North America

NEW YORK, May 15 (Xinhua): A helicopter fell short of the landing pad and crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, injuring one person on board.

The helicopter reportedly missed the landing pad on Manhattan's West 30th Street and the Hudson River at around 2:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) and slipped into the water, local media and authorities said.

The pilot, who was alone in the helicopter, escaped and was rescued from water with non-life-threatening injuries shortly after the crash, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed reports of "infighting" within the administration on U.S. Iran policy.

Via tweets, Trump said, "The Fake News Washington Post, and even more Fake News New York Times, are writing stories that there is infighting with respect to my strong policy in the Middle East."

"There is no infighting whatsoever," he said. "Different opinions are expressed and I make a decisive and final decision - it is a very simple process."

Trump added that "I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House sharply escalated its resistance to congressional attempts to investigate President Donald Trump , notifying the House Judiciary panel Wednesday that it would refuse to comply with sweeping requests for documents and witness testimony while declaring that the legislative branch had no right to a “do-over” of the special counsel’s Russia probe.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A self-driving shuttle got pulled over by police on its first day carrying passengers on a new Rhode Island route.

Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said an officer pulled over the odd-looking autonomous vehicle because he had never seen one before.

“It looked like an oversize golf cart,” Clements said.

BALTIMORE (AP) — More than a week after a cyberattack hobbled Baltimore’s computer network, city officials said Wednesday they can’t predict when its overall system will be up and running and continued to give only the broadest outlines of the problem.

DALLAS (AP) — Investigators who were “thwarted” during earlier investigations of child sexual abuse by priests on Wednesday searched the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to obtain evidence of sexual misconduct, according to a police commander and police records.

Investigators searched the diocesan headquarters, a storage unit it uses and the offices of a church, police Maj. Max Geron told reporters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is siding with public health groups suing the Food and Drug Administration to begin reviewing thousands of e-cigarettes on the U.S. market.

The ruling handed down Wednesday in district court states that the agency shirked its legal duty when it postponed reviewing all U.S. vaping products by several years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday his agency is still “in the throes of constructing” an aid package for farmers hurt by retaliatory tariffs, but he is not prepared to say when it will be ready.

Perdue said the Agriculture Department is reviewing feedback from producers about the strengths and weaknesses of last year’s relief package, valued at up to $12 billion. This year’s package could range between $15 billion and $20 billion, Perdue projected.

16 May 2019 (AP) - In a fateful swipe at telecommunications giant Huawei, the Trump administration issued an executive order Wednesday apparently aimed at banning its equipment from U.S. networks and said it was subjecting the Chinese company to strict export controls.

Huawei would be the largest business ever subjected to the controls, a law enforcement measure that requires it to obtain U.S. government approval on purchases of American technology, said Kevin Wolf, who had been the assistant secretary of commerce for export administration in the Obama administration.

PARIS (AP) — The White House is not endorsing a global pledge to step up efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast attacks, citing respect for “freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”