National & International News
The day’s top national and international news
NBCNews.com
5 hours ago

2 Dead as Deadly Tornado Outbreak Ravages Plains, Threat Ongoing


A significant portion of the central United States was warned to prepare for severe storms on Monday, after tornadoes killed two elderly men and injured 21 in Oklahoma — and also hit Iowa and Kansas, NBC News reported. “After over 300 reports of severe weather on Sunday, another round of dangerous severe weather is expected Monday with the greatest threat once again in the southern Plains targeting Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas,” the National Weather Service said. “However, severe weather is possible much further north towards Chicago and Madison as well." The NWS issued maps showing the risk of tornadoes and storms. Click through for accounts from those who weathered the tornadoes. Get More at NBC News

Yahoo buys Tumblr
18 minutes ago

Yahoo Buys Tumblr, Vows "Not to Screw it Up"

Yahoo Buys Tumblr, Vows AP IMAGES FOR IDA IRELAND
Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion in an all-cash deal. The acquisition is CEO Marissa Mayer's latest move to turn around Yahoo since taking the helm after leaving Google. Yahoo promised as part of the deal not to "screw it up," while Tumblr's CEO in turn assured his staff that "we're not turning purple." Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business with David Karp staying on as CEO. In a note to staff, Karp said that the deal will allow Tumblr more resources to draw from and that Mayer and her team "share our dream to make the Internet the ultimate creative canvas." "Plus both our logos end with punctuation!" he wrote, before signing off with a four letter expletive. Read »
NBCNEWS.COM
4 hours ago

Kerry: Diplomatic Missions Dangerous Well Before Benghazi

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6 minutes ago

Character Witness for Jodi Arias Withdraws Amid Death Threats

AP Convicted killer Jodi Arias' childhood friend planned to testify, but decided on Monday that she could not go through with it, NBC News reported. The potential witness Patricia Womack planned to testify about Arias' abusive childhood, but backed out because she said she was receiving death threats and was deeply conflicted about the case. “I couldn’t do it,” she told NBC News in an email. “I feel there is so much good in Jodi to be saved but then also someone’s dear life was taken.” The sentencing phase of Arias' trial continued on Monday to determine whether to sentence her to death or life in prison for the killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. Last week, the jury ruled that Arias acted with extreme cruelty, making her eligible for the death penalty. Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi is attempting to secure a life sentence for his client. Arias was briefly placed on suicide watch after her conviction on May 8. In an interview with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix, Arias said she would "rather get death than life" and that death was the "ultimate freedom." Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
6 hours ago

Small Fla. Town Awaits Reveal of Powerball Winner

NBC 6 South Florida Zephyrhills, Fla., has been known for its bottled water and as a place where thrill seekers come from around the world to skydive. Now the town of 13,337 about 30 miles northeast of Tampa is famous for being where Saturday’s sole winning $590.5 million Powerball ticket was sold. Residents are wondering if one of their neighbors bought the winning ticket at a Publix supermarket. It typically takes days or weeks for big winners to come forward. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:45 AM

“Extremely Challenging” Commute Expected After Conn. Train Crash

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy warned of an “extremely challenging” commute Monday following Friday’s train crash and suggested that those planning to head into New York stay home instead. He said highways in southwest Connecticut could turn into a giant “parking lot” at rush hour should the 30,000 who normally take the train to the Big Apple drive instead, NBC News reported. Malloy said that residents should “plan for a week’s worth of disruptions” as authorities work to repair damage to the Metro-North commuter rail line. Seventy-two people were injured Friday after one train heading east from New York derailed then was struck by a westbound train outside Bridgeport. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:17 AM

North Korea Fires More Missiles, Condemns U.S and South

AP North Korea fired two short-range missiles on Monday, making six launches in three days, Reuters reported. North Korea fired both missiles into the sea off the North's east coast, according to South Korean officials. The launches come after more than two months of threats from North Korea that it would wage a nuclear war against South Korea and the United States. The North Monday reiterated its condemnation of joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises, which ended in late April. "Our military is conducting these exercises in order to cope with the mounting war measures from the U.S. and South Korea, which is the legitimate right of any sovereign country," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying. Get More at NBC News

