- RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A smoky and fast-growing wildfire Friday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings. The Springs Fire broke out at around 11 a.m. Friday and by the evening had grown to about 5.47 square miles (14.17 square kilometers), with fire crews starting to contain it. The cause of […]
- NEW YORK (AP) — A second suspect in the stray-bullet killing of a 7-month-old baby on a Brooklyn street was arrested Friday, police said, two days after a shooting the police commissioner called “a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience.” Matthew Rodriguez, 18, was apprehended in Pennsylvania by New York Police Department detectives working with […]
- WASHINGTON (AP) — China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz. It is China’s latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, […]
- PROVO, Utah (AP) — A man who spent decades on death row in Utah asked a judge Friday to throw out his aggravated murder case after the state Supreme Court last year ordered a new trial due to misconduct by investigators. Douglas Stewart Carter, 70, was sentenced to death in 1985 after a jury found […]
- By Nate Raymond April 3 (Reuters) – A Nevada judge on Friday extended a ban on prediction market operator Kalshi from offering event-based contracts that would allow the state’s residents to place bets on sports and other matters without the company obtaining a gaming license. Judge Jason Woodbury at the end of a court hearing […]
- A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations
on April 4, 2026 at 2:18 amRIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A smoky and fast-growing wildfire Friday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings. The Springs Fire broke out at around 11 a.m. Friday and by the evening had grown to about 5.47 square miles (14.17 square kilometers), with fire crews starting to contain it. The cause of the fire east of Moreno Valley in Riverside County is under investigation. It was not immediately known how many households are under evacuation warnings or orders. The fire was burning in a populated — but not densely so — unincorporated part of Riverside County, in a recreational area near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000. The city is 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. “It’s windy out there,” said Maggie Cline De La Rosa, a public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Riverside County. Alex Izaguirre, a spokesperson for the Cal Fire Riverside County, said the wind is “spreading the smoke,” prompting concerned calls from residents in neighboring cities who can see and smell the smoke. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys through Saturday afternoon, with gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) expected. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the advisory read. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- 2nd man arrested in drive-by shooting that killed 7-month-old girl
on April 4, 2026 at 1:18 amNEW YORK (AP) — A second suspect in the stray-bullet killing of a 7-month-old baby on a Brooklyn street was arrested Friday, police said, two days after a shooting the police commissioner called “a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience.” Matthew Rodriguez, 18, was apprehended in Pennsylvania by New York Police Department detectives working with U.S. Marshals, the NYPD said. The suspected shooter, 21-year-old Amuri Greene, was arrested shortly after the drive-by gunfire that killed Kaori Patterson-Moore. Greene pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges at an arraignment Friday night and was held without bail. Kaori was in her stroller when a two men sped down a street on a moped Wednesday afternoon. Greene, riding on the back of the vehicle, fired into a group of people on a street corner, according to a court complaint. Kaori’s mother, Lianna Charles-Moore, told the New York Post that after hearing what she initially believed were fireworks, she was comforting her startled 2-year-old son — who had been grazed by a bullet — when she looked to her left and saw her baby daughter bleeding. The infant had been shot in the head. “My daughter was innocent. She didn’t deserve that,” Charles-Moore told the newspaper. She said her daughter was just about starting to crawl and had recently begun saying “Mama.” Greene told police he was aiming for another person in the crowd, according to the court complaint. His attorney, Jay Schwitzman, said after court that he would conduct “an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident.” Police said that after the shooting, the moped sped and crashed into a car two blocks away, hurling both men off the vehicle. Greene was injured and soon was hospitalized in police custody, but the moped driver fled. Authorities haven’t yet released court papers that detail Rodriguez’s alleged role. But they haven’t indicated they were looking for anyone other than the gunman — alleged to have been Greene — and the moped driver. Police didn’t immediately have information on how the men may know each other or where Rodriguez lives; no working telephone number for him could immediately be found. Police charges against him were pending. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed heartbreak and outrage over Kaori’s death. “This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience,” Tisch said at a news briefing Wednesday. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy. US appears uninterested
on April 4, 2026 at 12:18 amWASHINGTON (AP) — China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz. It is China’s latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, though it may prove to be more rhetorical than substantive, with the U.S. appearing uninterested in Beijing’s efforts. “The war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. “It is an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative.” Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, described China’s diplomacy as “performative” and compared the five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which was “filled with platitudes but never acted on.” “Its narrative is that while Washington is reckless, aggressive and heedless of the cost to others, China is a principled and responsible champion of peace,” said Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “What we are seeing from China is messaging, not mediation.” China has been working “tirelessly for peace” since the outbreak of the war, said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington. The Trump administration appears to have little enthusiasm for the prospect of China’s mediation, according to U.S. officials. The U.S. has soured on third-party mediation efforts, and it has little interest in boosting China’s international stature or giving it an opening to claim success in the Middle East, said three U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss potential diplomatic options. One of the officials described the administration’s position on the Chinese-Pakistani effort as “agnostic,” neither endorsement nor rejection, but all three stressed that could change if President Donald Trump weighs in before his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. For Beijing, there could be an incentive to see the war subside before Trump travels to China in mid-May. Citing demands of the war, Trump postponed the trip initially set for the end of March. “There is no guarantee that Trump may not delay the trip to China again if the war rages on,” Sun said. The war saw a major escalation Friday when Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, a first since the war began five weeks ago. Trump told NBC News that it would not impact negotiations with Iran, just days after declaring in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.” For now, China is more insulated from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz than other countries after diversifying its energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. China relies on Iran for only about 13% of its oil imports, and Beijing is working with Tehran to allow the passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the critical waterway, where Iran’s stranglehold has sent energy prices soaring. China also maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve. While China has positioned itself to cushion short-term shocks, analysts say Beijing is worried about a protracted war and has an interest in trying to bring it to an end. “An escalation of the conflict will start to harm Chinese interests,” Russel said. “Because China’s growth model is so export-heavy, prolonged energy shocks and shipping disruption will mean costlier inputs and weaker global demand that damage its vulnerable economy.” Besides not wanting to see a long war, China “welcomes the opportunity to suggest that it is helping mitigate a crisis of America’s making, especially as the Trump administration’s lack of a considered strategy for containing the fallout becomes more apparent,” said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group. After the war began, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He told Iran that China cherished its friendship, urged Israel to cease military actions and expressed that China would be willing to play a role in seeking peace. This past week, Wang hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to hash out their five-point proposal, calling for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the strait. He has held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers, and a special envoy has visited several countries in the region, aiming to promote peace and deescalate tensions, Liu said. Wang sought support for China’s plan from the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, telling her it represented “broad, international consensus,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting the fighting was the most urgent matter. Wang also spoke this week with Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain why China opposed Bahrain’s U.N. proposal to allow military force to open the Strait of Hormuz. Wang said actions by the U.N. Security Council should help ease tensions “rather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire.” China and Russia argued that the U.S. or other countries could exploit a U.N.-backed mechanism to escalate the deadly war, according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic conversations. Both countries appear to have less immediate need to see the strait fully open. While China has been able to pay to get some of its ships through, Russia is benefiting from the high price of oil, its main export. Hoping to avoid a veto, Bahrain significantly watered down its proposal to authorize defensive — but not offensive — action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. A vote was pushed back until next week. To solve the problem of the strait, China says a ceasefire is needed. But its plan with Pakistan has been met with mostly silence from the U.S. One of the U.S. officials said the plan is difficult to assess because it is less of a roadmap to peace than a vague appeal for respect for international law and the importance of diplomacy and the U.N.’s role. ___ Amiri reported from the United Nations. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Former death row inmate asks Utah judge to dismiss murder case slated for retrial
