Lafayette

Vows of peace, fears of violence at Virginia gun rally

The top Republican in Virginia's lower house said that any group planning to incite violence at a large gun rights rally on Monday in Richmond should stay home, while far-right leaders of militias planning to attend swore they were coming in peace. Richmond was braced on Sunday for the rally, aimed at showing gun enthusiasts' disdain for swift moves the newly Democrat-controlled legislature is making to pass stiffer gun laws - and many residents feared a repeat of violence seen at a white supremacist rally in nearby Charlottesville in 2017. Other leaders of well-known militias also vowed they were not seeking confrontations in Richmond.

Major storm moves offshore while cold air rushes in behind, new Western storm brews in Pacific

While some of these alerts will expire early this morning, many will remain in place throughout the day due to high winds driving lake effect snow in the typical lake effect regions through Sunday evening. This morning, lake effect snow is blowing off the Great Lakes and impacting parts of I-80 and I-90 in western Pennsylvania and New York State. As the storm system continues to push offshore through Sunday, gusty winds will bring in cold air down from the Arctic region.

Stepfather shoots son in stomach during alleged domestic dispute

A 38-year-old man is in critical condition after his own stepfather allegedly shot him during a dispute in their home. The incident occurred on Saturday evening when police responded to a call in Harris County, Texas, that a man had been shot in his stomach, according to ABC News' Houston station KTRK. When police arrived on the scene they found a man with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Controversial group ADOS divides black Americans in fight for economic equality

Reparations and the lingering racial wealth gap have been conversations largely within the black American community. Both issues have received wider attention of late, particularly among the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates. All the Democratic presidential candidates, except for former Vice President Joe Biden, said they support legislation to at least study the issue of reparations.

Fire at Czech asylum for mentally ill kills 8 patients

A fire swept through a Czech asylum for the mentally ill on Sunday, killing eight male patients, officials said. Prokop Volenik, spokesman for the regional rescue service, said the fire in the northwestern town of Vejprty broke out early Sunday before 5 a.m. (0400 GMT). There were 35 patients and three staff members at the home at the time of the fire, officials said.

China will increase imports from U.S. according to 'market principles': official

China will negotiate with American companies and increase imports of U.S. goods and products according to market principles, an official with its state planner said on Sunday. The United States has high quality supply in the fields of energy, manufactured goods, agricultural products, medical care and financial services, said Meng Wei, spokesperson for China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), at a press conference on Sunday. China will boost purchases of U.S. goods and services by $200 billion over two years in exchange for the rolling back of some tariffs under an initial trade deal between the world's two largest economies.

Woman injures 2 after allegedly driving into traffic as a test of faith

A woman in Pennsylvania allegedly drove her car into oncoming traffic as a test of her faith in God and showed no remorse for her actions, according to authorities. The incident occurred on Jan. 7 near Weatherly, Pennsylvania when 31-year-old Nadejda Reilly drove into oncoming traffic on Route 93, according to ABC News’ Pittsburgh affiliate station WTAE. An investigator who spoke to Reilly said that she told him she had been driving around for several hours waiting for a calling from God when she decided to take action into her own hands and drive into an oncoming vehicle.

SpaceX to try rocket failure test again after bad weather delay

Elon Musk's SpaceX will try again on Sunday to destroy one of its own rockets in a test of a crucial emergency abort system, a day after bad weather forced the company to delay its final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from U.S. soil. If the test goes ahead, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, an acorn-shaped pod that can seat seven astronauts, will fire thrusters to detach itself from a Falcon 9 rocket less than two minutes after liftoff, simulating an emergency abort scenario to prove it can return astronauts to safety. The test is crucial to qualify the capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, a feat the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to come as soon as mid-2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan no longer 'working members' of royal family: All your burning questions answered

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will start this spring on the "next chapter of their lives" in which they are no longer "working members" of Britain's royal family, Buckingham Palace announced Saturday. "Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family," Queen Elizabeth said in her own statement, referring to the couple's 8-month-old son.

Late actor Paul Walker's vehicles garner $2.33 million at Arizona auction

Twenty-one vehicles owned by the late actor Paul Walker, who starred in the popular "Fast and Furious" movie franchise, sold for a combined $2.33 million during spirited bidding at an annual car auction in Arizona, officials said. The collection assembled by Walker posted strong results at the week-long Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, with an Alpine White 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight fetching the top single price of $385,000 in the final day of sales on Saturday. Walker, an avid car enthusiast, was a passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by Roger Rodas when the vehicle careened into trees and a utility pole in Santa Clarita, northwest of Los Angeles, killing both men in November 2013.

Giuliani associate Parnas texted with Trump campaign donors, including about Ukraine efforts

Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas was in contact with at least two major Trump campaign donors-- one with an official role in the Republican National Committee-- during his efforts to pressure Ukraine into opening politically motivated investigations, documents released by the House Intelligence committee this week revealed. Parnas' interactions with the two men, Harry Sargeant III and Tommy Hicks Jr. -- who have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to fundraising vehicles for the president -- provides more fuel to assertions by the president’s critics that political motives – and not the nation’s foreign policy goals -- drove the efforts in Ukraine.

Australian government says to support tourism industry as bushfires recede

MELBOURNE/KANAGAROO ISLAND, Australia (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Sunday it will provide financial aid to the country's tourism sector that's been badly hit by long-lasting bushfires, as business owners fretted about cancellations that stretch into the months ahead. "People have stopped coming," said Tony Coppins, owner of Kangaroo Island Safari and Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari, adding that he had received cancellations for February and March. A fire earlier this month scorched more than 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) on the island, located off the coast of South Australia, in blazes described as "hell on earth".

'Simply a lie,' Biden accuses Sanders campaign of releasing 'doctored' video

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accused rival Bernie Sanders's campaign on Saturday of disseminating a "doctored" video edited to falsely appear to show the former vice president supporting cutting Social Security, and called on the Sanders campaign to disown it. In response, Sanders' campaign refused to back down and continued to cite the video as evidence that Biden wants to limit the government-run retirement and disability program. With about two weeks until the primary selection process kicks off in Iowa, Sanders and his campaign have ramped up their attacks on opponents, escalating their criticism of Biden and fellow liberal U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.

In impeachment document, Democrats say Trump endangers security, Trump denies

WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. lawmakers leading the impeachment case against Republican President Donald Trump said on Saturday the president must be removed from office to protect national security and preserve the country’s system of government. In a 111-page document filed before Trump's Senate trial begins in earnest on Tuesday, the lawmakers laid out their arguments supporting charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress against the president. "The Senate should convict and remove President Trump to avoid serious and long term damage to our democratic values and the nation's security," the lawmakers said, for the first time formally calling for the Senate to convict the president and remove him from office.