Police: Off-duty Pentagon officer charged in fatal shooting

TAKOMA PARK, Md. — Authorities in Maryland say they have charged an off-duty Pentagon police officer with second-degree murder in the shootings of two men outside a condominium building in Takoma Park.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the officer has been identified as David Hall Dixon. He lived in the condo building.

Police had said that Dixon told responding officers that he engaged with suspects of a car break-in. He said they failed to follow his direction and attempted to flee. A short time later, two people with gunshot wounds arrived at a hospital. Both died. 

“Our investigation revealed that Mr. Dixon’s overview of events was inconsistent with the evidence and facts in the case,” Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul said Friday, “and that Mr. Dixon had no lawful or justifiable reason to shoot.”

The men who died have been identified as Dominique Williams, 32, of Hyattsville, and James Lionel Johnson, 38, of District Heights. Dixon is also charged with attempted second-degree murder for firing into a vehicle that was driven by Michael Thomas, 36, police said.

Police said Dixon was taken into custody Friday morning. It’s unclear if he’s hired an attorney. 

Biden returns prisoner-of-war flag to perch atop White House

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has restored the prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action flag to its former location atop the White House.

The black-and-white POW/MIA flag returned atop the chief executive’s residence, just below the American flag, on Friday, which is National Former POW Recognition Day. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the return was “in keeping with the president and first lady’s commitment to honor the sacrifices of all those who serve.”

Last summer, former President Donald Trump had moved the POW flag from its customary perch to a less prominent location on the White House South Lawn. The location atop the White House can be seen from a much greater distance.

The move came after a request from a bipartisan group of senators. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., tweeted that he was “proud” to see the flag above the White House again as a way of honoring “the sacrifices of our brave servicemembers who were held behind enemy lines, and those who have not yet returned home.”

Gold Futures Settle Lower For The Session, Gains Nearly 1% In Week

Gold futures settled lower on Friday, weighed down by a stronger U.S. dollar and rising bond yields.

The strength in stock markets amid continued optimism about economic growth weighed as well on the yellow metal.

The dollar index, rebounding from recent weakness, advanced to 92.41 in early New York session before paring some gains. It was last seen at 92.17, up 0.12% from previous close.

Gold futures for June ended down $13.40 or about 0.8% at $1,744.80 an ounce.

Despite closing the day on a weak note, gold futures gained nearly 1% this week.

Silver futures for May ended lower by $0.260 at $25.325 an ounce, while Copper futures for May settled at $4.0400 per pound, down $0.0545 from previous close.

Data from China showed consumer prices rose 0.4% year-on-year in March in that country, exceeding expectations for an increase of 0.3%. China’s National Buereo of Statistics also said that producer prices jumped an annual 4.4% in March – beating expectations for an increase of 3.5% and up sharply from the 1.7% gain a month earlier.

On the U.S. economic front, the Labor Department released a report showing producer prices jumped by much more than expected in the month of March.

The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand surged up by 1% in March after climbing by 0.5% in February. Economists had expected another 0.5% increase.

Prince Harry's foundation says Prince Philip 'will be greatly missed'

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) – Prince Harry’s Archewell Foundation on Friday (April 9) posted a statement about the death of Britain’s Prince Philip, saying he “will be greatly missed.”

Join ST’s Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Sports world reacts to death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of England's Queen Elizabeth II for more than seven decades, has died, Buckingham Palace announced Friday. He was 99.

Throughout his life, Philip had his associations with sports — he and the queen apparently met on a tennis court. 

He was a two-term president at the Lord's Marylebone Cricket Club — commonly referred to as "Lord's" and regarded as the worldwide "Home of Cricket" — and presented the Lord's Taverners ECB Trophy until his retirement from public life in 2017. 

Philip also played a role in the opening ceremonies of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 

Retired nurse who almost died of Covid is now administering vaccines

Lemur left forlorn after his mate died is happy now he has new 'girlfriend'

Google denies report that its next phone is canceled, says Pixel 5a 5G coming this year

• Google on Friday denied reports its upcoming Pixel 5a phone is canceled.
• The Pixel 5a will launch in the U.S. and Japan later this year, the company said.

In this article

• GOOGL

Google on Friday denied reports that said its next phone, the Pixel 5a, is canceled and said the phone will launch later this year in the U.S. and Japan. The phone has not yet been officially announced, and this is the first time Google has confirmed it exists.

"Pixel 5a 5G is not cancelled," a Google spokesperson told CNBC. "It will be available later this year in the U.S. and Japan and announced in line with when last year's a-series phone was introduced."

Google's Pixel phones typically ship with the latest version of Android and include some unique features that are only available on Google devices. The a-series Pixel devices, such as the Pixel 4a that launched in August, are more affordable than Google's other Pixel phones, like the retired Pixel 4 or current Pixel 5, which often have higher-end screens and designs. The Pixel 5a is expected around the same time frame.

Google has struggled to keep up with other Android phone makers, but its more affordable Pixels have helped to drive sales.

The rumor suggested that Google's Pixel 5a was canceled because of the ongoing global chip shortage, which has affected everything from cars to game consoles.