US mulls revamp of rescue program

US mulls revamp of rescue program

WASHINGTON

The White House is considering revamping its overseas hostage-rescue program after CIA drone strikes that mistakenly killed an American and an Italian held captive by terrorists in Pakistan, the latest incident to reveal gaps in U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

A key proposal would create an interagency task force to better coordinate efforts by the FBI, the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies to find and free abduction victims, including a Pennsylvania woman who is believed to be a Taliban captive in Afghanistan.

Judge may toss out Michael Brown suit

CLAYTON, Mo.

A Missouri judge gave strong indications Friday that he might toss a lawsuit by four activists seeking an independent investigation of a prosecutor’s handling of grand jury proceedings in the Michael Brown shooting case.

St. Louis County Circuit Judge Joseph Walsh III heard 90 minutes of arguments before deciding to resume the hearing May 29. But he told the activists’ attorneys that an outside investigation may be unnecessary, since the U.S. Justice Department reached the same conclusion as the county grand jury that declined to prosecute Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old.

The activists want Judge Walsh to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate what they claim was misconduct by county prosecutor Robert McCulloch.

All-clear after threat at Statue of Liberty

NEW YORK

A bomb threat made by an anonymous 911 caller forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists Friday from the Statue of Liberty, but a thorough sweep of the landmark by investigators turned up no explosives.

The caller made the threat late Friday morning, “stating they were going to blow up the Statue of Liberty,” the National Park Service said in a statement.

Federal police, including two canine units, investigated and the dogs found “an area of interest” in a locker area at the statue’s base, the agency said. Law enforcement then decided to evacuate the island as a precaution.

Nothing harmful was found in the lockers, according to New York Police Department spokesman Steve Davis.

1st ‘preppers’ expo taking place in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY

Hundreds of survivalists and “preppers” are gathering in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy for the first PrepperCon, featuring demonstrations of underground bunkers, food storage and armored vehicles.

Scott Stallings, one of the show’s founders, says the event Friday and today was inspired by the success of ComicCon and is amping up the entertainment with the hope of attracting younger people who may not be enthusiasts of food storage and other survivalist strategies.

1 sailor dies, 1 hurt while training

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.

One sailor has died and another has been seriously injured while training in a swimming pool at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, officials say.

The two were found unresponsive Friday at the bottom of the base’s Combat Swimmer Training Facility, which personnel use for fitness training. Both were assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group Two, which contains SEAL teams.

Combined dispatches