Tornadoes kill at least 33 in Midwest and South
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The latest in a series of powerful tornadoes raked across a broad swath of the Midwest and Southeast, killing at least 33 people in four states, authorities said on Saturday. The fast-moving twisters on Friday splintered homes, damaged a prison and tossed around vehicles across the region, leaving 16 people dead in Kentucky, 14 in neighboring Indiana, two more in Ohio, and one in Alabama, officials said.
Kentucky says death toll in state from tornadoes rises to 18
(Reuters) - The confirmed death toll from Friday's band of tornadoes in Kentucky is 18, a spokeswoman for the state's Emergency Management office said on Saturday, bringing the overall death toll from storms that raged across the U.S. midsection to 35. The worst-hit area in terms of deaths was Laurel County, with five, she said.
BP reaches $7.8 billion deal over Gulf of Mexico spill
NEW YORK (Reuters) - BP Plc has reached an estimated $7.8 billion deal with businesses suing over the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the company said on Friday, but the oil giant still faces claims by the U.S. government, Gulf states and drilling partners. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, in an order made three days before the case had been due to go to trial, said the proposed terms of the class settlement would be submitted to court for approval.
13 wounded at Arizona rap concert shooting
TEMPE (Reuters) - Thirteen people were wounded in a shooting at a Tempe, Arizona, nightclub during a rap concert, police said on Saturday. Tempe Police spokesman Sergeant Steve Carbajal said officers responded to reports of shots fired at the Clubhouse Music Venue at 11:30 p.m. Friday local time.
Rescued toddler remains in critical, with family
(Reuters) - A toddler girl rescued from a field in tornado-ravaged southeast Indiana remained in critical condition on Saturday in a Kentucky hospital, a spokesman told Reuters. Members of her family have arrived at the Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, where she was flown by helicopter on Friday evening from a tiny rural hospital near Salem, Indiana, said hospital spokesman Brian Rublein.
"Sleeping Mexican" proposed mural draws TX protest
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - A proposed mural of a sleeping, sombrero-topped Mexican man has created a cultural minefield in South Texas, where supporters say it's a tribute to a classic image and opponents say it's offensive. The image of a man sleeping with his back against a wall, knees against his chest and hat covering his face, has been floated as part of a proposed mural honoring San Antonio's first drive-in theater.
Obama calls student as contraception fight turns nasty
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called a law student on Friday to express his support after she was branded a "slut" by controversial right-wing talk-show host Rush Limbaugh for her outspoken support of Obama's new policy on contraception coverage. Sandra Fluke, a 30-year old student and women's rights activist at Georgetown University in Washington, has been caught in the middle of a contentious election-year fight between Obama and Republicans over the policy, which requires health insurance plans to cover contraception.
Armored car driver sought in murder and theft of $2.3 million
(Reuters) - A Pittsburgh armored car driver sought in the murder of a co-worker and theft of about $2.3 million is the target of a manhunt, Pittsburgh police said. The suspect, Kenneth Konias Jr., 22, is alleged to have shot dead a fellow employee of Garda Cash Logistics on Tuesday before fleeing with the money, said Sgt. R. Griffin of the Pittsburgh homicide unit.
Three Occupy Oakland protesters charged with hate crimes
(Reuters) - Three Occupy Oakland protesters accused of surrounding and taunting a woman before stealing her wallet were charged on Friday with robbery and hate crimes, authorities said. Michael Davis, 32, Nneka Crawford, 23, and Randolph Wilkins, 24, confronted the woman on the streets of Oakland in February after she told them not to riot in her neighborhood, the Oakland Police said in a written release.
Suicide victim's gay date saw camera in Rutgers dorm room
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (Reuters) - The man who had a gay sexual encounter with a Rutgers University student that a roommate saw via webcam made his first public appearance on Friday, telling jurors that he had noticed the webcam in the dorm room while in a "compromising" position. The man, identified only as M.B. and named a victim in the case, was one of the last people to communicate with Tyler Clementi, 18, who killed himself on September 22, 2010, after learning his roommate Dharun Ravi secretly watched M.B. and Clementi kissing.
