Final juror cuts in Colo. shooting trial
Final juror cuts in Colo. shooting trial
CENTENNIAL, Colo.
The months-long process of selecting a jury in the Colorado theater shooting case is nearing its end, the judge said as the pool of prospective jurors, once numbering 9,000, was reduced to 93 Monday.
Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. said he anticipates a 12-member jury could be seated as soon as today in the trial of James Holmes. The judge also is seeking 12 alternate jurors for a trial that could last through the summer.
Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 20, 2012, attack that killed 12 people and injured 70. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and opening statements are set for April 27.
UN to vote on arms embargo on rebels
UNITED NATIONS
The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote today on a draft resolution that would impose an arms embargo on leaders of Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels and their key supporters, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son.
The resolution is aimed at ending the Houthis’ military campaign against supporters of the embattled current president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and the rebels’ attempt to take over the strategic Mideast country.
Survey: Nearly 9 in 10 have insurance
WASHINGTON
Underlining a change across the nation, nearly 9 out of 10 adults now say they have health insurance, according to an extensive survey released Monday.
As recently as 2013, slightly more than 8 out of 10 had coverage.
Whether the new number from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index turns out to be a high-water mark for President Barack Obama’s health care law, or a milestone on the path toward his goal of getting virtually all U.S. residents covered, remains to be seen.
The law’s future still is up in the air and will turn on factors ranging from an upcoming Supreme Court decision on consumer subsidies to actions by Republican leaders in states opposed to Medicaid expansion.
Tenn. AG: Bible can’t be official book
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Tennessee’s attorney general says a bill seeking to make the Bible the state’s official book would violate separation of church and state provisions in the federal and state constitutions.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the legal opinion issued by Attorney General Herbert Slatery on Monday, a day before the full House is scheduled to vote on the measure sponsored by freshman Republican Rep. Jerry Sexton of Bean Station.
Obama to visit his 50th state, S. Dakota
WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama will complete a rare presidential run though all 50 states when he delivers the commencement address at a South Dakota community college next month.
Amid much speculation over when he’d finally make it to South Dakota, Obama used an interview Monday with KSFY, the ABC-affiliated TV station in Sioux Falls, to break the news himself.
Plane returns after worker is trapped
SEATTLE
An airport worker who fell asleep and found himself trapped in a plane’s cargo hold forced a Los Angeles-bound Alaska Airlines flight to return to Seattle on Monday afternoon.
Flight 448 had just taken off when the pilot heard banging from down below, the airline said in a statement. The captain immediately returned to Seattle-Tacoma International and declared an emergency for priority landing.
After the plane landed, a ramp agent came out from the front cargo hold.
“Upon exiting, he told authorities he had fallen asleep,” the airline said.
Associated Press