Author: rpnadmin

GOLDEN, Colo. — A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling into question the validity of hundreds of criminal cases. Yvonne “Missy” Woods entered guilty pleas to committing a cybercrime, perjury, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery. Dozens of other counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Woods was set to stand trial later this year. Instead, she’ll face between 8 and 16 years in prison when she’s sentenced in…

NEW YORK — Democratic incumbents are facing spirited challenges Tuesday in at least two of New York’s congressional primaries, the latest proving ground in the high-stakes fight between the progressive left and the party establishment over the Democratic Party’s future. U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat are both seeking to stave off candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist who’s testing the limits of his growing political muscle in the state’s first batch of elections since he took office in January. Mamdani and his slate are promising to push the Democratic Party further left…

NEW YORK — A high school senior who admitted to setting a fire that severely burned a homeless man on the subway was sentenced Tuesday in Manhattan federal court to 5 1/2 years in prison. Judge Lewis J. Liman gave Hiram Carrero, 19, a sentence that was longer than the mandatory minimum required for arson, after the teen plead guilty in March to the charge. The early morning fire on Dec. 1, 2025, came among a series of attacks with people set on fire on public transit across the U.S. In a presentence submission, prosecutors requested he serve up to…

Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is facing fresh criticism after audio from a 2021 podcast interview resurfaced in which he described himself as “a Christian who hates Christianity.” The audio, shared by the Republican National Committee’s research arm, has intensified scrutiny over Mr. Talarico’s theological views as he faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 2026 general election. Mr. Talarico made the remarks as a guest on the “Activist Theology” podcast hosted by Roberto Che Henderson-Espinoza, a self-described nonbinary, transgender, Latinx theologian who previously taught courses including “Queer Theory and Theology” and “The Ethics of Liberation”…

ATLANTA — Georgia will stick with an embattled vote-counting method that relies on a QR code for this year’s midterm elections after lawmakers passed legislation Tuesday that put off making changes until 2028. The votes in the state House and Senate came after lawmakers limited a provision that requires a hand recount of ballots in certain races. Leaders in the Republican-controlled Legislature said their plan to delay action on the vote-counting equipment had the support of the governor, Republican Brian Kemp. Kemp had called lawmakers into a special session in part to address a July 1 deadline that was set…

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit challenging New York’s mask ban, which bars federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces. The DOJ labels the restriction unconstitutional. The Empire State’s law, set to take effect Friday, would subject U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other federal officials to criminal penalties. Federal officers would face “harassment, tracking, intimidation, and assaults” under the law, according to the 40-page complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. “Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills…

Federal agents arrested two more men in connection with the foiled terrorist attack that sought to kill President Trump and other high-level officials at the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House earlier this month. The Department of Justice said they took William Lee Spartacus Falkner, of Washington state, and Jordan W. Rincker, of Missouri, into custody after the two were accused of helping hatch the plot that sought to use explosive drones and sniper ambushes at the historic cagefight. “Law enforcement continues to do what it does — move to disrupt and hold accountable those allegedly plotting…

Two opposing factions in the artificial intelligence industry square off in a Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani tests his political clout by backing fellow democratic socialists. And President Trump, after two of his chosen candidates for governor lost Republican primaries this month, ensured it won’t happen again — by endorsing both candidates in a South Carolina runoff. Those are a few of the races to watch on Tuesday as voters head to the polls for primaries in Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah. Manhattan House primary is a bellwether for pro-AI…

OMAHA, Nebraska — The last eight American passengers who endured 42 days in a specialized hospital quarantine unit after exposure to an unusual hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that killed three people have left the Nebraska facility. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials on Monday confirmed the end of the quarantine. “Through close collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, HHS helped protect the American people, contain potential risks, and bring this response effort to a successful conclusion,” HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in an email. More than 120 people were evacuated from the MV Hondius in…

BOGOTA, Colombia — Trump-endorsed outsider Abelardo de la Espriella appears to have won Colombia’s presidential election, making Colombia the latest country in Latin America to have chosen more conservative leadership. Mr. de la Espriella was leading over rival Ivan Cepeda by about one percentage point — about 251,000 votes — with nearly all votes counted Monday. Officials have not yet declared a winner. Mr. Cepeda has challenged the results, but that review is unlikely to change the outcome. Mr. de la Espriella campaigned on a tough-on-crime approach, which includes proposals like canceling peace talks with Colombian rebel groups and building…