New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced an immediate ban Thursday on sales of "military-style" semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines in the wake of a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch that killed 50 worshippers. Ardern said the sales ban was effective immediately to prevent stockpiling and would be followed by a complete ban on the weapons after new laws were rushed through. She said people could hand over their guns under an amnesty while officials develop a formal buyback scheme, which could cost up to 200 million New Zealand dollars ($140 million). Get More

Casting aside rare censure from Republican lawmakers, President Donald Trump aimed new blasts of invective at the late John McCain, even claiming credit for the senator's moving Washington funeral and complaining he was never properly thanked. By the time the president began his anti-McCain tirade in Ohio on Wednesday, several leading Republicans had signaled a new willingness to defy Trump by defending the Vietnam War veteran as a hero seven months after he died of brain cancer. One GOP senator called Trump's remarks "deplorable." Trump then launched a lengthy rant in which he claimed without citing evidence that McCain had pushed for a war and failed America's veterans. Get More

Prosecutors in Palm Beach County, Florida, are offering to drop charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others charged in a prostitution case if they admit they would have been proven guilty at trial, according to a report. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the deal, offered to Kraft and an unknown number of other men accused in the widespread prostitute solicitation sting, stipulates that they must complete a prostitution education course, perform 100 hours of community service and be screened for sexually transmitted diseases. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg responded to the Journal's tweet to their story that called it an "unusual deal," though he walked back that characterization in a later tweet. Get More

A bright light over downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night that had people around the city wondering if a meteor or aliens were descending on Southern California turned out to be a stunt by Red Bull Air Force to celebrate the final supermoon of 2019. "As the third and final supermoon of 2019 rose over the iconic Los Angles skyline, the Red Bull Air Force – a team assembled from the most accomplished and experienced skydivers in the world – marked the occasion as only they can: springing into the air to get an up close and personal look at the phenomenon," the company announced. The team jumped from a helicopter 4,000 feet above the city of angels and dove down at more than 120 mph in custom wingsuits, Red Bull said. Get More

Technology that could silence illegal scam and spam robocallers has passed a major test, and is now just months away from arriving on your phone. On Wednesday, AT&T and Comcast announced they had completed the first-ever exchange of "authenticated" calls between separate networks. Both companies hailed the test as a milestone ahead of rolling out new caller ID authentication for all phones nationwide by the end of the year. A Comcast spokesman told NBC Bay Area the calls were made using ordinary phones and phone lines on Comcast and AT&T's digital networks. The calls were verified using the new SHAKEN and STIR standards created by a coalition of phone service providers and technology firms. Get More

Dutch prosecutors say they will charge the main suspect in a deadly tram shooting with offenses including multiple murder or manslaughter with a terrorist intent. In a statement Thursday, the public prosecutor's office in Utrecht says that the suspect, identified by police as 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis, also faces charges of attempted murder or manslaughter and making threats with a terrorist intent. Prosecutors say that investigations so far into Monday's shooting in a tram in the central city of Utrecht that left three dead and three seriously injured indicate that the shooter acted alone. Get More

A judge blocked oil and gas drilling on almost 500 square miles (1,295 sq. kilometers) in Wyoming and said the federal government must consider the cumulative climate change impact of leasing broad swaths of U.S. public land for oil and gas exploration. The order marks the latest in a string of court rulings over the past decade — including one last month in Montana — that have faulted the U.S. for inadequate consideration of greenhouse gas emissions when approving oil, gas and coal projects on federal land. Get More

Exactly 1,000 days after Britain voted to leave the European Union, and nine days before it is scheduled to walk out the door, Prime Minister Theresa May hit the pause button Wednesday, asking the bloc to postpone the U.K.'s departure until June 30. EU leaders, who are exasperated by Britain's Brexit melodrama, will only grant the extension if May can win the U.K. Parliament's approval next week for her twice-rejected Brexit deal. Get More

The Pentagon's inspector general has formally opened an investigation into a watchdog group's allegations that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has used his office to promote his former employer, Boeing Co. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an ethics complaint with the Pentagon's inspector general a week ago, alleging that Shanahan has appeared to make statements promoting Boeing and disparaging competitors, such as Lockheed Martin. Get More

Charlie is a blind, 11-year-old golden retriever who has turned his new puppy companion into his own tiny "seeing-eye" dog. Charlie and Maverick are two golden retrievers that are taking social media by storm with their story — a 4-month-old puppy helping a blind dog "see" again. Get More

In the wake of the attack on two New Zealand mosques, President Donald Trump said he did not see white nationalism as a rising threat around the world, but rather “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.” Experts, however, say there are a number of indicators that suggest white nationalism and white supremacy — and violence inspired by them — are on the rise, in the U.S. and around the world. Get More

The former operator of a Florida spa named in a prostitution investigation is speaking out for the first time to rebut reports that she sold access to President Donald Trump. In an interview with NBC News, Li "Cindy" Yang said she believes she's facing allegations of being a Chinese agent solely because of her ethnicity and political leanings. Yang came under scrutiny after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged in late February with soliciting a prostitute at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter. Kraft has denied the charges. Yang sold the business years ago but attracted attention after she posted a selfie showing her with President Trump at a Super Bowl party at the Trump International golf resort in Florida. Get More at NBC News

Mike Trout has agreed to terms on a 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, the team announced on Wednesday evening. Get More

Often touted for being highly nutritious, kale has joined the list of 11 other fruits and vegetables known to be “dirty,” according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group. The watchdog group publishes its “Dirty Dozen” list annually, in which it ranks the 12 produce items that contain the highest amount of pesticide residues. The group analyzes data from the Department of Agriculture’s regular produce testing to determine the list. Get More