Obama to press Republicans to fill Supreme Court vacancy at Tuesday meeting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will press Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, despite Republican vows to not to act on anyone he nominates.


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U.S. Air Force awards rocket engine development contracts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Monday awarded contracts worth more than $160 million to two separate firms involved in the development of new rocket engines to help the United States end its dependence on Russian-made rocket motors for national security space launches.


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Chris Rock transforms Oscars into biting racial commentary

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Chris Rock launched his return stint as Oscar host on Sunday by immediately and unabashedly confronting the racially charged elephant in the room - the furor over the all-white field of performers nominated for Hollywood's highest honors.











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North Carolina police officer kills suspect, sparks protest

(Reuters) - A Raleigh, North Carolina, police officer on Monday killed a man who was fleeing arrest, authorities said, and a local TV station reported protesters chanting "black lives matter" gathered at the scene.


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Sikh Army captain sues U.S. military over grooming policy tests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Sikh Army captain filed suit against the U.S. military on Monday after being ordered to undergo "extraordinary, targeted, repetitive testing" before receiving permanent permission to wear a beard and long hair for his religion, court papers said.


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Navy SEAL who rescued American hostage awarded Medal of Honor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday awarded the country's highest honor for valor to Navy SEAL Edward Byers, who used his body to shield an American hostage from gunfire during a rescue operation in Afghanistan.


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Suspect in Virginia students' murders expected to enter guilty pleas

RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - A former hospital worker is expected to enter guilty pleas this week to the murder and abduction of two Virginia university students, prosecutors said on Monday.


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New Jersey mother pleads guilty to burning baby to death in road

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty on Monday to a reduced charge of aggravated manslaughter in the killing of her newborn daughter, who was set ablaze in the middle of a roadway, prosecutors said.


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Google says self-driving car hits municipal bus in minor crash

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car struck a municipal bus in a minor crash - in what may be the first case of one of its autonomous cars hitting another vehicle.


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At least three students wounded in shooting at Ohio high school: reports

(Reuters) - At least three students were wounded on Monday after a shooting at a high school in southwest Ohio, and one suspect was in custody, according to officials and media reports.











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New York prison guard gets six months jail for role in escape

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An upstate New York correctional officer pleaded guilty on Monday to helping two convicts make a daring escape from a maximum security prison last year, and was sentenced to six months in jail and $5,000 in fines.


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Trump dismisses latest U.S. campaign squall before Super Tuesday

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Donald Trump swatted away the latest controversy to shadow his unorthodox march toward the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, attributing his failure to disavow support from a white supremacist to a faulty television earpiece.











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Judge allows case against media mogul Redstone to proceed-tentative ruling

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A lawsuit that challenges the mental competence of media mogul Sumner Redstone, the former executive chairman of Viacom Inc, can proceed, a California judge said in a tentative ruling on Monday.


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Obama adviser Deese to lead White House's Supreme Court process

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has turned to senior adviser Brian Deese, an economic expert who previously led the administration's climate change efforts, to head the team to pick and win confirmation of a Supreme Court candidate, a White House official said on Monday.











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U.S. prosecutor behind Silk Road case to join law firm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Manhattan federal prosecutor who spearheaded the investigation and prosecution of the creator of the black market website Silk Road and handled numerous other high-profile cybercrime cases is joining the law firm Latham & Watkins.


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Former bankruptcy judge tapped to run Detroit public schools

(Reuters) - The federal judge who oversaw Detroit's historic bankruptcy case will now tackle the financial problems of the city's financially struggling public schools, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced on Monday.











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