PITTSBURGH—The gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is eligible for the death penalty, a federal jury announced Thursday, setting the stage for further evidence and testimony on whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison. The government is seeking capital punishment for Robert Bowers, who raged against…

A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of an 18-month-old girl who died after slipping through her grandfather’s hands and falling through an open cruise ship window. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta restored two negligence claims over the July 2019 death of…

James A. Garfield is most often remembered for being assassinated only a short time after his inauguration. His death was a tragedy, but his life was a triumph. C. W. Goodyear, historian and author of the new biography “President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier,” joins the podcast to discuss this incredible statesman who overcame everything…

LAKELAND, Fla.—A toddler died after her parents left her in a hot car overnight following a Fourth of July party in Florida, authorities said Thursday. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Lakeland couple Joel and Jazmine Rondon have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. Authorities said the Rondons accidentally left the 18-month-old girl…

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man charged with kidnapping a Memphis, Tennessee, school teacher during an early-morning run and killing her, a district attorney said Thursday. Cleotha Abston, 39, is charged with snatching Eliza Fletcher from a street near the University of Memphis on Sept. 2 and forcing her into an…

“I have been brushing shoulders with death my whole life, miraculously escaping its grasp each and every time. It’s as if a higher power has been watching over me, and I have no regrets about the way I’ve lived!” said Bob Lau, a 75-year-old Chinese American. From being a leader of the Red Guards during…

HARTFORD, Conn.—Lowell P. Weicker Jr., a Republican U.S. senator who tussled with his own party during the Watergate hearings, later was elected Connecticut governor as an independent, died Wednesday. He was 92. Weicker’s death at a hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, after a short illness, was confirmed by his family in a statement released by a…

NEW YORK—Tony- and Grammy Award-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who with composer Jerry Bock made up the premier musical-theater songwriting duos of the 1950s and 1960s with shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Fiorello!” and “The Apple Tree,” has died. He was 99. Known for his wry, subtle humor and deft wordplay, Harnick died in…

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas—A Florida man and his 14-year-old stepson died after hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park in West Texas, according to officials. The 31-year-old man had been hiking the Marufo Vega Trail on Friday with his two stepsons, ages 14 and 21. Temperatures at the time were 119 degrees…

BANGKOK— A fire extinguisher exploded and killed a student during a fire drill held outdoors in sweltering heat at a high school in Thailand’s capital Friday, police said. Five other students were injured. The carbon dioxide canister was being displayed in bright sunshine near students during the demonstration in Bangkok when it exploded and sent…