Joshua Lott / Reuters

A mourner holds an obituary displaying a picture of Renisha McBride during her funeral service in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 8, 2013. McBride was shot dead on Nov. 2 at a home in a suburb of Detroit. On Monday, her death was ruled a homicide.

An autopsy report on a 19-year-old woman, who was shot and killed on a front porch in Detroit, determined that she was shot in the face, and a medical examiner ruled her death a homicide Monday.

Renisha McBride was shot on Nov. 2 with “no evidence of close range discharge,” according to a report released by the Wayne County Medical Examiner.

McBride’s family said that she had gotten into a car accident and was shot by a man whose house she approached in an attempt to seek help. The external portion of the autopsy report said McBride’s clothing was wet.

The 54-year-old homeowner’s lawyer, Cheryl Carpenter, told The Detroit News that her client woke up in the middle of the night fearing someone was trying to break into his house.

Still, McBride’s family insists the 54-year-old’s actions were racially-charged.

"It's hard to ... believe it's an accident when a gun is in her face and the trigger is pulled," the family's attorney, Gerald Thurswell, told The Detroit News.

The case has drawn attention from civil rights groups and protestors who are likening the shooting to those of Trayvon Martin and Jonathan Ferrell, the former college football player who was shot and killed by police in North Carolina as he sought help after a car accident.

McBride's death “raises many questions about preconceptions, bias, profiling, motive and more … when no arrest has been made and no charges filed, what sort of signal are the authorities sending,” National Action Network President Rev. Al Sharpton wrote in a blog post Monday.

A Facebook page called “Justice for Renisha McBride” has garnered 3,730 “likes.”

Prosecutors told the Associated Press they're investigating further to determine whether or not to charge the 54-year-old man.

Related:

• Supporters rally for Detroit-area woman shot dead after car crash
• Family demands charges after unarmed 19-year-old woman shot dead
• Fiancée of shooting victim forgives Charlotte police officer charged with manslaughter

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Pablo Avila clears snow from a table in Millennium Park on Nov. 11, in Chicago, Ill. The snowfall was the first of the season for the city.

An arctic blast from Canada — carrying the coldest air yet of the fall — will descend onto the northern and eastern parts of the United States on Monday night into Tuesday, making for chilly winter-like temperatures across a wide swath of the country.

The National Weather Service said a strong cold front will move toward the East Coast and the Gulf Coast into Tuesday before heading out to sea on Wednesday.

The system is expected to bring January-like temperatures — lows in the single digits and teens in the Great Plans and the Upper Midwest and into the 20s from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic states, the Weather Service said.

Even the Southeast is expected to see unseasonable low temperatures that could hit the teens and low 20s.

In all, temperatures across nearly a third of the country were expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal temperatures for this time of year.

“If you haven’t gotten your winter coat out down here it’s time to do so,” said Tom Niziol, a winter weather expert at the Weather Channel, directing his remarks to southerners.

Following the cold front is a light band of clouds and rain that could turn to snow in some portions of the region.

Parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, the Appalachians, upstate New York and northern New England could see some light snowfall early Tuesday, according to Weather Channel meteorologists.

A wintry weather advisory was issued for parts of the Ohio River Valley.

A dusting of snow was possible in New Jersey and some of New York’s northern suburbs late Monday night into Tuesday morning, and could add to the frustration of the morning commute, NBCNewYork reported.

Light snow could stick to grassy areas and the tops of cars but was not forecast to accumulate on the roads and highways.

The worst of the weather system could come during the morning rush hours on Tuesday in Chicago and New York, severely reducing the visibility for some commuters.

Former New York mobster John A. "Junior" Gotti was stabbed during a dispute in a CVS pharmacy parking lot on Long Island Sunday night, police say. 

Gotti, the 49-year-old son of notorious Gambino crime family boss John J. Gotti (who was himself actually a junior), walked into a hospital with a stab wound in his abdomen after the dispute in Syosset at about 9:30 p.m., according to Nassau police.

He was listed in stable condition. 

It's not clear what sparked the altercation at 55 Cold Spring Rd. or if Gotti knew his alleged attacker. An arrest has not been made, and police investigation is ongoing, according to authorities. 

Gotti's attorney did not immediately return a telephone message seeking an update on his client's condition.

Gotti pleaded guilty in 1999 to racketeering charges and spent over six years in prison. After his release, he was tried four times in five years, the last one in 2009 for racketeering. Each trial ended in a hung jury. 

