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The day’s top national and international news
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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Toronto Mayor Finally Denies Use of Crack Cocaine
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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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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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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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Man Killed in FBI Questioning Described as Talented Fighter
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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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5 Climbers Feared Dead on World's 3rd Highest Peak
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Five climbers are missing on Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and feared dead, a mountaineering official said Friday. Bad weather was preventing a rescue helicopter from reaching their base camp, The Associated Press reported. Nepal's Mountaineering Department official Dipendra Poudelsaid said Friday that the climbers were descending from the summit when they were believed to have slipped or fallen at an altitude of about 25,900 feet. The five climbers, include two Hungarians, Zsolt Eross, 45, and Peter Kiss, 27, and a South Korean, Namsoo Park, 47.
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At Least 16 Injured in Bus Crash Near Atlanta Airport
At least 16 people were injured Friday morning when an airport shuttle bus crashed into a tractor-trailer near Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International airport, NBC News reported. All the victims, including at least two in serious condition, have been transported to area hospitals. NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the bus, which serves hotel north of the airport, was heading to the airport at the time of the crash. Earlier reports said 18 had been injured.
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Christie Co-Hosts "Today" to Promote Post-Sandy NJ Shore
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Boy Saved with "Printed" 3-D Airway Tube
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Doctors in Ohio used a 3-D laser printer to create a medical device that saved the life of a 19-month-old boy. The boy, Kaiba Gionfriddo, was born with a birth defect that caused him airway to collapse and stop his breathing. With special approval from the Food and Drug Administration, doctors were able to implant a small tube created with a 3-D laser printer into the boy's airway, which allowed him to breathe normally for the first time in his life. The operation, done last year when the boy was 3 months old, was described in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The tube, which was created by computer-guided lasers that stacked and fused thin layers of plastic, is designed to be absorbed by the body as healthy tissue grows over it, over the course of three years. Such a procedure had never been done before.
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Principal of Tornado-Ravaged School Recalls Moment of Horror
The principal of Moore, Okla.'s Plaza Tower Elementary School, which ripped apart in Monday's twister, recalled hearing the monster storm approach in an exclusive interview with NBC's Rock Center. "I started to yell ... in God's name, go away, go away—and I yelled it four or five times," said Amy Simpson. "And then it was gone." On Thursday students and teachers reunited for the first time since the storm before the start of summer vacation. Seven students died when the storm flattened the school. The first funerals began Thursday. Two funerals will be held on Friday and one on Saturday, school officials in the town said.
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"Unusual Condition" Seen Before Metro-North Crash: NTSB
Slain Soldier's Wife Thought He Was Safe in U.K.
Rebecca Rigby, the widow of the British soldier hacked to death on a London street, thought he was safe in England after returning from active duty in Afghanistan. “You don’t expect it to happen when he’s in the U.K. You think they’re safe,” she said fighting back tears during a news conference. “You know it’s dangerous when they go somewhere like that [Afghanistan] … he’s walked up and down that road so many times before.” Lee Rigby, 25, known as “Riggers” to his friends, was killed in broad daylight on Wednesday as he walked in the southeast London neighborhood of Woolwich, near an army barracks. Two alleged attackers were later shot by officers and taken to a hospital where they were arrested.
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Okla. Gov. To Approve $45 Million Disaster Relief Transfer
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The governor of Oklahoma is set to approve the transfer of $45 million from the state's rainy day fund to assist with the recovery from Monday's deadly tornado. Officials speaking at a news conference Friday said that 3,100 people in Moore, Okla. have registered for assistance through FEMA and that $1.4 million is already being distributed to those who have applied for the federal help. The preliminary estimate of homes destroyed now stands at 1,150—a figure that does not account for damaged homes, officials said. Twenty-four people died and more than 200 were injured when the EF-4 storm cut through the town. The town of Moore will hold a public memorial service on Sunday evening to honor tornado victims. President Obama is scheduled to visit and survey the destruction earlier Sunday.
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5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California
A 5.7 earthquake struck in Northern California on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The epicenter of the quake was centered 6 miles west northwest of Greenville, and 26 miles southwest of Susanville, according to NBC News.
A 5.7 magnitude quake is considered moderate, but has the potential to cause considerable damage. There was no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Chief meteorologist Mark Finan at NBC affiliate KCRA said the quake was felt at the station's studios in downtown Sacramento, about 145 miles south of the epicenter.
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