California
Teams assess damage as massive wildfire burns
POLLOCK PINES, Calif. – Assessment teams hoped to get an idea Saturday of just how many structures have been damaged or destroyed by a massive wildfire that threatens thousands of homes in Northern California.
While officials confirmed that several structures have been lost in what is being called the King Fire, dangerous conditions have prevented them from determining an exact number, fire spokesman Mike McMillian said. The blaze began one week ago, and a man accused of starting the blaze is being held on $10 million bail.
Although record amounts of retardant have been dropped on the fire that’s about 60 miles from Sacramento, the blaze spread another 6 square miles overnight as forecasters said smoke from it could be seen in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly 5,000 firefighters – from as far as Florida and Alaska – are helping California crews battle the blaze.
Washington, D.C.
Agents nab intruder who darted into White House
WASHINGTON – An intruder made it through the front door of the White House after scaling the mansion’s fence Friday night before Secret Service agents apprehended him. The first family was not in the residence.
The embarrassed agency promised a full review while new questions arose about its ability to protect the president.
President Barack Obama and his daughters had just left the White House for Camp David when a man, identified by the Secret Service as Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, climbed the north fence, darted across the lawn and into the residence.
Gonzalez was charged with unlawful entry into the White House complex and transported to a nearby hospital complaining of chest pain.
CIA says it is stopping spying on friendly European nations
WASHINGTON – Stung by the backlash over a German caught selling secrets to the U.S. and the revelations of surveillance by the National Security Agency, the CIA has stopped spying on friendly governments in Western Europe, according to current and former U.S. officials.
The pause in decades of espionage was designed to give CIA officers time to examine whether they were being careful enough and to evaluate whether spying on allies is worth running the risk of discovery, said a U.S. official who has been briefed on the situation.
The CIA declined to comment.
Illinois
Pope chooses a moderate for Chicago archbishop
CHICAGO – As the leader of two American dioceses, Roman Catholic Bishop Blase Cupich has staked out a firm position in the middle of the road.
He has spoken out against same-sex marriage and against conservative hostility toward gay-rights advocates. He has opposed abortion, while urging parishioners and priests to have patience, not disdain, for those who disagree. And he has criticized fellow U.S. bishops who threatened to shut down religious charities instead of pursuing a compromise with the White House over health-care policies that go against Catholic teaching.
On Saturday, Pope Francis named Cupich as the next archbishop of Chicago, sending a strong signal about the direction that the pontiff is taking the church.
Cupich will succeed Cardinal Francis George, 77, an aggressive defender of orthodoxy. The appointment is Francis’ first major mark on American Catholic leadership.
Associated Press
