Suspect in U.S. cop killings is shot dead by police
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A man accused of gunning down four police officers was shot and killed by authorities on Tuesday in a case that could affect a potential 2012 U.S. presidential candidate who granted him clemency in the past. Maurice Clemmons, wanted in the Sunday morning fatal shootings of four officers in a coffee shop near Tacoma, Washington, was shot dead by a police officer in south Seattle, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said.
NY mob son Gotti eludes conviction for fourth time
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The trial of John "Junior" Gotti on murder and racketeering charges ended in a mistrial on Tuesday, allowing the prominent mob figure to elude conviction in his fourth racketeering trial in five years. John A. Gotti, 45, the son of late notorious Gambino crime family boss John J. Gotti, escaped conviction on charges of ordering or taking part in the drug-related killings of two men in 1988 and 1991 and racketeering conspiracy that included murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion and drug dealing.
Couple denies "crashing" White House state dinner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The couple who drew international attention by getting into a White House dinner without an invitation denied on Tuesday that they gate-crashed the high-security gala. "We were invited, not crashers, and there isn't anyone that would have the audacity or the poor behavior to do that. The White House is 'the house' and no one would do that, certainly not us," said Michaele Salahi, who appeared with her husband Tareq on NBC's "Today" show.
Ex-lawyer charged in $1.2 billion Florida Ponzi scheme
MIAMI (Reuters) - A disbarred Florida lawyer surrendered to the FBI on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges he bilked investors out of $1.2 billion in a Ponzi scheme that funded his luxury lifestyle and political largess. Scott Rothstein, who fled to Morocco in late October but returned to Florida in early November, was denied bond during a brief appearance before a federal magistrate in Fort Lauderdale.
U.S. unemployed face higher healthcare premiums
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of unemployed U.S. workers face sharply higher health insurance premiums and loss of coverage as temporary federal subsidies expire, a healthcare advocacy group said on Tuesday. With the U.S. unemployment rate topping 10 percent, FamiliesUSA is urging Congress to extend a measure that helps laid-off workers maintain employer-sponsored health coverage with a 65 percent subsidy on their insurance premiums.
Former lawyer charged in $1 billion Florida Ponzi scheme