Gotti led the Gambino crime family for much of the 1990s while his father was in prison.  Federal prosecutors say the father of six was inducted into the Gambino crime family in the late 1980s and made a captain in 1990. Two years later, his father was sent to jail for life, and allegedly gave him the reins of the family.

He said he left organized crime in 1999.

The elder Gotti died while incarcerated in 2002. 

— NBC New York and The Associated Press

Hailing “patriots who have rendered the highest service any American can offer this nation," President Barack Obama honored the country's military veterans Monday at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

The president kept with tradition, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns before speaking at the Memorial Amphitheater to “honor a debt we can never fully repay.”

The crowd roared as Obama introduced 107-year-old Richard Overton, America’s oldest living veteran, who fought in the Pacific during World War II. 

But the president also extended his praise to the post-9/11 generation members of the armed forces, saying that those who rallied after the national tragedy are “defining one of the greatest generations of military service this country has ever produced.”

Obama said his administration would continue to push for veterans rights to health care, especially mental health care, even for those not covered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Obama also highlighted the approaching end to the war in Afghanistan and said that by next December, the transition to Afghan-led security would be nearly complete.

“The longest war in American history will end,” he said.

In a proclamation issued last week, Obama encouraged “all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans.” Here are some of the ways veterans are being honored Monday across the nation: 

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 11: Members of the military stand at attention before a ceremony where U.S. President Barack Obama will lay a commemorative wreath for Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. For Veterans Day, President Obama is paying tribute to military veterans past and present who have served and sacrificed their lives for their country. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Brennan Linsley / AP

Berna Brown visits the grave of her late husband, Robert E. Brown, who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, and passed away in 2011, at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, in Denver, on Veteran's Day, Monday Nov. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

COCONUT GROVE, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Staff Sergeant Zachary White retired from the Air Force carries the American flag as he participates in a Veterans Day ceremony on November 11, 2013 in Coconut Grove, Florida. The ceremony was held by the Coconut Grove American Legion Post #182 in honor of those veterans who have served the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As troops exit Afghanistan and the U.S. military downsizes, millions of ex-servicemembers will pour into a job market where post-9/11 veterans already grapple with a 10.1 percent unemployment rate -- far higher than the national average. 

But extra help is here for men and women who depart the armed forces. 

NBCUniversal has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to launch “Next Steps for Vets,” a web portal that supplies an array of nimble tools and ready resources to veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses, leading them into employment and educational opportunities.

The centralized hub, hosted by NBC News, serves as a nationwide network that equips veterans and their spouses with online instruments and critical intel, allowing them to more easily map out new lives after shedding their uniforms for good.

At the portal, users will find a resume-engine tool that translates military expertise into marketable language that will catch the attention of human resources executives. There's a G.I. bill calculator to help veterans evaluate all the benefits for which they are eligible. A job-finder feature lists professions from the National Resource Directory’s Veteran’s Job Bank.

Other components include a a “12 step guide” to starting a small business, based on leading resources from Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families entrepreneurship training programs, plus articles, videos and online training sessions from the U.S. Small Business Administration. There is also a job fairs map, displaying the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s upcoming “Hiring Our Heroes” events. And an eMentor Leadership Program is available to link military spouses to employment counselors.

“Our returning servicemen and women can be a vital part of the U.S. workforce, putting the skills they’ve learned in the military to work for companies or their own business enterprise,” said Beth Colleton, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, NBCUniversal. “Next Steps for Vets provides them with the tools they need to navigate and prepare for these employment, small business and education opportunities and supports veterans in their return to civilian life.”  

Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal announced last week that the company met a commitment to employ veterans nearly two years ahead of schedule, hiring 2,000 former members of the armed forces since January 2012.

Visit: Next Steps for Vets

Jay C. Pugh / U.S. Navy via Reuters, file

U.S. Navy sailors look at the USS Freedom as it arrives at Singapore's Changi Naval Base on April 18.

SINGAPORE -- The USS Freedom, the first of a new class of U.S. warship, developed technical problems in Singapore hours before it was to take part in a naval exercise in Brunei on the final part of its first major overseas deployment, a senior officer said on Monday.

The glitch is the latest problem to hit the ship, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., after it faced electrical problems while preparing for a naval exercise with Singapore in July.

Lieutenant Commander Clay Doss said the problems which arose on Sunday were minor compared to those it faced in July. He declined to comment on how much longer the ship would have to prolong its stay in Singapore as a result.

