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A fractured segment of track has been found on the rail line of a Metro-North passenger train from New York that derailed in Connecticut and struck another commuter train, injuring more than 70 people, investigators said on Saturday. Authorities have ruled out foul play in Friday's collision, which occurred during the evening rush hour between the towns of Bridgeport and Fairfield, about 50 miles northeast of New York City.   Further examination is necessary to determine if track damage found at the site of the accident was a cause or effect of the train wreck, but that stretch of rail line had undergone repair work during the past month, officials said. "We don't yet know whether the fractured train track caused the accident, or was caused by it," Earl Weener, a board member for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters at a news conference in Bridgeport. "We do know that the back end of the eastbound train that derailed went over that

Amid the political boiling oil of three simultaneous scandals, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney continued Monday to defend the Obama administration's handling of troubles involving the Departments of Justice, Treasury and State. But reporters' eyebrows raised when he said that White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough knew about abuses taking place in the IRS and decided not to tell the president. In a briefing that started 45 minutes late after a one-hour announced delay, Carney said that 'no one in this building intervened in an ongoing, independent investigation' by the IRS Office of Inspector General, which was examining 'line IRS employees' who were targeting conservative groups for special scrutiny. 'We did not have a copy of the draft report, we did not know the details, the scope, or the motivation surrounding the misconduct,' Carney said. 'And we did not know who was responsible.' But he confirmed that on April 24 Kathy Ruemml

Under pressure to fight sexual assault, the U.S. armed forces in recent years rolled out education programs about proper sexual conduct through methods like role playing and video games. The increase in education has nevertheless failed to prevent what the nation's top general called last week "a crisis" after the Pentagon reported a 37 percent jump in the estimated number of sexual assault cases in 2012.   Moreover, the military suffered deep embarrassment when personnel who worked on preventing sexual assaults were themselves accused of sex crimes this month. On Friday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gave top brass a week to come up with a plan for discussing the problem with all troops and ensuring proper training and credentials for those who deal with new recruits and sexual assault victims. Education campaigns teach service members basics like how to make sure the other party is a willing participant in intimate contact, or how to step in as a bystander if an a

When the Yemen -based branch of al Qaeda placed a bounty on her husband's head, Mary Feierstein learned of it from a friend who called and said, "You must be a mess!" U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein was thousands of miles (km) away at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, without his wife and family on what is called an "unaccompanied" posting.   He is one of more than a thousand U.S. diplomats on such tours of duty in danger spots around the world, part of a trend that is changing the definition of being a diplomat. Over time, his wife has learned to stay calm when the phone rings unexpectedly at her home outside Washington. For nearly five years, she has not lived in the same country as her husband, a career diplomat who specializes in the Middle East and South Asia. After militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen last September, breaking through to the inner building and ripping plaques and lettering from the walls, Feierstein called his wife to tell her he wa

Two children with autism were killed when their home was burnt to the ground in a deadly blaze. Siblings Forrest and Genesis Eppert, who were 8- and 10-years-old respectively, were killed in the Monday morning. Their mother Stephanie was taken to the hospital nearest their Cumberland, Indiana home along with two 19-year-old men and an 11-year-old boy. Victims: Forrest and Genesis Eppert, who were 8- and 10-years-old respectively, were autistic siblings that were killed in the Monday morning fire The mother is in critical condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital as police and fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire. Critical condition: Their mother Stephanie Eppert was taken to the hospital nearest their Cumberland, Indiana home The two teenagers and the 11-year-old boy have not been named but are said to be in stable condition.  The fire broke out at 9.19am on Monday and fire trucks were on the scene within 10 minutes. The Indianapolis Star report

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's cash-hungry capital city, local political battles are waged much as they are across the United States: with big personalities and bare-knuckled verbal brawls. But unlike most cities, Harrisburg's financial troubles have thrust it into the national spotlight, most recently with a slap from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud. Financing for a single incinerator has been driving the city toward insolvency since 2009. The $3.7 trillion U.S. municipal bond market will be watching on Tuesday when Harrisburg, a poster child for mismanaged public finances, holds its Democratic Party primary for mayor. There is no Republican mayoral primary. Whoever leads the city of nearly 50,000 will play a role in how Harrisburg struggles to shrink a mountain of debt while maintaining basic services and paying - or not paying - bondholders.   The mayor must be "willing to work through the problems and get to the next step. In order to do that

