National & International News
The day’s top national and international news
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 5:58 PM

U.S., Taliban to Meet for Talks on Ending Afghan War

AP U.S. and Taliban representatives will meet for the first time ever in the next few days in Qatar to begin what are expected to be long and complex negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war in Afghanistan, senior Obama administration officials told NBC News. The Taliban will open an office in Doha for negotiating with the Afghan government. Conditions for the negotiations require the Taliban to cut ties with al Qaeda, end violence and accept the Afghan constitution, especially the protections for women and minorities, the officials said. The U.S. will not be directly involved in the talks. Get More at NBC News

ocean
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 9:21 PM

Cousteau's Grandson Plans 31-Day Florida Underwater Exploration

Cousteau's Grandson Plans 31-Day Florida Underwater ExplorationGetty Images
Filmmaker and oceanographic explorer Fabien Cousteau will spend 31 days underwater in Florida exploring the ocean. Starting Sept. 30, Cousteau will lead Mission 31, where he and his team will live underwater and conduct research experiments, according to his website. Cousteau's base will be at the underwater lab called Aquarius, located about 60 feet under sea level in the Florida Keys. This mission will be the longest that Aquarius ever hosted, his website said. The team will research the underwater effects climate change has on corals, sponges and sea life. They will also do experiments to determine how long humans can live without the sun, the effects of long-term high pressure and long-term saturation diving, according to Cousteau's website. Mission 31 also coincides with the 50th anniversary of his grandfather's greatest legacy — the first attempt at living and working underwater. Read »
sen. ted cruz
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 8:52 PM

Man Threatens to Kill Sen. Cruz, Blow Up the Sun

Man Threatens to Kill Sen. Cruz, Blow Up the SunGetty Images
A Houston man is being held in a Houston jail Tuesday on accusations that he threatened to kidnap, murder and burn Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and his father, as well as to "blow up" the sun," the Associated Press reported. Nick Gates, 37, also allegedly promised to spare both the Cruz family and the center of the solar system if paid $3 million. Gates is being held on $10,000 bond and is charged with making a terroristic threat, after phone calls earlier this month to Cruz's offices in Austin and San Antonio were traced back to him. Gates told FBI agents that he made the phone calls and that he had previously been hospitalized at a Houston mental health center, according to court documents. Read »
times square bombing
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 8:09 PM

New Video Shows Bike Bomber Riding to Times Square

New Video Shows Bike Bomber Riding to Times Square
The FBI and NYPD released new video Tuesday of the suspect in the 2008 bombing of an armed forces recruiting station in Times Square, and announced a reward of up to $65,000 for information leading to the arrest. The video shows a shadowy figure on a bicycle riding up to the recruiting station, moments before the bomb exploded on March 6, 2008. No one was injured in the attack. Read »
NBCnews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:48 PM

Too Soon? Clinton Gets Key Presidential Endorsement

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hasn't announced a run for the White House, but Sen. Claire McCaskill endorsed her for president Tuesday. The Missouri senator is just one of many Democratic activists who are pushing Clinton to run in 2016. McCaskill made the announcement on a super PAC website, "Ready for Hillary," which hopes to build a support for a potential Clinton campaign. Clinton is not affiliated with the group. “It’s important that we start early, building a grassroots army from the ground up, and effectively using the tools of the Internet – all things that President Obama did so successfully – so that if Hillary does decide to run, we’ll be ready to help her win,” McCaskill said. Get More at NBC News

NBCnews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 3:09 PM

Hitman Ties Bulger to '75 Murder: "I Heard the Shots"

AP Confessed murderer John "The Executioner" Martorano testified Tuesday that James "Whitey" Bulger gunned down a Boston bar owner in 1975 for bragging about his ties to Bulger's "Winter Hill Gang." "They took him out in the phone booth," Martorano said of the victim, Edward Connors. "I heard the shots. They came back and said, 'He's gone.'" Martorano committed 20 murders as enforcer for Bulger but served just 12 years in prison after striking a plea deal. He’s now a star witness against his former boss at Bulger's racketeering and murder trial. On Monday, Martorano testified that Bulger watched from a car as he killed another victim in 1974. Get More at NBC News

la jolla
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 2:06 PM

Bacteria Sprayed to Eradicate Foul Bird Odor

Bacteria Sprayed to Eradicate Foul Bird Odor
After months of complaints and debate, the smell at one of San Diego's most popular tourist destinations may be a bit more pleasant. After an accumulation of bird droppings left an unwanted scent near the La Jolla shoreline, a cleanup process began Monday that will hopefully eliminate the unwanted odor. The smell reduction involves spraying bacteria to eat away the bird poop. It's a 10-day, $50,000 process being run by a group called Blue Eagle. Crews will work to spread a certain kind of bacteria on the rocks, and biologists say the majority of the smell should be gone in a couple hours Read »
NBCNews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 7:20 AM

"Day of Honor": Afghans Take Over Security from U.S.

