Secret Service looking at agent who suggested she wouldn't defend Trump from bullet

The Secret Service said Tuesday it is taking "appropriate action" after one of its agents suggested on Facebook that she would not defend President Donald Trump should someone try to shoot him.

Kerry O'Grady, a senior agent in the Denver field office, made a series of now-deleted postings on Facebook during the campaign saying that she supported Democrat Hillary Clinton and that she would not honor a federal law that prevents agents like her from airing their political beliefs publicly. O'Grady deleted the posts shortly after The Washington Examiner reported them on Tuesday.

"As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act. So I keep quiet and skirt the median," she wrote in one Facebook post, as reported by the Examiner. "To do otherwise can be a criminal offense for those in my position. Despite the fact that I am expected to take a bullet for both sides."

"But this world has changed and I have changed. And I would take jail time over a bullet or an endorsement for what I believe to be disaster to this country and the strong and amazing women and minorities who reside here. Hatch Act be damned. I am with Her," she wrote.

AR-15 stolen from unmarked Ramsey County squad car

Police are investigating after someone broke into a locked Ramsey County sheriff’s office vehicle and stole an AR-15 rifle in St. Louis Park.

St. Louis Park police responded to the reported theft in a third-floor parking ramp at 1600 Utica Ave. on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Clark, who was on duty and had been attending a work-related class in the building, told police he’d parked an unmarked sheriff’s office car in the ramp at 12:30 p.m. and found it had been broken into when he returned about 7:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office and Jacqueline Larson, St. Louis Park communications manager.

Someone had pried out the front driver side door handle to get into the car. Several items were reported missing, including a department-issued AR-15 rifle with a loaded magazine that had been pried from its secured locked rifle mount. The rifle mount was severely damaged in the process, Larson said. An additional rifle magazine and 9mm handgun magazine were also stolen.

MIT freshman tries to save lives with smart guns

When Kai Kloepfer points his .40 caliber handgun, it fires like any other weapon. But when someone else gives it a try, it doesn’t work. It’s the first firearm with same built-in security as many smartphones.

If the gun is picked up by an authorized user, a sensor recognizes the fingerprint and it will fire.

Guns that only work for their owners used to be the stuff of movies, like James Bond’s gun in “Skyfall,” but Kloepfer thinks he has the technology to make them a reality, reports CBS News correspondent Tony Dokoupil.

“I think this could be huge. I think it could really be the future of firearms,” Kloepfer said.

A guide to travelling with your gun

Travelling with your gun can make for a stressful journey, with various legal requirements and airline rules to adhere to. Dominic Griffith gives his advice on how to avoid stress while travelling with your gun.
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Anyone who has travelled with shotguns or rifles will have an implausible story to tell of inefficiency or inconsistency. With any luck they will also have enjoyed the odd hassle-free encounter with knowledgeable airport security staff that eased what could otherwise have been a stressful journey while travelling with your gun.

A detailed understanding of the law is a prerequisite to travelling with your gun but, in addition to the fundamental international and national legal requirements, individual airlines and airports will have their own rules and guidelines which must be satisfied, and the pilots themselves may even have the power of veto on the carriage of firearms. Local rules at the destination may also apply. With regard to any international flight it is therefore worth looking at the Transport Security Administration (TSA) rules as well as national or local guidelines.

The key to a relatively stress-free flight while travelling with your gun most certainly lies in the preparation. Even though each airline’s policy on travelling with your gun is usually available on its website, common to all is the advice to “notify before you fly”. The airline will then request information on the type of firearms and ammunition to be transported and remind you of the required documentation. All also suggest you allow extra time at check-in, because security staff either have to be specially assigned at the smaller airports or because only a few of the larger airport security staff are dedicated to firearms and may be delayed travelling between airport terminals and the various airlines that are requiring their services.

Military welcomes first women infantry Marines

An infantry battalion at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina received three historic additions Thursday -- the first women infantry Marines.

The three women will serve in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, with specializations as rifleman, machine gun and mortar, according to 1st Lt. John McCombs, a Marines spokesman.

The identities of the women are not being released at this time to allow them to get acclimated to their unit, McCombs said. The unit already has three females in leadership roles and they will be able to help with the transition, he noted.

Women had not been allowed to participate in certain military roles until Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that starting in January 2016, the military would be required to open all combat positions to both males and females.

Here are the fastest growing and shrinking states in the US

Utah is growing quickly, while West Virginia is losing people.
The US Census Bureau recently released its population estimates for each of the 50 states and Washington, DC, for 2016 and how populations changed from July 1, 2015, to July 1, 2016.
Most states added population, from some combination of net births minus deaths, international migration, and domestic migration. Eight states — West Virginia, Illinois, Vermont, Connecticut, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and New York — saw a net loss of population.
Here's each state's percent population growth rate: