Author: Ben Finley
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House passes defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons purchases
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons. The bill’s passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled…
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Experts doubt the Pentagon can punish Kelly over the ‘illegal orders’ video
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly over a video that urges American troops to defy “illegal orders” has raised a slew of questions, and some criticism, from legal experts. Some say the Pentagon is misreading military law to go after Kelly as a retired Navy fighter pilot. Others say the Arizona…
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US halts all asylum decisions as suspect in shooting of National Guard members faces murder charge
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has halted all asylum decisions and paused issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports days after a shooting near the White House that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition. Investigators continued Saturday to seek a motive in the shooting, with the suspect a…
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Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge
WASHINGTON (AP) — Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon…
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Liberty University will pay $14 million, the largest fine ever levied under the federal Clery Act
The U.S. Department of Education says Liberty University has agreed to pay an unprecedented $14 million fine after the large Christian school in Virginia failed to disclose information about crimes on campus
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Toby Keith wrote all kinds of country songs. His legacy might be post-9/11 American anger
Country music fans are celebrating Toby Keith’s rich collection of songs in the wake of his death from stomach cancer
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U.S. fighting to stop planned expedition to Titanic
NORFOLK, Va. • The U.S. government is trying to stop a planned expedition to recover items of historical interest from the sunken Titanic, citing a federal law and an international agreement that treat the shipwreck as a hallowed gravesite. The expedition is being organized by RMS Titanic, the Georgia-based firm that owns the salvage rights…
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Scramble on for new fuel routes after Colonial Pipeline hack
CLEMMONS, N.C. • The nation’s largest fuel pipeline restarted operations Wednesday, days after it was forced to shut down by a gang of hackers. The disruption of Colonial Pipeline caused long lines at gas stations in the Southeast due to distribution problems and panic-buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations. Colonial initiated the restart…
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Cut cable shuts down Virginia’s online voter registration
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An accidentally severed fiber optic cable shut down Virginia’s online voter registration system Tuesday, the last day to register before the November general election, authorities said. The Virginia Department of Elections said in statement on Twitter that a “fiber cut” was affecting connectivity for multiple agencies, including the department’s citizen portal…
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Navy SEAL pleads guilty in hazing death of Green Beret
NORFOLK, Va. — A U.S. Navy SEAL pleaded guilty Thursday to hazing and assault charges for his role in the 2017 strangulation of a U.S. Army Green Beret in Africa. Adam Matthews entered the plea at a special court-martial hearing at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. Matthews was one of four U.S. service members who…