AP U.S.-led international troops handed over control of Afghanistan's national security to local forces on Tuesday in a historic day that was also marked by violence in Kabul, NBC News reported. The formal transfer is a significant step in the withdrawal process from the country after a 12-year NATO-led mission to end Taliban rule. NATO forces will continue to play a supporting role in training soldiers and police. Shortly before the handover, a botched car bomb that targeted prominent lawmaker and Shia Muslim cleric Mohammed Mohaqiq killed at least three civilians and wounded 30 others, Reuters reported. The violence raises renewed questions about how the country's 352,000-strong security forces will handle the militant insurgency. Get More at NBC News

Oxford English Dictionary
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 3:19 PM

Oxford English Dictionary Adds "Tweet" and "Big Data"

Oxford English Dictionary Adds AP
The Oxford English Dictionary is catching up to the high-tech world. The word "tweet," appearing both as a noun and a verb, was added to the dictionary despite the OED's own rule that "a new word needs to be current for ten years before consideration for inclusion," according to Chief Editor John Simpson, who made the announcement in a blog post. Click through to see which other new words made the cut. Read »
nidal hasan
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 3:43 PM

Judge Denies Fort Hood Suspect's Delay Request

Judge Denies Fort Hood Suspect's Delay RequestAP
A military judge has denied a three-month trial delay for Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged in the Fort Hood shooting rampage. Hasan asked the judge for the extra time to prepare after being granted a request to represent himself at his murder trial. The Tuesday hearing comes four days after the judge barred Hasan from using a "defense of others" strategy. Hasan wanted to tell jurors he opened fire at the Texas Army post because U.S. troops posed an immediate danger to Taliban fighters. Read »
NBCNews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 2:24 PM

Boehner: Immigration Bill's Border Rules "Laughable"

Getty Images House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he would not bring an immigration bill to the House floor without a "majority support" of Republicans in his chamber. He said that the bipartisan "Gang of Eight's" bill working its way through the Senate was "weak on border security" and “laughable.” Democrats have balked at Republican calls for tying a "path to citizenship" for immigrants to stricter border security requirements in an attempt to make the bill more appealing to House GOP members. Boehner, for his part, accused Democrats of trying to sabotage the bill. Get More at NBC News

lie
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:16 PM
      

911 Caller Sentenced to Jail For Deadly Lie

A man who admitted to lying to a 911 dispatcher that he was robbed at gunpoint, leading responding police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Pasadena, Calif., took a plea deal for three months in jail, authorities said. Oscar Carillo called police after his backpack was snatched from him near a taco truck on the street. He wanted police to respond quickly, so he called 911 and lied that the thief had pulled a gun on him. Responding officers shot and killed unarmed 19-year-old Kendric McDade, believing he had a gun. "I don't feel guilty about anything," said Carillo, an immigrant from Mexico who faces the possibility of deportation upon his release. "Only God knows, I don't do anything. I feel sorry. Nobody deserves to die." Read »

NBCNews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 7:24 AM

Military Considers Having Women Join Special Ops

AP Military brass are considering allowing women to begin training as Army Rangers and Navy SEALs by 2016, Pentagon officials said on Monday. Branches have been studying how to best deploy women in combat since former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cleared the way in January for women to serve in some of the military's 237,000 combat-related positions. U.S. defense sources told NBC News military leaders are hoping to open up positions as soon as possible in combat-support roles like communications, intelligence and mechanics in forward combat deployments. Women now make up 14 percent of the armed forces and are already deployed as combat pilots and flight crews for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 at 9:18 AM

"Standing Man" Inspires Silent Protests in Turkey

AP A Turkish man who held an 8-hour silent vigil in Istanbul's Taksim Square where police have clashed with demonstrators has inspired hundreds to follow his lead there and across the country, Reuters reported. Erdem Gunduz is dubbed the "Standing Man" on social media for having stood at attention silently while facing the Ataturk Cultural Center in protest of a police crackdown on demonstrations. He was briefly searched and questioned by police, according to reports. Get More at NBC News

george zimmerman
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 9:03 AM

Pool of 40 Potential Jurors Reached in Zimmerman Trial

Pool of 40 Potential Jurors Reached in Zimmerman Trial
A pool of 40 potential jurors has been reached in the George Zimmerman trial, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson announced in court Tuesday. Those potential jurors went through the initial round of questioning, which was focused solely on pretrial publicity. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the February 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He has pleaded not guilty, saying he acted in self-defense. Read »
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