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
28 minutes ago

Conn. Senator to Live on Food Stamp Budget for a Week

Conn. Senator to Live on Food Stamp Budget for a Week
For the next week, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut plans to live on the equivalent of a food stamp budget to understand what it means to live on a food budget of $4.80 per day. Murphy said he is taking the Food Stamp Challenge, which started on Monday, to better understand how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program works on a personal level, according to a news release. “427,000 people in Connecticut rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families,” Murphy said in a statement. “Spending some time living on this budget gives policymakers a firsthand look at the realities of maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet on an extremely limited budget." Murphy will keep track of his meals and post observations throughout the week via Twitter and Facebook. Read »
Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 6:52 PM
 

I get paid to spoil dreams.  

— Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas after his horse won the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
fire
2 hours ago

Woman Set on Fire at Convenience Store

Woman Set on Fire at Convenience Store
A woman is fighting for her life at a hospital after being set on fire Monday morning inside a North Texas convenience store. Witnesses said a woman walked into the Buy and Save convenience store at the Texaco gas station in Fort Worth and doused the victim with flammable liquid. Witnesses said it "took one second" for the attacker to light the victim on fire after dousing her with the liquid. Witnesses said they couldn't tell how she ignited the fire and didn't say anything to the victim before lighting her on fire. The victim's friend, standing nearby, caught on fire as well. The attacker got into a car that was waiting for her in the parking lot and they drove off. Fort Worth police haven't identified the attacker. Detectives spent seven hours at the store collecting evidence and taking photographs. Read »
fire
2 hours ago

Mayor: Fallen Firefighter Was "A Hero"

Mayor: Fallen Firefighter Was NBC 5 News/Dallas Fire Rescue
The body of a Dallas firefighter who radioed for help after becoming trapped in a burning condominium has been recovered. The firefighter, whose name has not yet been released, was among the 100 Dallas firefighters who responded to a six-alarm fire at the Hearthwood Condominiums at 12363 Abrams Road Monday morning. At about 9:15 a.m., the body of the firefighter was found, covered in an American flag and removed from the rubble. As the firefighter was carried to an ambulance, dozens of firefighters and onlookers flanked either side, removed their helmets and saluted the procession. The DFR ambulance then left the scene with a police escort, but without lights or sirens. Read »
NBCNEWS.COM
2 hours ago

Car Bomb Explosions in Baghdad Kill More Than 60

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5 hours ago

Competency Questions Pile Up for White House

AP President Barack Obama got elected, in part, on pushing the competency of government, which makes the IRS scandal particularly challenging, according to NBC’s First Read team. Click through for First Read's take on which is worse politically, for the scandal to go all the way to the top or for it to be the result of bureaucratic incompetency. Get More at NBC News

hofstra university shot killed home invasion
6 hours ago

Slain Hofstra Student Mourned at Graduation

Slain Hofstra Student Mourned at Graduation
Students at Hofstra University wore white ribbons during their graduation ceremony Sunday to honor a fellow student who was accidentally killed by a police officer confronting an armed intruder.The ceremony was held two days after Andrea Rebello died at her off-campus home in Uniondale. Sunday's commencement began with a moment of silence, and then Hofstra's president read one of Rebello's favorite quotes: "Love the life you live. Live the life you love." On Saturday evening, flags on campus were at half-staff and students held a silent outdoor vigil in front of a photo of Rebello. Students sang "Ave Maria," surrounded by candles and flowers. Rebello was killed when a police officer aiming at the would-be robber opened fire, hitting her as well as the ex-convict, Dalton Smith, who had entered the house. Read »
FBI
2 hours ago

Cause of Quantico-Based FBI Agents' Deaths Still Unknown

Cause of Quantico-Based FBI Agents' Deaths Still Unknown
A spokesman for the medical examiner's office in Norfolk, Va. says it could be several weeks before they know how two agents with the FBI's hostage rescue team died during a training accident off Virginia Beach. Glen McBride confirmed the office is awaiting toxicology reports on both Agent Christopher Lorek and Special Agent Stephen Shaw. Both men, who were a part of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, were on a weeklong training trip in Hampton Roads when they died Friday. The accident happened on a Military Sealift Command ship the FBI leased from the Navy, reported WAVY-TV, citing a Navy spokesperson. The agents were then airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where they were pronouced dead. Read »
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