• 1

  5 hours ago

  Space Station Grabs Dragon "By the Tail"

  
  The International Space Station’s crew reached out with a robotic arm Friday morning and grabbed the world’s first private supply ship, SpaceX’s Dragon. "Capture is confirmed," NASA mission commentator Josh Byerly told Mission Control after the history-making grab at 9:56 a.m. "It looks like we've got us a Dragon by the tail." The contact potentially paves the way for dozens of orbital cargo shipments by private companies since last year’s retirement of NASA’s space shuttle fleets, MSNBC reported. NASA said it would take another three hours to pull in Dragon and hook it up to the station's Harmony module. SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract to fly at least 12 unmanned missions to the space station through 2015. The company is run by billionaire PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, who hopes to eventually send humans to settle on Mars. Get More at MSNBC
• 2

  8 minutes ago

  Accused Etan Patz Killer on Suicide Watch

  
  The former bodega stock clerk arrested for killing 6-year-old Etan Patz has been placed on suicide watch, NBC 4 New York reported. Pedro Hernandez, 51, was taken to Bellevue Friday and a hospital beside arraignment was expected this afternoon. Relatives said Hernandez had a history of mental illness. New York City police arrested Hernandez Thursday for allegedly luring Patz off a SoHo street with the offer of a soft drink then strangling him in a basement. Patz vanished 33 years ago today while on his way to a school bus stop. Police said Hernandez's arrest resolves a case that had left New York City puzzled for decades. A tipster informed police that Hernandez had said he had "done a bad thing and killed a child in New York." Police said the boy's remains were tossed in the trash and they do not expect to recover them. Get More at MSNBC
• 3

  4 hours ago

  Islamist, Military Man Head to Run-Off in Egypt Vote

  
  Egypt’s next president will either be an Islamist or a veteran of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force chief who served as Mubarak’s last prime minister both advanced to a runoff on June 16 and 17, Reuters reported. Official results were due Tuesday, but a senior judge said both candidates were in the lead and leftist Hamdeen Sabahy in third place with 90 percent of the vote in. Morsi and Shafiq are the country's most polarizing candidates, The Associated Press reported. Get More at MSNBC
• 4

  May 25, 05:54AM

  China's Economy Suffers "Sharp Slowdown"

  

  Getty Images
  China's economy has suffered what a Chinese cabinet adviser has called a "sharp slowdown," an ominous development that could ripple across the global economy, The New York Times reported. Declining consumer confidence, a real estate market downturn, and stalled exports have all contributed to China's economic woes, according to the Times. The economy is continuing to expand, but construction workers are out of work in staggering numbers and retail sales grew last month at the slowest pace in over three years. The unanticipated economic problems are beginning to unsettle investors in world markets, particularly commodity markets, since China is the planet's largest consumer of most raw materials and second-largest consumer of oil. Reports of economic trouble are also coming in from the U.S., Europe, India, South Africa and Brazil, The Wall Street Journal reported. Get More at MSNBC
• 5

  52 minutes ago

  Recordings May Expand Manson Murder Probe

  
  The Los Angeles Police Department has asked to listen to old audio recordings that could link unsolved murders to Manson Family followers. LA Police Chief Charlie Beck requested an 8-hour recording between attorney Bill Boyd and then-client Charles “Tex” Watson on March 19, NBC Los Angeles reported. Watson is serving a life sentence for his involvement in five Manson Family murders in 1969. The request for the recordings is in conjunction with “the liquidation of Boyd’s Texas-based law firm as part of a bankruptcy proceeding,” NBCLA reported. The LAPD is still waiting to receive the recordings. Get More at MSNBC
• 6

  2 hours ago

  Gunman Takes Hostages at Indiana Office

  

  NBC News
  A gunman was reported to holding as many as 15 hostages inside a real estate office in Valparaiso, Ind. Friday afternoon. FBI agents entered the 21st Century office after witnesses reported hearing at least three gunshots, MSNBC reported. The gunman allowed five people to leave the office, a witness told NBC News. People in the building’s parking lot told NBC News they were receiving text messages that the standoff was the result of a dispute between the man and his girlfriend. Get More at MSNBC
• 7

  2 hours ago

  Three Young Kids Found Abandoned in Oregon

  

  Getty Images / Scott Olson
  Oregon Police are looking for the parents of three small children found abandoned in a shed in South Portland Thursday morning, Reuters reported. A 3-year-old boy, a girl, approximately 2 years old and an infant girl thought to be 8 to 15 months old, were placed in foster care. A man called 911 to report children’s voices coming from a shed located on a property of a vacant residence behind his house. Homeless people living on the premises told police that the children were left there the night before by a woman they believed to be their mother, The Associated Press reported. It’s not clear if the children are siblings. Get More at MSNBC
• 8

  May 25, 07:45AM

  Gas Prices Down for Memorial Day Weekend

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• 9

  May 25, 03:20AM

    Governor Romney came to Des Moines last week and warned of a prairie fire of debt. But he left out some facts. His speech was more like a cow pie of distortion.   — President Obama taking a swipe at Romney in an Iowa speech.
• 10

  May 25, 05:58AM

  Hurricane Bud Threatens Mexico's Coast

  

  AP
  Hurricane Bud, the first Pacific hurricane in the 2012 season, weakened to a Category 2 storm Thursday as it barreled toward Mexico's coast, where it is expected to make landfall Friday, Reuters reported. Bud had been a major Category 3 storm. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm's maximum sustained winds decreased to 110 mph early Friday. Although Mexico has no major oil installations on the Pacific coast, Bud could strike close to the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, according to Reuters. "Some fluctuations in strength are possible tonight and Friday morning before gradual weakening begins by Friday afternoon," the center said in an advisory message. Get More at MSNBC
• 11

  May 25, 07:30AM

  Iran Nuclear Talks End in Limbo

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• 12

  May 25, 05:59AM

  Senate Panel Slashes $33M in Pakistan Aid

  

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  A U.S. Senate panel voiced its outrage Thursday over Pakistan's conviction of a doctor who supplied the United States with crucial intelligence used to find Osama bin Laden, voting to slash aid to Islamabad by $33 million — $1 million for every year of the physician's 33-year sentence for high treason. "[The figure] is arbitrary, but the hope is that Pakistan will realize we are serious," said Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin following a unanimous 30-0 vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee. "It's outrageous that [the Pakistanis] would say a man who helped us find Osama bin Laden is a traitor," Durbin said. Wednesday's sentencing heightened tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan over what Washington perceives as its hesitance to help fight Islamist militants. Get More at MSNBC