing to partake in peace talks, according to their spokesman, who added that they had already been willing to participate in peace talks with the previous government – and that they had wanted to work with Sharif as a guarantor to implement accords, if they were agreed to. Get More at NBC News

Mayoral race
2 hours ago

‪Voters Head to Polls for Historic L.A. Mayor's Race‬

‪Voters Head to Polls for Historic L.A. Mayor's Race‬Getty Images
After two years of campaigning bolstered by record contributions, the mayoral race between City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel comes to a close Tuesday as voters take to the polls. The winner of the run-off election to replace outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will give the city of Los Angeles either its first female or first Jewish mayor—a leader who will inherit a city still struggling to pull itself from an extended fiscal slump. In their sprint to the finish line, both Democratic contenders with similar voting records tried to differentiate themselves from each other in down-to-the-wire pitches to undecided voters. “If you want an independent mayor with proven results, somebody who’s delivered neighborhood turnaround, who’s balanced budgets, I’m your guy," said Garcetti, who was leading by 7 percentage points in the most recent USC Price/Los Angeles Time poll released Friday. Greuel, who has racked up endorsements from high profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton and Magic Johnson, emphasized her experience as the city government's top critic for the last three years. The contest to succeed Villaraigosa, who leaves office at the end of June with high marks from his constituents, broke spending records Saturday as outside contributions topped $33 million. Click through to read more about this historic election. Read »
tonkin
2 hours ago

Couple Steals $854K From Township: DA

Couple Steals $854K From Township: DALehigh County District Attorney's Office
A former municipal employee and her husband, a former police officer, have been charged with embezzling more than $850,000 from a township in Pennsylvania. Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin announced charges Tuesday against the couple, Nancy Tonkin, 66, and her husband William Tonkin IV, 69, of Little Lehigh Drive South in Emmaus, Pa. The Tonkins each face theft, stolen property and criminal conspiracy charges. Martin says the couple stole hundreds of thousands from the utilities account of the South Whitehall Township finance department between 1999 and last June. Nancy Tonkin was a township employee for 30 years and handled billing for residential and commercial water and sewer accounts. She used a technique called “lapping” where she would repeatedly misapply residential payments while keeping cash, according to investigators. Read »
Super Bowl 50
3 hours ago

The 50th Super Bowl Goes to San Francisco Bay Area

The 50th Super Bowl Goes to San Francisco Bay AreaGetty Images
The 50th Super Bowl will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area. NFL owners have voted Tuesday for the 49ers' new stadium as host of the 2016 game. That facility in Santa Clara, Calif., is due to open for the 2014 season. San Francisco beat out South Florida, which was stymied in its bid to stage an 11th Super Bowl when the Florida Legislature did not support financing to renovate Sun Life Stadium. The 2017 Super Bowl will be held in Houston, which also beat out Miami for that game. The only previous Super Bowl played in northern California was at Stanford Stadium in 1985. Houston hosted the 2004 NFL championship game. Earlier Tuesday, owners approved a $200 million loan for stadium construction in Atlanta. Read »
3 hours ago

Judge Agrees to Delay in Case of Boston Bombing Defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

AP The judge overseeing the federal prosecution of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston bombings, has agreed to delay the case for roughly a month, NBC News reported. A probable cause hearing scheduled for May 30 has been delayed until July 2 at the request of federal prosecutors and Tsarnaev's laywers. They asked Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler to reschedule, citing "the complex factual and legal issues present in this case and the need for adequate time to obtain and review evidence." After his capture, Tsarnaev spent six days in the hospital, where he was charge with using a weapon of mass destruction for the April 15 blast that killed three and injured more than 200 people at the Boston Marathon finish line. Get More at NBC News

ronald poppo
5 hours ago

Miami Face Mauling Victim Releases Video Message

Miami Face Mauling Victim Releases Video Message
Nearly a year after his face was horribly maimed in a vicious attack on the MacArthur Causeway, Ronald Poppo spoke publicly for the first time in a video released by Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday. Wearing a Miami Heat hat and sitting on a hospital bed, Poppo is seen strumming a guitar before giving thanks to his doctors and the community. "Thanks for considering, helping out, people in my predicament need to be helped out and I'm sure there's other people also that have the same type of predicament," Poppo said in the brief video. "I thank the outpouring of people in the community, I will always be grateful for them." The video was released during a news conference at Jackson Medical Center, where the 66-year-old continues to recover from the injuries he suffered in the May 26, 2012 attack. Click through for more on Poppo's recovery. Read »
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