Palm Desert

California officer placed on leave after threatening teen skaters at gunpoint

A California police officer was placed on administrative leave this week after video appeared to show him threatening a group of teen skaters at gunpoint, authorities said Thursday. Cellphone footage showed the off-duty Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy pointing a handgun while visiting a skate park in San Clemente after a teen raised his skateboard at him.

School's out: Chicago teachers strike, 1st day deal unlikely

Striking teachers marched in picket lines outside hundreds of Chicago schools on Thursday after their union and city officials failed to reach a contract deal in the nation's third-largest school district, canceling classes for more than 300,000 students for the duration of a walkout that seemed likely to head into a second day. The strike in the nation's third-largest school district came after the Chicago Teachers Union confirmed Wednesday night that its 25,000 members would not return to their classrooms. It follows months of negotiations between the union and Chicago Public Schools that failed to resolve disputes over pay and benefits, class size and teacher preparation time.

Hurricane Center: Tropical storm likely along Gulf Coast

A disturbance in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico is likely to become a tropical storm that will strike the northern U.S. Gulf Coast with high wind and heavy rains, forecasters said Thursday. Moving off the eastern coast of Mexico, the low pressure system was expected to develop into a tropical or subtropical system late Thursday or on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters issued a tropical storm warning for southeastern Louisiana as well as the northern Gulf Coast from the Alabama-Mississippi line to the Big Bend area of the Florida Panhandle.

Man heard in strangling video charged in 2nd death in Alaska

A man accused of killing a woman who was seen strangled in videos on a digital memory card was charged Thursday with the death of another woman, authorities in Alaska said. Brian Steven Smith acknowledged to detectives that he was the man in the images and videos recovered from the card, according to a document filed by the state Department of Law. Anchorage police identified that woman as Veronica Abouchuk.

As Britain battles to leave the EU, others struggle to join

As Britain battles to leave the European Union, two countries from the Balkans were struggling to be allowed in Friday, despite warnings that turning them away would tarnish the EU's reputation and could risk inflaming the volatile region. Albania and North Macedonia were expecting this week to receive a green light to begin negotiations on joining Europe's rich club. The European Commission, which supervises entry talks, insists that both have met all the criteria.

Chicago's top cop found lying in car; requests investigation

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson asked the city's police department to conduct an internal investigation on himself Thursday after he was found lying down in a car. Police department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that Johnson indicated he parked his car after feeling lightheaded. "There were no charges of intoxication, no information of intoxication as far as I know," Guglielmi said.

Plan to close notorious Rikers jail complex by 2026 approved

New York City lawmakers voted Thursday to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, which has become synonymous with violence and neglect, and replace it with four smaller jails intended to be more modern and humane. The City Council voted 36-13 to replace the complex with four smaller jails located closer to the city's main courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Rikers is scheduled to shutter by 2026, ending a decadeslong run as one of the world's largest jails.

Helen Hunt is 'at home recovering' after car accident

Helen Hunt is home one day after the SUV she was riding in flipped, ABC News has confirmed. Video of the collision obtained by TMZ appears to show the SUV flipping on its side after being hit by another car attempting to cross an intersection. Hunt, 56, was the lone passenger in the back of the flipped vehicle and was transported to Cedars-Sinai hospital afterward, a Los Angeles Police Department source briefed on the case said.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, House Oversight Committee Chair, is dead at 68

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the long-serving Democratic congressman who was deeply involved in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, has died at age 68. Despite that, Trump tweeted his condolences and ordered the flag at the White House to be lowered to half-staff in his honor. The flag was lowered at the Capitol as well -- where Cummings served since 1996, representing Maryland's 7th Congressional District.

Woman who livestreamed fatal California crash arrested again

A California woman on parole after serving a sentence for driving drunk while livestreaming a crash that killed her younger sister was arrested Thursday after crashing a car during a police pursuit, officials said. Officers arrested Obdulia Sanchez, 20, on weapons and traffic charges and a parole violation, said Officer Joe Silva, a Stockton Police Department spokesman. Officers tried to stop Sanchez for a vehicle code violation, but she did not pull over.

