US
ReutersRussian hackers targeted U.S. conservative think-tanks, says Microsoft
The software giant said it thwarted the attempts last week by taking control of sites that hackers had designed to mimic the pages of The International Republican Institute and The Hudson Institute. There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities, but the Kremlin was expected to address the
ReutersPope vows no more cover ups on sexual abuse in letter to Catholics
Pope Francis, facing sexual abuse crises in several countries, wrote an unprecedented letter to all Catholics on Monday, asking each one of them to help root out "this culture of death" and vowing there would be no more cover ups. In a highly personal letter addressed to "the people of
ReutersProtesters topple Confederate soldier statue in North Carolina
About 300 demonstrators gathered at the base of Silent Sam, a memorial to the Confederate soldiers killed during the Civil War, at about 7 p.m. (2300 GMT) to hold a protest and march. About two hours later, the statue, which had been standing on the Chapel Hill campus since 1913, was on the ground,
ReutersStudy cites longer dry spells as fueling U.S. wildfires
Less rain and longer droughts are the major cause behind larger and more intense wildfires in the U.S. West, not higher temperatures and early snowmelt as previously thought, according to research released on Monday. The findings by the U.S. Forest Service and University of Montana could help scientists
ReutersColorado man charged in murder of family claims wife strangled kids
Chris Watts, who had been involved in an extramarital affair with a co-worker, said during a police interrogation that his wife, Shannan, strangled their daughters Bella and Celeste after he announced that he wanted a separation, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the sensational case. "
ReutersFather sues St. Louis police in 2015 shooting death of his son
Dennis Ball-Bey filed the action against the city of St. Louis, its former police chief and two officers involved in the shooting death of Mansur Ball-Bey. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in St. Louis on Friday, seeks unspecified damages, court records showed. The lawsuit alleged that the officers
ReutersGeorgia candidates decry plan to close voting sites in mostly black county
The two-member local elections board is expected to vote on Friday on a proposal to shutter seven of nine polling sites in rural Randolph County, located in southwest Georgia, where roughly 60 percent of the 7,800 residents are black. Both Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee who is seeking to become
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South Carolina woman walking dog killed by alligator
A witness called police to report an alligator was attacking a woman at a lagoon on Hilton Head Island, a popular tourist destination, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Police recovered her body and identified the victim as Cassandra Cline of Hilton Head Island. The alligator
ReutersU.S. health secretary says agency can eliminate drug rebates
Such rebates are negotiated in the United States by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to lower the cost of medicines for their clients, including large employers and health plans that cover tens of millions of Americans. Drugmakers say they are under pressure to provide rebates to the few PBMs that
ReutersExclusive: Pentagon raises alarm about sharp drop in Iraqi refugees coming to U.S.
The Pentagon is concerned that not providing safe haven to more of the Iraqis, many of whom interpreted and did other key tasks for U.S. forces, will harm national security by dissuading locals from cooperating with the United States in Iraq and other conflict zones, the officials said. In a closed-door
ReutersUSA Gymnastics ex-doctor moved from prison after alleged assault
Nassar was at a federal transfer facility in Oklahoma City after being removed from a penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, Federal Bureau of Prisons records showed. Last year, Nassar, 55, was given an effective life sentence by a Michigan court for sexually abusing young female gymnasts entrusted to his
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Fire that prompted closure of parts of Yosemite Park is contained
More than 3,000 personnel have battled the Ferguson Fire, which ignited on July 13 and has burned through nearly 97,000 acres (39,250 hectares) of steep slopes and bone-dry terrain southwest of the park, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said. Two firefighters were
ReutersU.S. Catholics 'sickened' by sex abuse report, stand by their faith
Many churchgoers said they were sickened and saddened by a grand jury report detailing widespread sexual abuse by hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania but they would not let the Roman Catholic Church's cover-up dissuade them from their faith. Nearly 200 parishioners filled almost all the pews for
ReutersTrans students: A test of identity for U.S. girls schools
As students who are openly transgender or non-binary - those who identify as neither male nor female - have become more visible at girls schools in recent years, educators are re-defining policies on admission, retention and other issues. The challenge, experts say, is to create policies that support
ReutersVigil held in Colorado town for slain pregnant woman and daughters
Shanann Watts, 34, and her daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, were reported missing from their home in Frederick, 25 miles north of Denver, by a family friend on Monday afternoon, touching off an exhaustive search by law enforcement agencies. Chris Watts was taken into custody on Wednesday on suspicion
ReutersU.S. senators demand answers from Army after Reuters report on lead poisoning
"We write to you today concerned about recent reports of lead poisoning at a number of Army installations," the senators wrote. The letter, written by Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, along with Republican Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, came
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Texas jury finds Toyota negligent in accident, awards $242 million to family
The verdict by the jury in Dallas County District Court includes more than $143.6 million in punitive damages after jurors agreed that the actions of Lexus-maker Toyota Motor Corp and Toyota Motor Sales amounted to gross negligence, the Law Offices of Frank L. Branson said in a statement. The 3-year-old
ReutersU.S. judge approves plan to reunite separated immigrant families
The plan negotiated by the U.S. government and immigrant rights advocates marked the second stage of federal efforts to reunite 2,551 children ages 5 to 17 with their parents. Sabraw, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, on Friday acknowledged the challenges in efficiently bringing
ReutersDo not call us Mormons or LDS Church, leaders of faith ask
An online guide accompanying a pronouncement from the church president also asked people to stop referring to followers of the religion as Mormons and not to use the name "LDS" as a shorthand way of describing the faith. "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name
ReutersBody found at New Mexico compound identified as missing boy
The finding came two days after a Taos County judge received death threats and Islamophobic abuse for granting bail to the five defendants, who are all black and Muslim. Authorities unearthed the boy's body at the compound on Aug. 6, three days after they raided the ramshackle home near Amalia,
ReutersPentagon says China military 'likely training for strikes' on U.S. targets
The assessment, which comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions over trade, was contained in an annual report that highlighted China's efforts to increase its global influence, with defense spending that the Pentagon estimates exceeded $190 billion in 2017. "Over the last three years
ReutersEx-lawyer of pharma executive Shkreli gets 18 months prison for fraud scheme
Evan Greebel, who was outside counsel to Shkreli's former company Retrophin Inc , was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in Brooklyn. The judge also ordered Greebel to pay about $10.4 million in restitution to Retrophin. "I will regret, every day of my life, the day I met Martin
ReutersU.S. court orders Trump administration to enforce chemical safety rule
The D.C. Circuit Court ruling was the latest to counter efforts under President Donald Trump, a Republican, to delay environmental regulations introduced by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat. The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the Chemical Disaster Rule, saying
ReutersTrailer at New Mexico compound had been stolen in Alabama: police
A camping trailer at the New Mexico compound where five people were charged with child abuse earlier this month had been stolen from an Alabama farmer and towed to the ramshackle settlement north of Taos, police said on Friday. The trailer, which was partially buried at the compound, was reported stolen
ReutersPsychologist may examine if Reagan shooter deserves complete freedom
A federal judge on Friday authorized a psychologist chosen by the U.S. government to examine John Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in a 1981 assassination attempt, in order to determine whether he deserves unconditional freedom. Hinckley, 63, has been living with his mother in Williamsburg
