Nation in brief: Authorities: Man tried to aid terror

Boston – A Massachusetts man and two friends tried and failed to get into terrorist training camps and then plotted to kill two prominent U.S. politicians and randomly shoot people at shopping malls, authorities said Wednesday.

Tarek Mehanna, who recently taught at a Muslim school in Worcester, Mass., was arrested Wednesday at his parents’ suburban Boston home. Mehanna was charged with conspiring with two other men – an American now in Syria and another man who is cooperating with authorities – to provide support to terrorists.

Ultimately, the trio never came close to pulling off an attack.

The men abandoned the mall attack plans after their weapons contact said he could find only handguns, not automatic weapons, authorities said.

Dead blue whale washes ashore

San Francisco – The body of a 70-foot, female blue whale that officials believe was struck by a ship has washed ashore on the Northern California coast.

The whale was first spotted on shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County on Monday night, hours after an ocean survey vessel reported hitting a whale a few miles away.