The warship is the U.S. Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a class of shallow-draft vessels built to patrol coastal waters while tackling threats including mines and other systems used to deny access to big warships.

In July it faced generator problems and issues with its coolant system. Navy tests also found vulnerabilities in its computer network.

Top Navy officials have staunchly defended the LCS and warned lawmakers that halted funding for the ships or their equipment could drive up costs.

The Navy plans to buy 52 of the new LCS warships at a cost of more than $30 billion for a range of missions, including surface warfare, mine hunting and ant-submarine missions.

Doss said the latest problems arose as the ship was conducting steering checks at Changi Naval Base while it prepared to sail to Brunei on the way to its home port in San Diego.

"Although maintenance issues can sometimes cause unpredictable schedule impacts, technicians currently do not expect this problem to significantly affect Freedom's deployment schedule," Doss said in an email.

He said a feedback cable in the port steerable waterjet stopped sending signals to a control console on the bridge that indicates the waterjet's position. The ship is scheduled to stay in Southeast Asia for coming weeks before ending its 10-month deployment in the region.

This story was originally published on Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:51 AM EST

John Brecher / NBC News

Salvador Rances, Iraq War veteran, works as a regulations analyst at the New York Stock Exchange.

A veteran-employment slump dubbed “a national disgrace” in March has veered from pontification and promises to a true hiring push as 117,000 ex-members of the U.S. military and their spouses gained work during the past year, according to a report published Monday.

Those filled jobs were spread among 185 companies that earned spots on the 2014 ranking of America’s most “military-friendly employers,” as assessed and compiled by Victory Media and released to NBC News.

“These are the folks that have built the right programs to recruit transitioning service members and their spouses,” said Sean Collins, vice president of Victory Media and a former U.S. Navy pilot. “The hiring done by our (listed) companies very likely covers vast preponderance of the folks hired from the military community. These are not pledges. These companies are providing solutions.”

The annual list, to be published in the December edition of G.I. Jobs magazine, is led for the second consecutive year by San Antonio-based USAA, a financial-services outfit created in 1922 by Army officers as a mutual insurance company. Other companies grabbing top-10 spots include Verizon Communications, Booz Allen Hamilton, Union Pacific Railroad and AlliedBarton Security Services. The rankings are calculated and weighted based on surveys completed by the businesses. Results are checked by Ernst & Young LLP.

Competition to find a foothold in the top 100 was more fierce than in past years — a sign of the heightened investment employers are injecting into snapping up younger veterans, Collins said. He points out that 85 companies didn’t make the top-100 cut yet still have military-jobs programs that Victory Media found worthy of special mention — up from 54 such also-rans on the 2013 list.

Salvador Rances

One veteran who embodies the trend lines is Salvador Rances, an ex-combat engineer who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004. After exiting the Army in 2005, he worked in construction and waited tables while hunting for his career break. He attended networking and resume-writing workshops offered by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), an advocacy group.

On Sept. 3, Rances finally went professional, starting as a regulations analyst at the New York Stock Exchange. 

"There’s a lot of emphasis on hiring the veterans. That's a good thing. But still a lot could be done," said Rances, 34.

"My brother, Ernesto (Rances), is an Iraq (Army) veteran and, just like me (previously), he has a back-up job as a security guard. He’s been trying to get another job for the last two, three years," Salvador Rances said. "The opportunities are there. It’s just a matter of helping veterans take their (military-duty) descriptions and bridging them to the job they want. It’s not easy but it’s possible." 

The military's Afghanistan pullout in 2014, coupled with the larger downsizing of U.S. armed forces, will keep the veteran-job market "tumultuous" for another decade, said Paul Rieckhoff, chief executive officer and founder of IAVA. He called the latest unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans - 10.1 percent - "too high." 

"Yes, the landscape has changed. If you don’t have a veterans-employment program, you are now the exception," Rieckhoff said. "We’ve seen some industry leaders drive this (issue) to the front of the queue," citing Google, Cisco Systems and LinkedIn plus the White House "Joining Forces" initiative.

"Over time, companies will realize hiring veterans is not a charitable move, it’s a business-development investment. These folks are hardwired to do well in business," Rieckhoff said. "Employers have to understand a veteran is not just your next security guard. A veteran could be your next Mark Zuckerberg."

Related:

• Next steps for vets: NBC launches job site for ex-military
• Back to battlegrounds: Some veterans seek peace by returning to places of war
• Starbucks to recruit 10,000 veterans, spouses

Salvador Rances

An employee at an Oregon animal sanctuary was killed when she was alone in a cougar cage, the organization said Sunday.

