LAS VEGAS

Suspect in shoe throwing called agitated but aware

A Phoenix woman accused of throwing a shoe some 60 feet toward Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared aware during questioning by U.S. Secret Service agents of the allegation against her, authorities said Friday.

Alison Michelle Ernst, 36, was given a misdemeanor disorderly conduct summons and freed after she was booked at the Clark County jail, according to a Las Vegas police arrest report.

Ernst could face up to a year in the county lockup if she is convicted of violating a county ordinance during the Thursday incident at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

She is accused of bypassing security and walking quickly toward a rope line about six rows from the front of a conference audience. Police say she reached into a purse, removed the shoe and threw it overhand toward the stage.

Clinton ducked and wasn’t struck.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

Casino suing gambler for alleged card-cheating

An Atlantic City casino is suing a big-time gambler, claiming he won $9.6 million in a card-cheating scheme in baccarat.

The Borgata filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Phillip Ivey Jr., considered one of the best poker players in the world.

The lawsuit alleges Ivey and an associate exploited a defect in cards made by a Kansas City manufacturer, which gave him an unfair advantage in baccarat.

WASHINGTON

U.S. blocks controversial Iran pick for U.N. envoy

In a rare diplomatic rebuke, the United States has blocked Iran’s controversial pick for envoy to the United Nations, a move that could stir fresh animosity at a time when Washington and Tehran have been seeking a thaw in relations.

The Obama administration said Friday that the U.S. had informed Iran it would not grant a visa to Hamid Aboutalebi, a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

– From news service reports