Nation and world news in brief for Friday, March 22, 2024

Police track down escaped Idaho prison gang member, accomplice

(AP) Police have arrested two white supremacist gang members following an attack on corrections officers at an Idaho hospital, and investigators are looking into whether they killed two people while on the run. Escaped prison inmate Skylar Meade and accomplice Nicholas Umphenour were arrested during a traffic stop Thursday afternoon in Twin Falls. Police say Umphenour shot two Idaho corrections officers early Wednesday to break Meade out of custody. Authorities said during a news conference Thursday that they were investigating two homicides, in Clearwater County and Nez Perce County, which borders Washington state. Police found shackles at the scene of one of the killings.

N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez says he won’t run in Democratic primary

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey says he will not run in the Democratic primary as he faces federal corruption charges, but he is leaving open the possibility that he would reenter the race as an independent later this year if he is exonerated at a trial. Menendez made the announcement in a video released Thursday afternoon. The decision comes as Menendez fights federal bribery charges, along with his wife, Nadine, and three business associates. Menendez and his spouse are charged with taking bribes of gold bars, cash and a Mercedes-Benz in return for the senator’s help with projects pursued by three New Jersey businessmen.

Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s case

BOSTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered the judge who oversaw Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial to investigate the defense’s claims of juror bias and determine whether his death sentence should stand. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not throw out Tsarnaev’s death sentence on Thursday. Defense lawyers had pushed for that while claiming bias by two people who sat on the jury that convicted Tsarnaev for his role in the bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds near the marathon’s finish line in 2013. But the appeals court found that the trial judge did not adequately probe Tsarnaev’s claims of juror bias, and sent the case back to the judge for a new investigation. The U.S. attorneys office in Massachusetts declined to comment.

Lorrie Moore wins National Book Critics Circle award for fiction, Judy Blume also honored

NEW YORK (AP) — Lorrie Moore has won the prize for fiction and Judy Blume received a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Critics Circle. The awards were handed out at a ceremony in New York on Thursday Night. Moore, best known as a short-story writer, won the fiction award for her novel, “I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home.” The committee called it a “an unforgettable achievement from a landmark American author.” Blume was the recipient of the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. The committee cited the way her novels including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” have “inspired generations of young readers.”

Reddit soars in Wall Street debut

NEW YORK (AP) — Reddit soared in its Wall Street debut as investors pushed the value of the company close to $9 billion seconds after it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Reddit, which priced its IPO at $34 a share, debuted Thursday afternoon at $47 a share. Reddit’s stock closed up 48% at $50.44. The IPO will test the quirky company’s ability to overcome a nearly 20-year history colored by uninterrupted losses, management turmoil and occasional user backlashes to build a sustainable business.

Gangs in Haiti target peaceful communities in new attacks

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Armed gangs are launching new attacks in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince, with heavy gunfire echoing across once-peaceful communities near the Haitian capital. Associated Press journalists reported seeing at least five bodies in and around the suburbs, and gangs blocked the entrances to some areas. People in the communities under fire Wednesday called radio stations pleading for help from Haiti’s national police force. Among the communities targeted were Pétion-Ville, Meyotte, Diègue and Métivier.