 | | | | "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett is due to appear in court in Chicago on Thursday to face charges in a 16-count indictment accusing him of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate-crime assault. | | | | | | A late-winter blizzard slammed U.S. Rocky Mountain and Plains states on Wednesday, unleashing a "bomb cyclone" of high winds and drifting snow that stranded motorists, canceled more than 1,300 airline flights and was blamed for the death of a Colorado state trooper. | | | | | | Runways were cleared, the lights came back on and stranded motorists and airline passengers were back on the move on Thursday as the blizzard that pounded the U.S. Rocky Mountain and Plains states shoves eastward and fizzled to rain. | | | | | | The reported crime boss of the New York Mafia's Gambino family, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, was gunned down in front of his Staten Island home late Wednesday, police and media said. | | | | | | The devastating Thomas Fire that killed two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures northwest of Los Angeles in December 2017 was sparked by power lines owned by Southern California Edison Co, fire officials said on Wednesday. | | | | | | "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin appeared in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday to face charges of taking part in a scheme in which dozens of wealthy parents are accused of paying for their children to cheat their way into prestigious U.S. universities. | | | | | | The U.S. college bribery scandal has unleashed angst and fury among parents, students and admissions experts, as an unprecedented criminal investigation draws attention to the privileges afforded to wealthy Americans. | | | | | | The United States aims to test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of about 1,000 km (620 miles) in August, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday, after Washington announced last month it plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. | | | | | | Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled child pornography charges against self-help guru and accused sex trafficker Keith Raniere, just hours after a former top associate pleaded guilty to engaging in a criminal conspiracy with him. | | | | | | California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday halted the death penalty, saying he was deeply troubled by the possibility of executing an innocent person even though California voters have repeatedly backed capital punishment. | | | | | |
