WASHINGTON – With Democrats applying election-year pressure to act on gun control, Republican Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday the House will vote next week on a GOP proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from obtaining firearms.
Ryan’s plan, which he described during a conference call with Republican lawmakers, seems unlikely to quell the partisan showdown that has intensified since the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Two Republicans said the House is expected to vote on legislation resembling a National Rifle Association-backed bill that the Senate rejected last week after it was opposed by most Democrats.
Ryan, R-Wis., said the House will consider broad legislation also aimed at preventing extremist groups from radicalizing and recruiting sympathizers. He said lawmakers will also vote on a measure aimed at buttressing mental health programs.
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. – The military base outside Washington where the presidential plane Air Force One is stationed was temporarily locked down Thursday after an “active shooter” report that turned out to be a false alarm.
The report stemmed from someone who made a distress call after seeing security forces doing a routine inspection. The confusion was heightened by a planned active-shooter drill at Joint Base Andrews that had not yet begun. Officials said in a Facebook post Thursday that there was no shooter and no threat to the base or workers there.
The base about 20 miles from Washington was placed on lockdown about 9 a.m. About an hour and a half later, the military post tweeted that the lockdown had been lifted, except for the medical building where the active shooter was reported. In a later statement, the base confirmed there was no gunman.
LONDON – In a real-life political drama mixing Shakespearean tragedy with “House of Cards,” Britain’s victorious anti-EU campaigner Boris Johnson saw his chances of leading his country evaporate Thursday after the defection of a key ally.
The former London mayor dropped his campaign to become Conservative Party leader and prime minister after Justice Secretary Michael Gove abruptly withdrew his support for Johnson and announced he would run himself.
Johnson, a prominent campaigner for Britain’s withdrawal from the 28-nation European Union, told a news conference where he was expected to announce his candidacy that the next Conservative leader would need to unite the party and ensure Britain’s standing in the world.
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has signed a rescue package for financially strapped Puerto Rico, which is facing more than $70 billion in debt and a major payment due Friday.
Obama signed the bill Thursday, hours after it won final passage in the Senate on Wednesday night. He says the bill isn’t perfect but is an important first step to help the U.S. territory and its 3½ million citizens avoid plunging into an even deeper crisis.
The bipartisan bill crafted after months of work creates an oversight board that will supervise some debt restructuring and negotiate with creditors. It temporarily blocks creditor lawsuits.
JERUSALEM – A Palestinian youth sneaked into a fortified Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday, broke into a home and stabbed to death a 13-year-old Israeli-American girl as she slept in bed before frantic security guards arrived and killed him.
The girl, identified as Hallel Yaffa Ariel, became the youngest Israeli victim of a nine-month wave of violence that has seen dozens of Palestinian attacks.
The early-morning stabbing, carried out by a 17-year-old Palestinian high school dropout, was among the most brazen attacks so far, drawing angry accusations and calls from Israeli leaders for the world to condemn the incident.
WASHINGTON – Federal officials say the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system has been killed in a collision with a truck, the first U.S. self-driving car fatality.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says preliminary reports indicate the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer rig made a left turn in front of the Tesla at a highway intersection.
NHTSA says the crash took place on May 7 in Williston, Florida.
Associated Press
