World/Nation

Bail set at $2M for man linked to Idaho killings

BOISE - A judge set bail at $2 million on Thursday for an Idaho man who prosecutors said was arrested with credit cards linked to a former Arizona power company executive, his wife and their adult son who were found slain in a home in the foothills outside Boise.

Adam M. Dees, 22, of Nampa wore restraints but appeared relaxed during his appearance in Ada County Court via a video feed from jail.

In a clear voice, Dees said "no" when asked by Judge Theresa Gardunia if he would be able pay the bail.

Dees is not charged with murder. He faces three counts of grand theft, three counts of forgery and a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

The 9 mm handgun was found tucked into Dees' waistband, prosecutors said, without disclosing whether it was linked to the killings.

The victims were identified as 80-year-old Theodore M. Welp, 77-year-old Delores E. Welp and their son, 52-year-old Thomas P. Welp. No motive or causes of death were released. They were found at the home on Tuesday.

Defense attorney Isaiah L. Govia has sought bail of $25,000, noting his client had no previous felony convictions. He also said Dees was put on suicide watch after being arrested because he is bipolar and schizophrenic and didn't have access to his medication.

Tension cranked up after 'ambush' of police officers

FERGUSON, Mo. - With measured remarks and a conciliatory tone, police, political leaders and civil-rights activists on Thursday sought to tamp down tensions after two police officers were shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department during a protest.

The officers were quickly released from the hospital, but St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said they could have easily been killed and called the attack "an ambush." Several people were taken in for questioning after a SWAT team converged on a Ferguson home near the shooting site, but they were later released, and no arrests were made.

The shootings marked the first time in eight months of tension in Ferguson that officers were shot at a protest, and the bloodshed threatened to inflame the already fraught relationship between police and protesters just as the city seeks reforms in the wake of a withering Justice Department report on racial bias in its law-enforcement practices.

The attack also seemed to create another layer of race-related mistrust after a week in which an unarmed young black man was killed by a white officer in Madison, Wis., and a University of Oklahoma fraternity chapter was thrown off campus after a video surfaced showing members singing a racist chant.

Secret Service's leadership is questioned again

WASHINGTON - The latest in a string of baffling missteps by the Secret Service prompted fresh questions Thursday about whether the Obama administration has done enough to root out deep-seated problems plaguing the agency - and about President Barack Obama's decision to put an insider in charge despite his administration's own review that called for exactly the opposite.

The White House said Obama still has full confidence in recently appointed Director Joseph Clancy, despite a new investigation into two agents accused of driving into the White House security barrier after drinking. While declining to discuss the investigation, Obama's aides described Clancy as the right man to fix problems.

"Nobody has higher standards for the Secret Service than Director Clancy," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.

Yet lawmakers charged with overseeing the agency were aghast and wondered how - after intense national scrutiny and a rotating cast of directors - the Secret Service still hasn't corrected problems involving behavior of its agents. In a rare move, the top Republican and Democrat on the House's oversight panel joined forces to say that while many of the agency's top leaders have already been replaced, "this incident begs the question of whether that is enough."

Small Pacific nation braces for strong cyclone

WELLNGTON, New Zealand - The small Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu on Friday issued a red alert to its residents and urged them to take shelter as it braces for Cyclone Pam, which is expected to graze the islands with winds of 115 miles per hour.

Authorities fear the category-5 cyclone will destroy homes as well as cause landslides and severe coastal flooding. The full impact is expected to be felt in the capital Port Vila late Friday.

The cyclone has already destroyed homes and caused damage to other Pacific islands including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.

David Gibson, acting director of the Vanuatu meteorology and geo-hazards department, said Pam is packing maximum sustained winds of 143 mph at its center, which is expected to continue to sea just east of the capital.

He said if the winds are as strong as his department predicts, they will cause severe damage to buildings.

- The Associated Press