The trial of Russian media  magnate Alexander Lebedev got off to a farcical start yesterday when five witnesses refused to give evidence against him. The tycoon – whose family own The Independent and London Evening Standard – pleaded not guilty to a charge of hooliganism and assault ‘based on political hatred’. The allegation relates to a punch  Lebedev, 53, threw at businessman  Sergei Polonsky on a TV talk show. Accused: Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev (front left, pictured leaving a court hearing in Moscow) pleaded not guilty to a charge of hooliganism today Defiant: A witness told the court today that Mr Lebedev had been provoked before hitting Mr Polonsky. Five other witnesses refused to give evidence against him Mr Lebedev, an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, owns Novaya Gazeta, Moscow’s leading investigative publication which regularly exposes state corruption. He is the most high-profile Putin foe  to be dragged through the courts th

A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at 1 in 175 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a suburb of Tampa, according to the Florida Lottery. The winner or winners had not come forward as of Sunday morning, said Connie Barnes, a Florida Lottery spokeswoman. The winning ticket holder's name will become part of the public record because a check will be made out to the winner, but that person or persons need not appear in public to acknowledge the prize, Barnes said. The grand prize, accumulated after two months of drawings, surpassed the previous record Powerball payoff of $587.5 million set in November 2012. T

A North Carolina woman was arrested last week after police say she attempted to poison five of her family members when one of them refused to share some cheese with her. According to a statement from the Nash County Sheriff's Office, 24-year-old Tiara Drake wanted some of a relative's cheese on Friday, but the woman refused to share. The sheriff's office said Drake awakened before the rest of the family the next morning and used a cocktail of detergent, window cleaner and a household cleanser to poison the cheese. The rest of the family made breakfast with the cheese and began eating it before one of them determined it was tainted. Swiss or provolone? Tiara Drake has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly poisoning her family members with tainted cheese The alleged cheese incident appears to be just the latest 'issue' Drake has had with her family in recent months. '[All sic] man i got alot goin on in my mind,' Drake posted on her Fa

A 21-year-old university student who was taken hostage in her apartment and then shot to death during a police standoff with an armed robber on New York's Long Island was killed by a bullet fired from an officer's gun, investigators said on Sunday. Andrea Rebello was shot in the head on Friday by one of eight rounds fired at Dalton Smith, who had the woman in a headlock with a 9mm gun pointed at her head at the time, Nassau County Police Department spokesman James Imperiale said.   Smith, 30, was struck by seven bullets and died in the apartment in Uniondale, about a half a mile from Hofstra University. Rebello, who was studying public relations at Hofstra, was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died. Investigators determined that Smith, who had an extensive criminal history and had been released from prison earlier this year, did not fire his gun during the incident, Imperiale said. Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale traveled to Tarrytown, New York, on

Firefighters in Colorado Springs had quite the operation when they rescued a black bear from a pine tree on Sunday. The bear, which weighed over 150 pounds, was asleep after it was tranquilized before the firefighters used a ladder to bring it down. The rescue occurred at the intersection of Chelton Road and Claremont Street, a residential area just blocks from James Monroe Elementary School. Scroll down for video Heavy load: firefighters first tranquilized the black bear before taking it down from the tree Channeling Yogi or Boo Boo: a female black bear found herself high above a pine tree in Colorado Springs The B-shift crew of the firefighter department was in charge of bringing down the bear Reacting to photos on Twitter one user commented 'bears are the new cats' The firefighters targeted the bear with a tranquilizer gun but the first shot only made her climb up higher. After their second attempt the bear was knocked out. Michael Seraphin,

Police made two major announcements in the investigation into Susan Powell’s disappearance but neither will likely bring her desperate relatives any peace of mind. Investigators said that they officially believe that Josh Powell's brother Michael was 'heavily involved' in Susan's 2009 disappearance, but their theory gives little relief as they announced that they are closing the case. In spite of their bold declaration about their suspicions, there is little for them to go on as Michael killed himself by jumping off of a parking lot in Minneapolis in February, and his brother died when he set fire to the home that he was staying in with his two sons 15 months ago. The police file also revealed that Josh Powell had an affair with a different Utah woman about six or seven months before Susan Powell disappeared. Case closed but not solved: Police formally said that they are putting the active investigation into Susan Powell's disappearance aside but say that he

Greenwich Village, the birthplace of the U.S. gay rights movement, remained in shock on Sunday over the shooting death of a gay man by a gunman who police said uttered anti-gay slurs before targeting the victim. Mark Carson, 32, was shot dead in Greenwich Village around midnight on Friday in what police are calling a hate crime. Others say it could be a backlash against the recent advance of gay marriage laws across the United States. The Manhattan neighborhood has long been a haven for bohemians and artists, and its Stonewall Inn has been a landmark for gay rights since a 1969 clash when patrons of the gay bar resisted a police raid. Sympathizers built a shrine to Carson on Sunday, leaving cards, candles and flowers at the spot where he was killed, on Sixth Avenue at Eighth Street. "This is supposed to be like the world's capital where it's OK to be gay," said Josh Steinman, 42, who paused for a moment in front of the memorial. The attack marked the 22nd anti-

