Florida Gov. signs bill to require US made flags

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Cities, counties and the state of Florida will have to purchase state and American flags made in the United States under a bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. Scott signed the “All American Flag Act” and 47 other bills on Thursday. He also vetoed a bill related to the […]

Oregon 1st to cover 12 months of birth control at a time

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – It’s like a ritual for women across the nation: frequent treks to the pharmacist to refill birth control prescriptions. It’s a hassle for busy students, a headache for rural women with long drives and a cause for panic for travelers on the road when their packs run out. Soon, however, women […]

Former IMF chief faces French verdict in pimping trial

LILLE, France (AP) – Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was cleared of pimping charges on Friday in France, ending four years of legal drama that began with a sexual assault charge in a New York hotel room. The trial hinged on sex parties that took place in the midst of the global financial […]

Interpol suspends $22M FIFA project during corruption crisis

LYON, France (AP) – Interpol suspended its 10-year, 20 million euro ($22.4 million) partnership with FIFA on Friday while soccer’s governing body is implicated in bribery allegations. The international police liaison group said it will “freeze the use of financial contributions from FIFA” which are used to fight match-fixing. Interpol secretary general Juergen Stock took […]

Obama’s trade bill faces showdown vote on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON (AP) – A landmark trade bill that tops President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda faces a showdown vote in the House as Democrats mount a last-ditch effort to kill it. The outcome was uncertain and the drama intense heading into Friday’s votes. In frantic 11th-hour maneuvering, liberals in the House defied their own president and […]

Last Angola 3 prisoner could go free as court delay expires

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The last of the Angola Three prisoners is still waiting to hear whether he will walk free after more than four decades in solitary confinement at a Louisiana prison farm. A federal judge ruled earlier this week that Albert Woodfox must be released immediately, saying the state has never proved – […]

2 S. Korean hospitals shut over MERS fears; 13th person dies

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Authorities in South Korea temporarily closed two hospitals amid persistent fears over the MERS virus outbreak, which has killed 13 people through Friday, though health officials said they are seeing fewer new infections. More than 120 people in South Korea have been diagnosed with Middle East respiratory syndrome since the […]

Nigerian extremists attack villages, kill 37 and raze huts

BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) – Boko Haram extremists have burned down six northeast Nigerian villages and killed 37 people near the insurgents’ Sambisa Forest stronghold, a survivor said Friday. Ahmed Ajimi, a fighter in the anti-Boko Haram Nigerian Vigilante Group, said many victims of Wednesday night’s attacks were farmers who had recently returned home after soldiers […]

Body of American killed fighting IS handed over to family

BEIRUT (AP) – The body of an American who died fighting with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group in Syria was handed over on Thursday to his family at a Turkish border crossing, a Kurdish official said. Hundreds of people turned up in the Kurdish town of Kobani to bid farewell to Keith Broomfield […]

DA: Prison employee supplied contraband to escaped convicts

DANNEMORA, N.Y. (AP) – A prison employee being questioned about her suspected role in the escape of two killers provided them with contraband before they cut their way out of the maximum-security institution, a prosecutor said Friday. District Attorney Andrew Wylie would not specify the prohibited items that Joyce Mitchell allegedly supplied but said they […]