on April 4, 2026 at 12:18 amPROVO, Utah (AP) — A man who spent decades on death row in Utah asked a judge Friday to throw out his aggravated murder case after the state Supreme Court last year ordered a new trial due to misconduct by investigators. Douglas Stewart Carter, 70, was sentenced to death in 1985 after a jury found him guilty of murdering Eva Olesen, the aunt of a former Provo police chief. No physical evidence linked him to the crime scene, but the jury convicted Carter, a Black man, based on a signed confession and two witnesses who said he had bragged about killing Olesen, a white woman. Carter argued his confession was coerced. The witnesses — a couple living in the U.S. without legal status — said years later that police and prosecutors offered to pay their rent, coached them to lie in court and threatened them and their son with deportation if they did not implicate Carter. Judge Derek Pullan reversed the conviction in 2022, and the Utah Supreme Court affirmed that ruling last May, saying “numerous constitutional violations” merited a retrial. Carter has remained in prison while awaiting that trial. The judge scheduled a bond hearing for June. “Douglas Carter spent over 40 years on death row for a crime which he, and the evidence, says he did not commit. Legally, enough is enough,” his defense team said in a motion filed Friday. Prosecutors have maintained that Carter’s case should not be dismissed. Defense attorneys argue in the new motion that an investigator suppressed evidence pointing to other suspects, including the victim’s husband, Orla Olesen. The motion alleges prosecutors were close to filing charges against the husband, but a Provo police lieutenant asked them not to so he could continue investigating. Carter was identified as a suspect soon after, the document alleges. The Provo Police Department and prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney’s Office did not respond Friday to email and phone messages seeking comment. Prosecutors have not yet filed a response to the motion. Orla Olesen, who died in 2009, had told police he found his wife dead in their home, partially undressed and with her hands tied behind her back. She had been stabbed 10 times and shot in the back of the head, according to court documents. Prosecutors said in court filings last week that they were not sure if Provo police still had the tape recording of Orla Olesen’s polygraph test. They also said they state does not have any of the clothes seized from him during the investigation. They did not have information on any other items of his that may have been taken as evidence. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Nevada judge extends ban on Kalshi operating prediction market in state
on April 3, 2026 at 10:29 pmBy Nate Raymond April 3 (Reuters) – A Nevada judge on Friday extended a ban on prediction market operator Kalshi from offering event-based contracts that would allow the state’s residents to place bets on sports and other matters without the company obtaining a gaming license. Judge Jason Woodbury at the end of a court hearing in Carson City said he would issue a preliminary injunction sought by the Nevada Gaming Control Board that will bar Kalshi from offering such contracts in the state without a gambling license. A lawyer for New York-based Kalshi argued that such contracts constitute “swaps” that fall under the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s exclusive jurisdiction, a position the agency has likewise adopted in related litigation. But Woodbury was unconvinced, saying just as he could place a $100 bet through a state-licensed gaming operator on a baseball game, he could also effectively do the same thing by buying a sporting event contract on Kalshi’s platform. “No matter how you slice it, that conduct is indistinguishable,” he said. “So I find based on the arguments that have been presented that it is a gaming activity that is prohibited for any non-licensee to engage in.” He extended an earlier 14-day temporary restraining order he issued on March 20 barring the offering of sports, elections and entertainment-related event contracts through April 17 to provide time to finalize the terms of an injunction that would remain in place longer term. Kalshi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nevada is the only state to have secured a court-enforced, in-effect ban against New York-based Kalshi, which has become a central focus in an escalating legal battle over the power of states to police prediction markets. Companies like Kalshi allow users of their prediction markets to place financial bets on the outcome of a wide range of events such as sports and elections by trading “events contracts.” The CFTC sued three states on Thursday to challenge their ability to regulate companies like Kalshi. Those states include Arizona, which last month became the first state to pursue criminal charges against Kalshi for operating an illegal gambling business in the state. An injunction issued by a Massachusetts judge blocking Kalshi from offering sports event contracts in that state is on hold while the company appeals. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Mark Porter) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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