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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency late Tuesday after a series of tornadoes pummeled the upper Midwestern state, injuring more than 15 people. ... The state of emergency was issued for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch and Cass counties and will help emergency teams coordinate resources to aid cleanup efforts. ... "On the scene, we found 176 damaged homes in the mobile home property. It looks like 15 to 17 have been totally destroyed." Sheriff Fuller added that several injuries have been reported, but none appear to be life-threatening.

D.C. police took down a pro-Palestinian encampment at The George Washington University early Wednesday morning and arrested 33 protesters, D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith announced during a news conference Wednesday. … The police chief said there were many indicators that the protests were becoming more volatile, outlining intelligence that officers had been collecting over the past few days. “This started last Thursday, when a GW campus police officer was pushed by protesters and an item was grabbed out of the police officers hand during the performance of her duties,” Smith said. Officers reported that members of the pro-Palestinian protests assaulted...

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a stern warning to the state of Iowa: halt the enforcement of a controversial new immigration law, or face a federal lawsuit. This legal showdown is poised over Iowa’s recent enactment of Senate File 2340, which criminalizes “illegal reentry” into the state by undocumented immigrants—a move the DOJ deems a violation of the Constitution. … Governor Reynolds has defended the law, Iowa needed the law because of the Biden administration’s poor record on immigration. “The only reason we had to pass this law is because the Biden administration refuses to enforce the...

Police believe killer Joel Cauchi was 'targeting women' after fatally stabbing six people in a horror rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction. … The 40-year-old's motives have yet to be confirmed, but a police source claims investigators believe Cauchi was 'definitely targeting women'. The source explained police had viewed extensive footage of Cauchi's movements throughout the shopping centre and observed him selecting his victims. 'I don't think there's any other way to look at it,' the source told the Daily Telegraph. 'You can see on the footage he walks past other people. He just keeps moving past them and then attacks...

When 61 law enforcement trainees graduated last month from Fairfax County’s Criminal Justice Training Academy, including county police officers and some from smaller departments in Fairfax, each received a certificate signed by the academy’s director, county police Maj. Wilson Lee, who is Chinese American. Lee, whose given name is Lee Wai-Shun, signed the certificates in Chinese, as he typically does. Among those who received certificates March 7 were three new officers from the Herndon town police force — the first trainees from that department to attend the academy since Lee took command more than a year ago. When Herndon Police...

…. “ A passenger, @DonnieDoesWorld, posted a picture saying a man tried to aggressively open the airplane door so he and five other people wrestled him down in the aisle until they landed back in Albuquerque safely. Another picture shows the man being led off the jet bridge.” … “ The FBI issued the following statement, but did not provide any additional information: “The Albuquerque Division of the FBI is aware of the incident and we are currently investigating.”

(Overview of event page)

“ Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for a prominent general slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, killing at least 103 people and wounding at least 141 others as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.” …. “ The blasts struck an event marking the the fourth anniversary of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force. who died in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. The explosions occurred near his grave site in Kerman.” …...

Live cam from Israel of attack on northern Gaza, with comments by Steve somebody. Very big explosions

GAZA, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Two American hostages freed on Friday by the armed wing of Hamas were identified as Chicago-area residents Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, who Israel said were en route to a military base in central Israel to be reunited with family. …….. Hamas has said it took about 200 hostages during a deadly Oct. 7 rampage carried out from the Gaza Strip on communities and military bases in southern Israel, part of the bloodiest attack on the country since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The Iranian-backed militia has said 50 more captives are...

“ WASHINGTON (7News) — The U.S. Secret Service detained a person Monday night after they reportedly drove a U-Haul truck into security barriers in D.C. Shortly after 10 p.m., Secret Service said the driver crashed their truck into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street. From a tweet in the article: “ Figured someone may have accidentally crashed until the U-Haul backed up and once again tried to break through the barriers.” It’s quite a large UHaul truck, but given the intellectual ability of most of the people here in the DC area, it’s probable...

A U-2 pilot flying high above the Chinese spy balloon took a close-up photo of the large white orb just a day before the Air Force shot it down off the South Carolina coast.

Dallas police are preparing for demonstrations Friday night following the release of video of the arrest of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose death led to murder charges for five Memphis police officers. …

No USA Today excerpt. Link only.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Police in Richmond, Virginia, said Wednesday that they thwarted a planned July 4 mass shooting after receiving a tip that led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of multiple guns — an announcement that came just two days after a deadly mass shooting on the holiday in a Chicago suburb. … Police initiated an investigation, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI, which led to the arrests of two men on charges of being a non-U.S. citizen in possession of a firearm. Additional charges are possible, Smith said. Officers seized...

Just heard on NBC 4 DC 11:00 news that 22,000 ballots were put into ballot boxes on the Tuesday of the primaries. Bowser only leads by 10,000. Several other races are much closer. I have not found another source for this, but I expect to hear more later. HA HA HA HA !!!!!!!

Police on Friday identified a suspected serial killer in the deaths of at least four people whose remains have been found in Fairfax County and Harrisonburg, Virginia. .... Anthony Robinson, 35, has been in custody at the Rockingham County Jail, more than 100 miles from Fairfax, since late November, police said Friday. .... The man police called the “Shopping Cart Killer” meets victims from online dating sites at motels before killing them and transporting their remains in shopping carts to “their final resting place,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference Friday afternoon. ... Police said...

Police in Northern Virginia are increasing their presence around shopping malls and high-volume roads and transit areas in response to a purported threat from ISIS. A law enforcement source told CBS News the recent threat against a mall in Northern Virginia this Halloween weekend originated from ISIS. It is the basis for a law enforcement-sensitive alert that was issued. ……. “We have an election coming up next Tuesday where we’ll have increased patrols throughout the next several days out of an abundance of caution, because that’s what we do as a public safety agency,” Davis said.

Severe storms, including tornadoes, today left a path of destruction across parts of central Alabama, and left at least five people dead in Calhoun County. ... At a 10 p.m. press conference, Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said the path of the storm extended from River Road in Ohatchee through Wellington to Kimberly Road in Piedmont. He said all search and rescue efforts have ended for the night, but authorities are unaware of any unreported damage.

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