Police: Black teen’s death is hate crime

Police: Black teen’s death is hate crime

PORTLAND, Ore.

An Oregon man and his girlfriend accused of intentionally running down a black teen after an altercation in a convenience-store parking lot face new hate-crime charges alleging they targeted the victim because of his race.

Russell Orlando Courtier, 38, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of first- and second-degree intimidation in the death of Larnell Malik Bruce, court documents say. Colleen Hunt, 35, who was in the passenger seat, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree intimidation.

Under Oregon law, a charge of intimidation means the defendants are accused of acting based on their perception of the victim’s race, color, religion or disability.

The two had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in the death of 19-year-old Bruce, of Vancouver, Wash.

British man pleads guilty in Trump attack in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS

A British man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. federal court to trying to grab a police officer’s gun and open fire at a June campaign rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump in Las Vegas.

Standing before a judge in orange jail clothes with the word “detainee” across his back, Michael Steven Sandford acknowledged that he has been treated in the past for mental illness.

Court documents say Sandford previously told a federal agent that he drove from California to Las Vegas with a plan to kill Trump.

“I plead guilty, your honor,” Sandford told U.S. District Judge James Mahan when asked for his plea to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and disrupting an official function.

Sandford didn’t get the gun before he was arrested, and no shots were fired.

Sentencing was set for Dec. 13 and Sandford was ordered to remain in federal custody.

$4M settlement is reached for gas leak

LOS ANGELES

A utility that owns a well that leaked massive amounts of natural gas and drove thousands of families from their Los Angeles homes pleaded no contest to a criminal charge Tuesday as part of a $4 million settlement with prosecutors.

The deal requires Southern California Gas Co. to adopt a leak-monitoring system at its Aliso Canyon facility that goes beyond federal and state requirements, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said.

The company pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of failing to immediately report the gas leak to state officials when it was discovered Oct. 23. The utility waited three days before notifying the state, prosecutors said.

The well that wasn’t plugged until February led more than 8,000 families to move out of their homes in the San Fernando Valley. Many experienced headaches, nosebleeds and nausea during the event that scientists said was the largest known release of climate-changing methane in U.S. history.

Israel to get $38B in US military aid

washington

The U.S. will provide Israel’s military with $38 billion during the next 10 years, officials said Tuesday, the largest batch of military assistance the U.S. has ever pledged to another country.

After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the State Department said the two countries had reached a 10-year agreement, with a signing ceremony planned for today. The U.S. and Israel haven’t disclosed the exact sum, but officials familiar with the deal said it totals $3.8 billion a year — up from the $3.1 billion the U.S. gave Israel annually under the previous 10-year deal.

Associated Press