Police: Gang member confesses in mass shooting at festival

A 20-year-old gang member has confessed to being one of two shooters in a gunfight that turned a lively summer community festival in Brooklyn into a blood-drenched nightmare, police said Thursday. One person died and 11 were wounded when Kyle Williams and a second, yet-unidentified gunman opened fire, possibly on each other, during the Brownsville neighborhood's annual Old Timers Day celebration July 27, police said. Police arrested Williams on Wednesday and he confessed to the shooting during questioning, Deputy Chief Michael Kemper said.

The Latest: Probe after Chicago chief found lying in car

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has asked the department to investigate his actions after he was found lying down in a car near his home. Police department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says Johnson indicated he parked his car after feeling lightheaded. The 59-year-old Johnson underwent kidney transplant surgery in August 2017.

Individuals tied to Giuliani probe in SDNY plead not guilty

Two individuals charged in connection with an alleged scheme to circumvent federal laws against foreign campaign donations pleaded not guilty before a judge in the Southern District of New York on Thursday afternoon. David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin -- who appeared in court Thursday -- were charged along with Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, who have ties to President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Northeast officials team up to push pot, vaping regulations

The governors from several Northeastern states said Thursday they want to work together to regulate marijuana and vaping, including possible regional restrictions on flavored vaping products. Democratic governors from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania met in New York City with health and legislative officials.

Romney speculates Turkey called Trump's bluff: 'Are we so weak and inept?'

The Utah senator delivers an impassioned speech on the Senate floor that accuses the president of betraying American values.

New York city council votes to close infamous Rikers Island jails

The New York City Council voted on Thursday to close the city's infamous Rikers Island jail complex by 2026, casting off a detention system plagued by chronic violence and decrepit facilities, as the nation rethinks mass incarceration. The council approved an $8.7 billion legislative package to close Rikers and three other jails, replace them with four more humane facilities throughout the city, and eventually turn Rikers Island itself into a public space. "Rikers Island is a symbol of brutality and inhumanity and it is time for us to once and for all close Rikers Island," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told colleagues before the vote.

Study: California's big July quakes strain major fault

The earthquakes that hammered the Southern California desert near the town of Ridgecrest last summer involved ruptures on a web of interconnected faults and increased strain on a major nearby fault that has begun to slowly move, according to a new study. Ruptures in the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence ended a few miles from the Garlock Fault, which runs east-west for 185 miles (300 kilometers) from the San Andreas Fault to Death Valley. The Garlock Fault has been relatively quiet for 500 years.

Judges grapple with misconduct claims in Jodi Arias case

Appellate judges who will decide whether to reverse Jodi Arias' murder conviction in the gruesome 2008 killing of her former boyfriend grappled Thursday with who was responsible for whipping up publicity during the salacious trial and whether alleged misconduct by a prosecutor should cause the verdict to be tossed. A lawyer for Arias told the Arizona Court of Appeals that prosecutor Juan Martinez improperly questioned witnesses, ignored rulings on evidence, courted publicity and made an unfounded accusation that an expert on her defense team had an inappropriate relationship with Arias. Terry Crist, a lawyer for the Arizona attorney general's office, told the judges that he believes Martinez may have occasionally violated court rules, but none of his actions should lead to a reversal of the conviction.

Ex-U.S. biotech executive fined for lying to auditors, charges dropped against CFO: SEC

The former chief business officer of U.S. biotechnology company Osiris Therapeutics Inc has agreed to pay a $40,000 civil penalty for lying to auditors, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday. The SEC had alleged that Bobby Dwayne Montgomery prompted Osiris to book fake revenue and give false information to auditors. Montgomery agreed to a judgment that enjoins him from future violations of securities law, the SEC said in a statement.