World/Nation
Clinton to announce 2016 presidential campaign
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton will end months of speculation and launch her highly anticipated 2016 presidential campaign on Sunday, skipping a flashy kickoff rally in favor of conversations with voters about the economic needs of middle class families and the next generation.
Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state who lost the 2008 nomination to Barack Obama, will begin this time by courting voters in living rooms and cafes in early voting states. If victorious in 2016, she would become the nation's first female president.
The first official word of her candidacy will come in a video posted on social media and to supporters online, according to two people familiar with her plans. She will then turn to states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, looking to connect directly with voters in small, intimate settings.
The people familiar with her plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
Clinton has offered glimpses in recent speeches of why she will again seek the White House. Another preview came Friday in the epilogue to the paperback version of her 2014 book, "Hard Choices."
Tornado-hit Illinois town grapples with deaths, damage
FAIRDALE, Ill. - The two women killed by a devastating tornado system that barreled through northern Illinois shared a friendship, favors and, ultimately, a neighborhood that turned out to be a prime target for a twister that also leveled much of their rural hamlet.
Jacklyn Klosa, 69, was found Friday morning in the rubble of her Fairdale home, not far from where Geraldine Schultz, 67, died Thursday night when the tornado bore down on their neighborhood. The storm cut through the region about 80 miles west of Chicago, injuring more than a dozen and ripping buildings from their foundations.
Schultz, known as "Geri," and remembered by neighbors in the community of about 150 people as kind-hearted, hosted annual Christmas parties and made a point of driving Klosa to clinics for medical treatment. Klosa, known as "Jackie," was described by friends as a friendly and quick-witted woman who spoke her mind.
The county coroner said Klosa, who had no basement, took shelter in her shower; she was found clutching her purse.
Klosa "was just one of the most friendly people in the world, a wonderful mother and a wonderful friend," said Les Bellah, mayor of neighboring Kirkland, recalling the "big ol' hug" he got from her recently but also how she'd "let you know" if she was upset with you. "You never had to wonder what she was thinking."
Man shot in the back by police had much to celebrate recently
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Less than two months before he was killed, Walter Lamer Scott turned 50 and wanted everyone around him to join in the celebration.
It was February, and Scott's family had taken him to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. As waiters and other staff gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday," Scott jumped on the table and started dancing.
"He had everybody in the restaurant laughing," Rodney Scott said of his older brother. "That's the kind of person he was."
Walter Scott had much to celebrate: His job as a warehouse forklift operator, which had begun as temporary work over the holidays, was going so well his boss was determined to keep him as a permanent hire. And he had popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, who had agreed to become Scott's third wife.
But Scott also had a problem that kept him looking over his shoulder: The father of four had fallen behind, again, on his child support payments. Failure to pay can mean jail time in South Carolina, and Scott had been locked up three times since 2008.
US, Cuban leaders scheduled to meet face-to-face today
PANAMA CITY - President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro moved toward a groundbreaking meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas Friday in what would be a remarkable display of reconciliation between two nations with the leadership of the Western Hemisphere gathered around them.
The powerful symbolism of a face-to-face exchange today between the leaders could signal progress even though both sides are still working through nettlesome issues that would lead to the opening of embassies in Washington and Havana, the first stage in a new diplomatic relationship.
Obama cast the move to end 50 years of hostile relations as a triumph for the Cuban people.
"As the United States begins a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba, we hope it will create an environment that improves the lives of the Cuban people," he told a meeting of civil society groups, including Cuban dissidents. "Not because it is imposed by us, the United States, but through the talent and ingenuity and aspirations, and the conversations among Cubans from all walks of life so they can decide what the best course is for their prosperity."
The White House was coy over the status of the State Department's recommendation to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror. Removal is a top issue with Castro because it would not only eliminate Cuba's status as a pariah, but also ease Cuba's ability to conduct simple financial transactions.
Lawmakers vote against joining Saudi-led airstrikes
SANAA, Yemen - Pakistan's parliament voted unanimously Friday to stay out of the Saudi-led air campaign targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen, offering instead to mediate a solution, in a blow to Saudi Arabia's attempts to build a Sunni front in an increasingly sectarian conflict.
Pakistan's decision is unlikely to greatly affect the Saudi-led coalition's military capabilities. But it was an embarrassment to the kingdom from a traditionally close ally, now reluctant to get pulled into a conflict that is threatening to escalate into a new proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia had been seeking to expand the coalition, made up of fellow Gulf nations as well as Egypt and Sudan, which has waged a nearly 3-week campaign of airstrikes against the rebels, known as Houthis, and is reportedly considering a ground incursion. At the same time, Shiite powerhouse Iran, which backs the Houthis, also lobbied Pakistan and other Sunni nations to back a cease-fire and a negotiated end to the conflict.
- The Associated Press