Renee Radziwon-Chapman, 36, of Portland, Ore., had been the head keeper at WildCat Haven Sanctuary for nearly a decade before she was killed Saturday evening.

"Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our dear colleague and friend who we have so sadly lost," said WildCat Haven Executive Director Cheryl Tuller in a statement. "We are devastated by this loss."

The sanctuary, which rescues captive-born wild cats, has stringent safety measures for employees and volunteers, according to the statement.

Sanctuary officials believe that at the time of the fatal attack Radziwon-Chapman was alone at the sanctuary and alone in the enclosure with cats.

"The sanctuary's handbook specifies that "two qualified staff members shall work together during the lock out of dangerous animals. Once the animals are locked out, one staff member can safely enter the enclosure to clean or make repairs. Two qualified staff members shall be available when releasing animals from lockout areas," the statement said.

Officials said they are still investigating the incident.

At the time of the attack, no cat had escaped from the enclosures, which are surrounded on all sides by 14-foot tall walls of six-gauge wire and are safeguarded by secure ceilings, lockout area and double-door entries, according to the statement. Larger enclosures are also surrounded by four-foot concrete walkways.

“The enclosures exceed what is required by the U.S Department of Agriculture, which inspects the facility yearly,” the statement said.

Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Wurpes told the Associated Press on Saturday that the animal was locked in a cage after the attack.

Radziwon-Chapman was remembered by a colleague as a seasoned worker with an affinity for animals who may have just mysteriously slipped up.

"Her relationship with the cats was amazing," Jim Caliva, a WildCat Haven Sanctuary board member, told The Oregonian newspaper. "She knew exactly what she was doing, but apparently there was a mistake. I don't know what it could be."

The sanctuary is located in the suburb of Sherwood, just outside the city of Portland.

Flashbacks and post-traumatic stress from combat were trapping one Ohio female veteran in her home.

Judy Sallerson, whose Army unit was hit by a series of  mortar attacks in Iraq, had been sent to Walter Reed Medical Center outside Washington  in 2010 where she recovered for two years. For nearly a year of that time she didn't do much at all and stayed inside, she said.

But with the help of a therapist, Sallerson finally started to venture out and even signed up to be a mentor in a local court.

 “I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere because I was afraid someone would see and judge me,” said Sallerson.

Then, a friend invited her to play golf in a veterans group. That’s when she met former professional golfer Renee Powell, who formed the first female chapter of a PGA Foundation program called H.O.P.E. (Helping our Patriots Everywhere) to teach veterans the game.

Powell brought the women together at her home course, Clearview Golf Club, in East Canton, Ohio.

They started learning the basics, how to hold the club and hit the ball. But mostly, the women were talking and helping each other out.

“I can tell you I was pretty miserable — depressed — really searching for somebody. Searching for something," Sallerson said. “I think I’d still be searching. This really brought me out of my shell.”

When the prescribed five weeks of golf instruction were over, the women decided to keep their group together. And now Clearview Hope continues as a support group for female combat veterans.

Every week when the weather is warm, the woman — who served in conflicts including Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan — grab their golf clubs and hit the links for relaxation, fellowship and support.

 “I think there needs to be more support for women veterans,” Sallerson said. “This is the only program that I know of – that’s for women.”

Some only recently returned from combat and find the serene green of the course a pleasant change.

“Golf is so therapeutic ... but very calm, very therapeutic — you're out with nature,” Powell said.

Powell’s father was a World War II veteran who started the Clearview Course in 1946 when he came home from Europe. Bill Powell, according to the PGA of America, is the only African-American to build, own and operate a golf course in the United States.

“He's the one that taught me the game of golf,” Powell said. “So I'm able to teach them and he would've been proud of every one of the women.”

When teaching golf to the veterans, Powell emphasizes though it can be frustrating, it’s a game of patience.

“Golf is just kinda like life,” said Christina Turner, another Iraq veteran and member of the group. “When you’re on, you’re absolutely on ... and then you’ll feel like you’re doing the exact same thing you did when you hit the last ball and it goes nowhere.”

“You have to be very patient. You have to be very understanding. You have to step back and understand the grand scheme of things...” Turner said.

Related:

• Back to battlegrounds: Some veterans seek peace by returning to places of war
• Dogs help stressed U.S. military veterans cope with civilian life
• Financial strain pushes many veterans to the breaking point