An 87-year-old woman who alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a skyscraper-condo sale told jurors Monday she had qualms about suing the real estate mogul and TV celebrity. But, she quickly added, "Somebody had to stand up to him." Jacqueline Goldberg's comment came during her second and final day on the stand at a civil trial examining her claim that Trump perpetrated a bait-and-switch as she bought properties at the glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower in downtown Chicago.The case pits the grandmotherly Goldberg against a New Yorker who revels in his image as a big talker with big ideas. Trump fosters his no-nonsense persona in the catch phrase he uses to boot contestants off his "Apprentice" TV show – "You're fired!" Bait and switch: Jacqueline Goldberg, 87, leaves the federal building in Chicago after testifying in a lawsuit alleging that Donald Trump cheated her in a bait-and-switch scheme A defiant, often agitated Trump testifi

A dangerous, half mile-wide hurricane struck near Oklahoma City Sunday afternoon, part of an extreme weather system moving through the central U.S. and stretching from north Texas to Minnesota. At 6:12 p.m. Central Standard time, the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma issued an insistent alert on Twitter about tornado striking Pink, a town on the edge of Oklahoma City.   "Large tornado west of Pink!" the post read. "Take cover RIGHT NOW in Pink! DO NOT WAIT!" The storm system had been building for hours when a "large tornado" touched down near Wichita, Kansas at 3:45 Central Standard time, according to a weather service alert. "Exceptionally powerful, severe thunderstorms capable of destructive hail as large as baseballs ... are likely ... especially over southeast Kansas this evening," another NWS advisory warned. Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska are all in the path of the storm system, which could produce up to 80

Thousands of Connecticut commuters should brace for travel chaos on Monday as Metro-North workers repair damage on the United States' busiest rail line caused by the collision of two trains, officials warned on Sunday. Lengthy detours and hours of traffic backups were likely as many daily train commuters take to the road, officials said. The Friday derailment of a Metro-North passenger train that struck a commuter train between Fairfield and Bridgeport, Connecticut, injured more than 70 people and halted full service on the line indefinitely. The Monday commute will be "extremely challenging and I am activating the state's Emergency Management System. There will be serious disruptions all week, and I would encourage anyone who can, to stay home, if possible," Governor Dannel Malloy told a news conference.   The Connecticut Department of Transportation was preparing a plan to accommodate commuters. The agency, as well as Malloy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal,

A University of Rhode Island student on his way home to Pennsylvania for summer vacation vanished last week just 40 miles from his parents' home in a quiet suburb of Philadelphia. Matthew Royer, 21, was last seen about 2 a.m. Friday leaving a gas station near Allentown, Pennsylvania, just North of his family's home. He hasn't been seen or heard from since. Royer left the university about 6 p.m. Thursday, after text messaging his mother to say that he'd slept late and was getting ready to leave. Missing: 21-year-old University of Rhode Island student Matthew Royer disappeared while driving home to Pennsylvania early Friday morning   More... Former Yahoo! employee killed after falling from roof during San Francisco's booze-infused 'Bay to Breakers' party Texas school district waited 21 MONTHS to inform parents of sex assault on campus after the victim's grandmother advertised the attacks on her CAR Fraternity faces trial over teenage boy's

The man charged with accompanying a bus full of kids en route home after a Bat Mitzvah became enraged when a kid threw a piece of candy and his filthy-mouthed tirade was secretly recorded. 'Who did it,' the enraged man can be heard demanding as a phone begins recording audio of the profanity-laced tirade. It was a Saturday night bus ride as 12 and 13-year-old boys rode home to Scarsdale, New York after a Manhattan Bat Mitzvah. A piece of candy, some say an M&M, had reportedly just zipped through the air towards the driver and the male chaperone. SCROLL DOWN FOR AUDIO... Overreaction: A busload of kids en route from Manhattan to Scarsdale, New York were shocked as their chaperone went on an expletive-filled tirade because of a thrown piece of candy The man's demand became a bizarre threat. 'One more time, you will die, you will bleed, out of your f--king nose!' According to local blog Scarsdale10583, the man was the 'brother of the Bat Mitzvah hosts&#