1. KIDNAP SUSPECT'S BROTHERS CLAIM NO KNOWLEDGE OF CRIMES
In an interview to be aired Monday, the brothers of Ariel Castro, the Ohio kidnapping and rape suspect, tell CNN they were unaware of what police say was happening in their brother's home. "If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no brother," Pedro Castro told CNN's Michael Savage. Castro's two brothers, Pedro and Onil Castro, were detained last week, but police released the pair a few days later, saying there was no evidence that either brother were involved in any crimes. [USA Today]
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2. SHARIF WINS PAKISTANI PM ELECTION
Nawaz Sharif, a former Pakistani prime minister ousted in a 1999 military coup, headed toward leading the nation for the third time after Saturday's election, according to nearly complete results on Sunday morning. The election would mark the first time in Pakistan's coup-ridden history that a civilian government served a full five-year term and transferred power to another elected administration. Turnout was close to 60 percent, much higher than the 44 percent in the previous vote, despite Taliban threats and scattered violence that killed at least 19 people. [Wall Street Journal]
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3. FIRST RESPONDER TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY AFTER TEXAS FERTILIZER EXPLOSION
Paramedic Bryce Reed, a first responder who helped treat victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last month, will plead not guilty to the federal charge of possessing an explosive device, his attorney said today. Reed is due back in court on Wednesday. He faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted of the charges against him. [ABC News]
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4. ISS SPACEWALKERS REPAIR LEAKY PUMP
After a cooling leak caused the International Space Station to discharge, two astronauts wrapped up a repair job on Saturday to replace the suspect pump needed to keep the ISS at full power. NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn took four hours to install a spare pump and check for signs of escaping ammonia ice crystals when the system was turned back on. "No flakes," Cassidy reported to flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. [Reuters]
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5. BENGHAZI INVESTIGATION LEADER DISMISSES CRITICISM
Thomas Pickering, a former ambassador and co-chair of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning that criticism of his report was unfounded and did not accurately reflect how his review was carried out. He added that critics at last week's congressional hearing into the attack were wrong in their assertions that his board failed to interview key witnesses. [CNN]
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6. POPE FRANCIS NAMES NEW CATHOLIC SAINTS
Pope Francis on Sunday gave the Catholic Church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century Italian martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square. The pontiff also canonized two women. [Huffington Post]
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7. FRANCE CONFIRMS SECOND SARS VIRUS CASE
The French Health Ministry says a second case of a deadly SARS-like virus has been confirmed. A ministry statement issued Sunday said a hospital roommate of the 65-year-old man who initially contracted the virus tested positive. The two shared a room for a few days in late April at a hospital in northern France, putting them in “prolonged and close contact.” This coronavirus has killed 18 people since being identified last year in the Middle East. [Washington Post]
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8. NEW JERSEY HOSTAGE SITUATION ENDS SAFELY
A three-day standoff in Trenton, N.J., involving a gunman barricaded with children ended Sunday morning, authorities said. Trenton police Lt. Stephen Varn said three children inside the home were safe. The hostage situation began Friday afternoon, police said, but it was unclear how old the children are or their relationship to the man. [CNN]
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9. RAND PAUL SENDS OUT FIERCE ANTI-OBAMA EMAIL
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul accused President Obama of working with "anti-American globalists" to "plot against our Constitution" on Saturday. The email blast was sent on behalf of the National Association on Gun Rights and heavily criticized the president's gun control efforts. Paul has repeatedly spoken out against new laws on gun control. [Washington Post]
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10. PRINCE HARRY HELPS KICK OFF WARRIOR GAMES
During a leg of his U.S. trip, Prince Harry, along with Olympic swimming champion Missy Franklin, joined an American naval officer who had been blinded in Afghanistan to launch the Warrior Games for wounded service members in Colorado Springs Saturday night. The Paralympic-style games run through Thursday. Harry served as a combat helicopter in pilot in Afghanistan, and the British veterans said that makes him easy to talk to. [Yahoo! News]
