Nation & World Glance
TORONTO — Canadian police said Wednesday they believe two fugitives suspected of killing a North Carolina woman and her Australian boyfriend as well as another man have been found dead in dense brush in northern Manitoba.
Authorities located two male bodies and are confident they are 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-yearold Bryer Schmegelsky, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy. She said an autopsy will confirm their identities and causes of death.
Critical evidence found last week when police discovered items directly linked to the suspects on the shoreline of the Nelson River helped locate the bodies, MacLatchy said. Following that discovery, authorities were able to narrow down the search.
Police sent in specialized teams and began searching high-probability areas. On Wednesday morning, police located the two bodies within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from where the items were found and approximately 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from where they left a burnt-out vehicle on July 22.
“We are confident that these are the bodies of the two suspects wanted in connection with the homicides in British Columbia,” MacLatchy said.
Puerto Rico braces for more protests against latest governor
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Ricans braced for more political turmoil Thursday as the third governor in a week took charge of this U.S. territory still divided over who should lead the economically struggling island of 3.2 million people.
The swearing in of Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez as governor was expected to spur renewed protests since many Puerto Ricans see her as an extension of Ricardo Rosselló, who resigned the governorship after weeks of street demonstrations demanding his removal.
Vázquez sought to calm the anger in a televised statement late Wednesday, saying she feels the pain Puerto Ricans have experienced in recent weeks and vowing to unify the island and bring much needed stability.
“We have all felt the anxiety provoked by the instability and uncertainty,” she said. “Faced with this enormous challenge and with God ahead, I take a step forward with no interest other than serving the people as I have done my whole life.”
Vázquez, who has worked in the government for more than 30 years, stepped into the position Wednesday when Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court declared that the assumption of the office on Friday by Rosselló’s pick, Pedro Pierluisi, was unconstitutional.
Fox’s Carlson calls white supremacy ‘a hoax.’
NEW YORK — Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson faced criticism Wednesday for declaring white supremacy “a hoax,” the same day President Donald Trump visited El Paso, Texas, after a white gunman who had written an anti-Hispanic rant killed 22 people.
Carlson has faced criticism before for his commentary, including a statement that immigration has made America dirtier. His remarks Tuesday came with the nation rubbed raw by two weekend mass shootings and increased concerns by law enforcement officials about violence attached to white nationalism.
“He has used his platform to push out prejudice,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League. “I think it’s disgusting and I don’t think it deserves a place on a major news network.”
Fox News Channel representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Wednesday.
Carlson’s prime-time show routinely draws more than 3 million viewers on weeknights, second only to Sean Hannity on Fox News. Episodes of his program landed among the Nielsen company’s list of Top 20 shows last week for both broadcast and cable television.
Ambulance stolen from fire station; woman arrested
PHOENIX — A 29-yearold woman is accused of climbing over a fence at a Phoenix fire station, driving off in an ambulance and crashing it into a fence after being chased by police.
The Police Department said in a statement that nobody was injured in the incident which began when the ambulance was stolen early Wednesday morning.
Police said Kimberly Vasich was jailed on suspicion of theft of means of transportation and multiple other crimes.
Police Sgt. Maggie Cox said Wednesday that no additional information was immediately available on circumstances of the incident, while Fire Department officials did not immediately respond to an inquiry by The Associated Press.
Online court records don’t indicate whether Vasich has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
Russia’s military drone makes successful maiden flight
MOSCOW — The Russian military says a heavy drone it’s developing has made a successful maiden flight.
The Defense Ministry on Wednesday released a video showing the Okhotnik (Hunter) taking off, performing maneuvers and landing. The ministry has said that the drone, which has advanced reconnaissance and stealth capabilities, first flew for 20 minutes Saturday.
The wedge-shaped heavy drone developed by the Sukhoi company is a major leap compared to other unmanned aerial vehicles previously developed in Russia. The project has been veiled in secrecy, but Russian media reports claimed that the new drone weighs 20 tons loaded and has a range of up to 3,100 miles.
The single-engine Okhotnik bears a visual resemblance to Lockheed Martin U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone.