New York Police Dept reinstates Muslim officer suspended over beard

(Reuters) - A Muslim policeman who sued the New York City Police Department after he was suspended for refusing to shave his beard has been reinstated and the department has agreed to review its ban on beards, his lawyers said on Thursday.

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Document spells out FBI rules to get journalists' phone records: article

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is allowed to seek journalists' phone records with the approval of two government officials through a secretive surveillance process that does not require a warrant, The Intercept website reported on Thursday, citing a classified document.

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House of Representatives reignites gun-control debate with planned vote

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, under mounting pressure to advance gun-control legislation, will vote next week on a measure to keep guns out of the hands of people on government terrorism watch lists.

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U.S. opens investigation into fatal crash in Tesla

(Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday it is opening a preliminary investigation into 25,000 Tesla Motors Model S cars after a fatal crash involving a vehicle using the "Autopilot" mode.

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More U.S. babies with Zika-related birth defects reported by health agency

(Reuters) - Three more babies have been born in the United States with birth defects likely linked to Zika virus infections, while another lost pregnancy was linked to the virus, according to figures updated by health officials on Thursday.

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U.S. military repeals ban on trangender servicemembers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is ending its ban on openly serving transgender service members, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement on Thursday.

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Zika sex research begins despite U.S. Congress funding impasse

(Reuters) - It could take years to learn how long men infected with Zika are capable of sexually transmitting the virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and other serious neurological disorders.

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U.S. Joint Base Andrews on lockdown over active shooter report

(Reuters) - U.S. Joint Base Andrews in Maryland was placed on lockdown on Thursday due to a report of an active shooter and personnel were told to shelter in place, base officials said on Twitter.

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New York's two-tier system offers testing ground in minimum wage debate

NEW YORK(Reuters) - When New York and California became the first states to lift the minimum hourly wage towards $15 earlier this year, New York state adopted a two-speed system that makes it a perfect testing ground for both advocates and opponents of government mandated pay hikes.

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Fresh details spur debate on police response to Orlando massacre

(Reuters) - The release of police dispatch records offering new details from witnesses of the Orlando nightclub massacre provided fresh grist on Wednesday for the debate about whether law enforcement waited too long to take out the gunman.

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Puerto Rico still seen defaulting on debt even with rescue law

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors in Puerto Rico's debt-burdened economy still face risks of default on some of the island's $70 billion in debt even after the U.S. Congress on Wednesday created a powerful federal oversight board to manage credit restructurings.

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Senate backs Puerto Rico debt bill, sends to Obama

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday gave solid approval to a relief plan to help Puerto Rico address its $70 billion debt, sending the measure to President Barack Obama for his expected signing into law just ahead of a possible default by the U.S. territory on its next debt payment.

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Woman dies after downtown Denver office shooting

DENVER (Reuters) - A woman who was shot inside a downtown Denver office building this week, triggering a massive police response, has died, gunned down by her estranged husband who then committed suicide, police said on Wednesday.

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July Fourth travelers face tougher U.S. security after Turkey attack

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Millions of U.S. travelers flying during the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend will face heightened security due to the deadly attacks at Istanbul's main airport, officials said on Wednesday, adding to potential delays.

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JFK airport terminal briefly evacuated over unattended bag

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police temporarily evacuated a terminal at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday as they investigated a report of a suspicious package, authorities said.

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'Please don't shoot': Texas daughters pleaded for lives before being killed by mother

(Reuters) - Two Texas daughters pleaded for their lives before they were gunned down by their mother at an upscale suburban Houston home last week, according to 911 tapes released by the local sheriff's office.

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California gets go-ahead to vote on legalization of marijuana

(Reuters) - Californians are set to decide whether to make recreational marijuana use legal, as other Western states have done, after the California Secretary of State's office said on Tuesday the issue could be put to voters in the November ballot.

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Supreme Court spurns abortion restrictions in two more states

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reverberations from the U.S. Supreme Court's major ruling backing abortion rights were felt on Tuesday as the justices rejected bids by Mississippi and Wisconsin to revive restrictions on abortion doctors matching those struck down in Texas on Monday.

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Woman injured, gunman dead in downtown Denver shooting

(Reuters) - A woman was critically injured in a shooting inside a downtown Denver office building on Tuesday and police said the suspected gunman was pronounced dead at the scene with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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Emergency call log details horror of Orlando nightclub shooting

(Reuters) - After a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Florida this month, police dispatchers fielded calls from people inside who screamed of being shot, begged for help and spoke in hushed voices of the bloody scene around them.

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First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida

(Reuters) - A Haitian woman in Florida has delivered the first baby in the state born with the birth defect microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, Florida's health department said on Tuesday.

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Supreme Court agrees to review ATM fee antitrust lawsuit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear appeals by Visa Inc, Mastercard Inc and several U.S. banks seeking to throw out lawsuits claiming they conspired to inflate the prices of ATM access fees in violation of antitrust law.

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Supreme Court agrees to hear overseas citizenship dispute

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether gender inequity in U.S. immigration law over granting citizenship to children born abroad to unwed American-citizen parents - favoring mothers over fathers - violates the U.S. Constitution.

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For Obama, setbacks from a divided Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court breaks for the summer this week, having dealt high-profile setbacks to President Barack Obama on issues important to his liberal legacy, notably on immigration and climate change.

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Supreme Court toughens gun ban for domestic violence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday expanded the types of domestic violence convictions that can trigger the loss of gun ownership rights in a ruling issued amid fierce debate about reducing firearms violence in America.

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Abortion providers aim to reopen some closed Texas clinics

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Abortion providers in Texas reacted with surprise and elation on Monday to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to throw out the state's restrictive abortion law and said they aimed to reopen some clinics shut down since the measure was passed in 2013.

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Two dead after shooting in western Oregon, suspected gunman captured

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Two people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting on Monday in western Oregon, and the suspected gunman was captured by state police less than two hours later near Portland, a sheriff's office said.

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CIA weapons for Syrian rebels sold to arms black market: NYT

(Reuters) - Weapons shipped into Jordan for Syrian rebels by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia were stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, the New York Times reported, citing American and Jordanian officials.

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Five killed in Colorado Amtrak train-car crash: state police

DENVER (Reuters) - Five people were killed in Colorado on Sunday when an Amtrak passenger train collided with a car in Las Animas County in the southern part of the U.S. state, state police said.

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Multiple stabbing victims during rally in Sacramento, California

(Reuters) - Multiple people were stabbed during a rally on Sunday at the state capitol in Sacramento, California, the fire department said on Twitter.

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Firefighters begin to get deadly California blaze under control

(Reuters) - Firefighters have begun to contain a wildfire in central California, which has killed at least two people and destroyed 150 homes, state fire officials said on Sunday, as six other blazes rage in the state in an already intense wildfire season.

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Orlando massacre casts shadow over U.S. gay pride events

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pride parades in New York, San Francisco and other U.S. cities are expected to draw millions of revelers on Sunday, two weeks after a mass shooting at a Florida nightclub galvanized the LGBT community, and rekindled outrage over American gun violence.

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U.S. Supreme Court poised to issue major abortion ruling

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is due on Monday to issue its first major abortion ruling since 2007 against a backdrop of unremitting divisions among Americans on the issue and a decades-long decline in the rate at which women terminate pregnancies.

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Deadly California wildfire spreads, 1,500 structures threatened

(Reuters) - A California wildfire that has killed two people and destroyed about 100 structures has spread and is threatening about 1,500 structures, fire officials said on Saturday.

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Two dead in shooting at Texas dance studio: police

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two people were killed on Saturday in a shooting at a dance studio in Fort Worth, Texas, and several others were taken to local hospitals with injuries, police said.

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Three killed, two injured in Maryland shooting

(Reuters) - Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting in Maryland, police said on Friday.

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After Brexit, what? U.S. secessionists hankering for 'Texit'

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Emboldened by Brexit, U.S. secessionists in Texas are keen to adopt the campaign tactics used to sway the British vote for leaving the European Union and are demanding "Texit" comes next.

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Obama creates first U.S. monument to gay rights at New York site

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday designated the site of a watershed event in the history of U.S. gay rights, the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, as a national monument, the first one to honor the contributions of gay Americans.

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Four dead in West Virginia floods as rain-swollen rivers crest

(Reuters) - West Virginia declared a state of emergency amid the worst flooding in more than a century that killed at least four people and prompted rescues of hundreds of others forced to evacuate swamped homes, officials said on Friday.

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Firefighters injured, homes destroyed in new California wildfire

(Reuters) - Three firefighters were injured in a central California wildfire that has scorched 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) of parched and rugged terrain in less than a day, destroying 80 homes and forcing the evacuation of hundreds more, fire officials said on Friday.

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An activist campaign seeks to shame U.S. companies over Trump

(Reuters) - Disturbed by Donald Trump's presidential campaign, U.S. activists have taken out online advertisements, circulated petitions, put up billboards and even chipped in for an airplane banner to try to shame companies into dropping their sponsorships of the Republican National Convention in July.

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Wildfire destroys more than 50 structures in central California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A fast-growing wildfire destroyed 50 to 60 structures near the mountain town of Lake Isabella in central California on Thursday, Kern County and federal fire officials said.

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Led Zeppelin did not steal 'Stairway' riff, jurors say

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The guitar riff Led Zeppelin used in the 1971 classic "Stairway to Heaven" differed substantially from one the English band was accused of stealing from the U.S. group Spirit, a jury found on Thursday in a copyright infringement trial in Los Angeles.

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Florida nightclub shooter buried in Muslim cemetery: reports

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - The gunman who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history has been buried at a Muslim cemetery in southern Florida, media reported on Thursday.

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Democrats end House sit-in over gun control

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday ended a daylong sit-in at the chamber to protest the lack of action on gun control measures, Representative Steny Hoyer said.

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Supreme Court upholds race-based college admissions program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the practice of considering race in college admissions, rejecting a white woman's challenge to a University of Texas affirmative action program designed to boost the enrollment of minority students.

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Split Supreme Court blocks Obama immigration plan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt President Barack Obama a harsh defeat by blocking his plan to spare millions of illegal immigrants from deportation in a split 4-4 ruling that was a setback for his attempts to bypass the Republican-led Congress.

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Mateen altered looks, researched anti-psychotic drugs before attack

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Reuters) - On the morning before the massacre at Orlando’s Pulse gay nightclub, shooter Omar Mateen drastically altered his appearance, shaving his head and face, and seemed agitated and surly, said an acquaintance who saw him that day.

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Supreme Court partly strikes down state drunken driving test refusal laws

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that states cannot make it a crime for a drunken driving suspect to refuse to take a blood test but can criminalize the refusal to take breath tests to determine alcohol levels.

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Black leaders emerge as powerful allies in LGBT fight in South

(Reuters) - The U.S. battle over bathrooms and wedding cakes is pushing many African-American leaders in the South to the forefront of the latest civil rights frontier, as the threat of discrimination overshadows long-held reservations on gay issues.

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Baltimore cop's murder trial verdict due in death of Freddie Gray

(Reuters) - A Maryland judge will issue his verdict on Thursday in the closely watched murder trial of a Baltimore police officer for the death of black detainee Freddie Gray, an incident that triggered rioting and protests.

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Florida gator that killed boy likely removed: authorities

(Reuters) - The Florida alligator that killed a vacationing 2-year-old boy at Disney World Resort has likely been removed from the area of the attack, authorities said on Wednesday.

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California lawmakers move to change sentencing law following Stanford case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Seizing on a nationwide furor over the six-month jail term handed to a former Stanford University swimmer following his conviction for sexual assault on an unconscious woman, California lawmakers on Monday introduced legislation to close a loophole that allowed the sentence.

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Slain Americans' parents urge Obama to bring home missing reporter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The families of four Americans killed by Islamic State on Wednesday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to do everything possible to bring home the only U.S. journalist known to be held in war-torn Syria.

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U.S. completes 'takedown' of Medicare fraud: officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement officials have charged 301 suspects with trying to defraud Medicare and other federal insurance programs in 2016, marking the "largest takedown" involving health care fraud allegations, the Justice Department said on Wednesday.

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Supreme Court's Alito sells oil company shares, documents show

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sold his shares in Exxon Mobil Corp worth up to $250,000 that had prompted him to step aside from cases involving the oil company, financial disclosure forms released on Wednesday showed.

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Same-sex marriages in U.S. up, domestic partnerships down: Gallup

(Reuters) - Nearly half of gay and lesbian couples living together in the United States are married a year after the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the country, according to a Gallup study released on Wednesday.

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Michigan attorney general sues two companies in Flint water crisis

DETROIT (Reuters) - The Michigan attorney general said on Wednesday his office has sued two engineering services companies for negligence and fraud for their involvement in the city of Flint's water crisis that exposed residents to dangerously high lead levels in drinking water.

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Photos reveal U.S. Supreme Court justices in private moments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As he chatted with law clerks in his chambers, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas laughed so hard he looked as though he might tumble from his chair.

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Search resumes off Florida for missing family on sailboat

(Reuters) - Search crews were scouring the waters off the Florida coast early on Wednesday for a man and his three teenage children who were reported missing after setting off on a 29-foot-sailboat (9-meter) three days ago, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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Senate likely to pass FBI spying bill after Orlando shooting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday is likely to pass a Republican-backed proposal to expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation's secretive surveillance powers after the mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub last week.

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'Star Trek' actor's death prompts new calls for auto recall fix

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin's fatal accident involving a recalled 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee is renewing calls from safety advocates to fix flaws in the U.S. recall system.

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New York approves unisex bathrooms in nod to transgender people

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Council on Tuesday approved a law requiring single-stall public bathrooms to be gender neutral in a show of support for transgender people, the bill's main sponsor said.

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Pittsburgh TV anchor says she was fired for being white

(Note: This story contains content that may offend some readers)

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U.S. unveils new rules on low-altitude drones

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration unveiled new rules Tuesday that will allow for low-level drone flights, but only within sight of an operator and not over people.

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White House denounces senators as cowards on gun control

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House accused U.S. senators of sacrificing national security for their political ambitions on Tuesday, a day after four gun control measures failed to advance after the nation's largest mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, last week.

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U.S. attorney general to meet nightclub shooting victims

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was due to meet on Tuesday with victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre, a day after the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the gunman had described himself as an "Islamic soldier" during the rampage.

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During siege, Orlando gunman told police he was 'Islamic soldier'

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - The Florida nightclub killer called himself an "Islamic soldier" and threatened to strap hostages into explosive vests in calls with police during the three-hour siege, according to transcripts released by the FBI on Monday.

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Federal charges will not be filed in Georgia teen's death: media

(Reuters) - Federal prosecutors will not file charges in the case of a Georgia teenager found dead in a rolled-up wrestling mat in his school gym, media reported on Monday.

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Firefighters hold 'sleeping giant' wildfire in check in California

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A stubborn wildfire stoked by triple-digit temperatures raged for a sixth day outside Santa Barbara in coastal Southern California on Monday as crews worked to keep the blaze some have called a "sleeping giant" in check, officials said.

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Invoking Orlando, Senate Republicans set up vote to expand FBI spying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set up a vote late on Monday to expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation's authority to use a secretive surveillance order without a warrant to include email metadata and some browsing history information.

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Lawsuit by Newtown massacre families is overreach, gunmaker says

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Reuters) - The maker of the assault rifle used to kill 26 children and educators at a Connecticut school in 2012 argued on Monday that attempts to limit the sale of such weapons to civilians are best left to lawmakers and not families of the victims who sued the company.

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Corruption probe nets NYC police officers, businessman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A wide-ranging corruption probe in New York City led to charges on Monday against three police officials and a businessman who prosecutors say schemed to secure favors in exchange for $100,000 in gifts including prostitutes, sports tickets and trips.

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Closing arguments wrap up in Baltimore cop's trial over Freddie Gray death

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - The Baltimore police officer being tried for murder in the death of black detainee Freddie Gray failed to ensure his safety and should have called for medical aid, a prosecutor contended during the trial's closing arguments on Monday.

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Supreme Court rejects challenge to state assault weapon bans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place gun control laws in New York and Connecticut that ban assault weapons like the one used in last week's massacre at an Orlando nightclub, rejecting a challenge brought by gun rights advocates.

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Senate to vote on gun curbs in swift response to Orlando shooting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will make its strongest push in years to tighten gun controls on Monday, voting on four proposals a week after the Orlando shooting massacre prompted new calls to keep firearms away from people on terrorism watch lists.

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Supreme Court agrees to hear immigrant detention dispute

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether immigrants detained for more than six months by the U.S. government while deportation proceedings take place are eligible for a hearing in which they can argue for their release.

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Cavaliers stun Warriors to clinch NBA title

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game Seven on Sunday to win their first NBA championship and complete a remarkable comeback unlike any seen before.

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Van driver charged in Virginia crash that killed six

(Reuters) - The driver of a van that veered off a Virginia highway and flipped over multiple times after clipping a second vehicle was charged with six counts of manslaughter, state police said on Sunday.

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U.S. to release partial transcripts of Florida club gunman's calls

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials will release partial transcripts of three phone conversations that the gunman who killed 49 people in a Florida gay club had with law enforcement during the massacre, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Sunday.

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Trump says U.S. should consider racial profiling

(Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States should consider more racial profiling in law enforcement, after urging harsher policies following last week's mass shooting in Orlando.

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Obama immigration win at Supreme Court could benefit Trump

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming days decides a high-profile immigration case in favor of the Obama administration, the ruling could have an unexpected beneficiary: Republican presidential contender Donald Trump.

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Tension at funerals for Orlando victims with protest, irate driver

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Funerals for two of the 49 victims killed in the shooting at a nightclub in Florida were marked by tense scenes on Saturday, as an impatient driver was accused of injuring two law enforcement officers and one burial took place under the watch of anti-gay protesters.

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Supreme Court may take action on state assault weapon bans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court may weigh in this week on gun control, an issue smoldering again following the June 12 Orlando massacre, with the justices due to decide whether to hear a challenge by gun rights advocates to assault weapon bans in two states.

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Immigration, abortion, race rulings due at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is heading into its home stretch, with major rulings due by the end of the month on President Barack Obama's unilateral immigration plan, racial preferences in university admissions and a restrictive Texas abortion law.

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Ex-Vanderbilt football player found guilty in rape trial

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - A Tennessee jury found a former Vanderbilt University football player guilty on Saturday for the June 2013 rape of an unconscious female student in a case drawing national attention to sexual assaults on college campuses.

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Ex-housekeeper, attorneys accused of trying to extort Waffle House chairman

(Reuters) - An ex-housekeeper for the chairman of Waffle House and two of her attorneys have been indicted in Georgia on charges they conspired to extort the executive during a four-year legal battle over secretly recorded video of sexual encounters.

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Anti-oil protesters arrested for blocking trains in Washington state

(Reuters) - Police arrested 21 protesters on Saturday for blocking BNSF Railway Co. [BNISF.UL] freight trains in Vancouver, Washington, on a line that transports oil and coal in the Northwest, protesters and a railroad spokesman said.

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Southern California wildfire spreads as blazes hit parched states

(Reuters) - A wildfire fed by parched land and high winds spread in Southern California on Saturday, prompting hundreds of people to evacuate their homes as the blaze formed destructive columns of flames known as "fire tornadoes."

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Democrats' new line on gun control: Do it for national security

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats pushing for gun curbs after the latest mass shooting in the United States are co-opting a Republican mantra to build public support and defang opposition: it's time to get tough on national security.

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New York lawmakers vote to legalize fantasy sports games

ALBANY, NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fantasy sports moved a step closer to being legal in New York on Saturday when lawmakers approved the daily and season-long games, clearing a path for FanDuel, DraftKings and others to offer them to millions of players in the state.

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FBI questions member of mosque attended by Orlando gunman

ORLANDO, Fla./FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Reuters) - FBI agents on Friday questioned a member of the Florida mosque attended by Omar Mateen, the man who shot 49 people to death at a gay nightclub, as new information surfaced revealing the killer had exhibited chronic behavioral problems during his youth.

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Rays honor Orlando shooting victims during pride night

(Reuters) - The Tampa Bay Rays honored victims of Orlando's mass shooting with a dedicated Pride Night on Friday, which drew their largest regular season crowd in more than 10 years.

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Third Oakland police chief out in just over a week

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The troubled police force in Oakland, California, saw its third police chief resign in just over a week on Friday as investigations into sexual misconduct and racist text messages continued to roil the department.

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Teen hacks Pentagon websites, gets thanked for finding 'bugs'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High school student David Dworken spent 10 to 15 hours between classes on his laptop, hacking U.S. Defense Department websites.

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EPA warns Flint, Michigan of long-term threats to water supply

(Reuters) - The city of Flint faces multiple long-term threats to its water supply, even though short-term progress has been made in reducing lead contamination in the drinking water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has warned the city and the state of Michigan.

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Defense rests in Baltimore officer's murder trial in Freddie Gray case

(Reuters) - Defense lawyers rested their case on Friday in the trial of a Baltimore police officer charged with murder in the death of black detainee Freddie Gray last year, a court spokeswoman said.

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Memorial service marks a year after Charleston, S.C., church massacre

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The city of Charleston came together on Friday for a memorial and other events to mark the first anniversary of the killings of nine members of a Bible study group in what prosecutors described as a racially motivated hate crime.

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Lifting U.S. curbs on gay blood donors seen years away: experts

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators are under increasing pressure to remove restrictions keeping most gay and bisexual men from donating blood, but experts say any change would require years of research to guarantee the safety of the blood supply.

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U.S. transgender woman's journey turns into constitutional fight

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (Reuters) - Kate Lynn Blatt once lived as a woman at home but went to work in a battery factory as a man, a painful phase in her gender transition that would later propel her to the forefront of a constitutional battle for transgender rights in America.

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Newtown families see hope for gun control after Orlando

(Reuters) - Since his 7-year-old son, Daniel, was gunned down in his elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, 3-1/2 years ago, Mark Barden has been an outspoken advocate for gun control.

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Wildfires in California, New Mexico trigger hundreds of evacuations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of people have evacuated to escape a wildfire in coastal Southern California and a larger blaze in rural New Mexico as hot weather feeds the flames, raising health concerns in other regions, officials said on Thursday.

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Judge rejects bid to drop charges against Baltimore cop in Freddie Gray case

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A Maryland judge on Thursday rejected a defense motion to dismiss murder and other charges against a Baltimore police officer accused in the 2015 death of black detainee Freddie Gray.

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U.S. officials say American Muslims do report extremist threats

(Reuters) - Muslim-Americans have repeatedly informed authorities of fellow Muslims they fear might be turning to extremism, law enforcement officials say, contrary to a claim by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump this week.

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A year later, Charleston families still reeling from church shooting

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Many were surprised when Nadine Collier stood in a South Carolina courtroom a year ago and said she forgave the young white man who had just killed her mother and eight other black churchgoers in a racially motivated attack.

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Senate Republicans agree to vote on gun control: Democratic senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy ended a blockade of the Senate after nearly 15 hours on Thursday, saying Republicans agreed to hold votes on measures to expand background checks and prevent people on U.S. terrorism watch lists from buying guns.

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Consoling Orlando victims, Obama recasts somber role

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reprising his frequent role of "consoler in chief," President Barack Obama will fly to Orlando on Thursday to meet with survivors of the massacre at a gay nightclub and families of some of the 49 people killed.

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Ally of drug lord 'El Chapo' back in Mexico after U.S. prison time

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A top drug-trafficking accomplice of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was detained in Mexico on Wednesday, shortly after he was returned from the United States after completing a prison sentence for distributing cocaine.

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FBI offers reward for California serial killer in cold case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday offered a $50,000 reward for help in apprehending a serial killer suspected of 12 slayings and 45 rapes in California, in a 40-year-old cold case.

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Pacing feet, rants, executions - inside the Orlando killer's rampage

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Patience Carter had been on the floor of the bathroom stall for hours, her right femur shattered by a bullet, pinned beneath friends and strangers.

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Trump calls for surveillance of mosques despite criticism of rhetoric

(Reuters) - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday called for surveillance of mosques as part of U.S. law enforcement efforts to prevent terrorism, and stood by his remarks on banning Muslim immigrants that others in his party have criticized.

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Trump floats terrorism 'watch list' gun curbs, pressure mounts on Republicans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will meet with the leading U.S. gun rights group about preventing people on a government terrorism "watch list" from buying guns, a move that may put pressure on fellow Republicans to enact new gun restrictions following the Orlando massacre.

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Alligator drags two-year-old into Florida lagoon, authorities say

(Reuters) - An alligator dragged a small boy into a lagoon at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, defeating the father's efforts to wrestle his child away from the reptile, the sheriff's office said on Wednesday.

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Orlando shooting survivors mourn dead friends, recall traumatic night

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Best friends Demetrice Naulings and Eddie Justice often walked together hand in hand, as if they were a couple, although Naulings says he always thought of Justice as being more like his kid brother.

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Trump adds new twist to immigration proposals, but legal doubts persist

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal for suspending immigration from parts of the world with a history of terrorism could have a legal basis, but his assertion that it be part of a broader ban on Muslim immigrants makes it constitutionally untenable, legal scholars say.

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Over $5.3 million raised for Orlando club shooting victims

(Reuters) - Corporate and individual donors have given more than $5.3 million to help victims of Sunday's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida by a gunman who killed 49 people and wounded 53, organizers of fundraising drives said on Tuesday.

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Metals company CEO pleads guilty in New York over Iran exports

(Reuters) - A New York City man who runs a metallurgy company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to having conspired to illegally export missile-grade metallic powder to Iran, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

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Obama, Clinton criticize Trump for proposed Muslim ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton launched nearly simultaneous attacks on Donald Trump on Tuesday, heaping scorn on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for his proposed Muslim ban.

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Wolf dens, not lone wolves, the norm in U.S. Islamic State plots

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If Omar Mateen acted alone in plotting the massacre of 49 people at Orlando's Pulse gay nightclub, he would be the exception rather than the rule in U.S. cases involving suspected Islamic State supporters.

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Reports of armed subject with hostages in Amarillo Walmart: police

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Police in Amarillo were responding to reports on Tuesday of an armed subject possibly holding hostages in a Walmart in the city.

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Juror in Stanford sex assault trial: 'justice not served': report

(Reuters) - A juror in the Stanford University sexual assault case wrote to the judge expressing his disappointment over what was seen by many as a very lenient sentence handed down to former student-athlete Brock Turner.

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Florida gunman seen as self-radicalized, not directed from outside

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - The man who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida appears to have acted alone, without direction from the various Islamist militant groups he professed sympathy for, authorities said as they delved into the roots of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

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Possible hostage situation at city building in Albuquerque, New Mexico: police

(Reuters) - Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were checking into a possible hostage situation on Monday at a downtown city government building, they said on Twitter.

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Trump urges ban on immigration from countries with 'history of terrorism'

WASHINGTON/MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that he would suspend immigration to the United States from countries "where there is a proven history of terrorism" against the United States, his strongest reaction yet to the Orlando nightclub massacre.

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Baltimore cop says Freddie Gray asked for help during fatal ride

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A Baltimore police officer testified on Monday that black detainee Freddie Gray asked for help while being transported in a police van, where he suffered a broken neck.

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Trump calls for increased military response after Orlando shooting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Monday said the United States needs to increase its military response against Islamic State in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting over the weekend, including additional bombings.

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Saudi prince in charge of economy, defense to meet Obama on U.S visit: report

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince will fly to the United States on Monday for meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and senior officials, Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported.

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Gunman in worst U.S. massacre described as 'quiet,' with few friends

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Reuters) - As families grieved on Sunday after the worst U.S. mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of a gunman who was quiet and had few friends and had been interviewed by U.S. authorities in recent years for suspected sympathies with Muslim extremists.

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Islamic State's claim of responsibility for Orlando shooting not confirmed: senator

(Reuters) - Florida Senator Bill Nelson said on Sunday that a claim made by Islamic State's Amaq news agency that the militant group was behind a shooting in Orlando, Florida, that left 50 dead was not yet confirmed.

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U.S. officials: No evidence of direct ISIS link to Orlando shooting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Sunday they had seen no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the worst mass shooting in U.S. history and Islamic State or any other foreign extremist group.

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Islamic State claims responsibility for Orlando nightclub shooting

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's Amaq news agency said on Sunday that the Islamist militant group was responsible for the shooting that killed at least 50 people in a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

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Abortion providers, opponents brace for U.S. high court decision

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As she waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a challenge to a restrictive Texas abortion law, Amy Hagstrom-Miller said she hopes she will not have to close up to three of the clinics she operates in the state, but is planning for it just in case.

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Shooting erupts at Florida gay nightclub, 'multiple injuries': police

(Reuters) - Shooting erupted early on Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida and "multiple" people have been injured, police said.

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'Voice' singer Christina Grimmie fatally shot after Florida show

(Reuters) - A man thought to be a deranged fan fatally shot Christina Grimmie, a rising singing star who gained fame on YouTube and as a contestant on television's "The Voice," while she was signing autographs after a concert in Orlando, Florida, police said on Saturday.

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Singers vie to play Shkreli, America's 'most-hated man', in musical

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fourteen fame-hungry young men tried to out-smug each other at a small studio in Manhattan's Theater District on Saturday to prove they could play 'America's most hated man' in a new musical comedy about pilloried former drug executive Martin Shkreli.

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Protesters to decry Stanford rape sentence at graduation ceremony

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Students and rights groups plan to demonstrate at Stanford University's commencement on Sunday to express outrage over the 6-month jail sentence handed to a former student convicted of sexual assault on the California campus, organizers said on Saturday.

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CIA chief expects publication of classified 9/11 report pages, Riyadh to be absolved

DUBAI (Reuters) - CIA chief John Brennan expects 28 classified pages of a U.S. congressional report into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States to be published, and they will absolve Saudi Arabia of any responsibility, he told Saudi-owned Arabiya TV early on Sunday.

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Appeals court ruling will let some Kansas voters register, for now

(Reuters) - Thousands of Kansas residents who signed up to vote at motor vehicle offices but were kept off the rolls by a state law requiring proof of citizenship could be allowed to cast ballots in the November general election, under a ruling on Friday by a U.S. appeals court.

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Arizona man receives life sentence for deadly 2015 shooting spree

PHOENIX (Reuters) - An ex-convict suspected of having ties to white supremacists was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for killing one man and wounding five other people in a 2015 Phoenix-area shooting spree.

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Last goodbye to Muhammad Ali culminates with emotional memorial service

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - Religious and political leaders of many stripes joined the sports world and tens of thousands of ordinary mourners on Friday to bid farewell to Muhammad Ali, the boxing champion who jolted America with his showmanship and won worldwide admiration as a man of principle.

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Homeless teen charged with murdering University of Texas student

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A homeless teenager suspected of strangling a dance student at the University of Texas in Austin has been charged with capital murder, which can bring a life sentence in prison, an indictment released on Friday said.

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Shots fired at Love Field airport in Dallas: local media

(Reuters) - Multiple shots were fired at Love Field airport in Dallas, Texas, on Friday near a baggage claim area in an incident that prompted an evacuation, Dallas TV station Fox 4 reported.

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U.S. approves flights to Cuba by six American carriers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States approved direct scheduled flights to Cuba from six American airlines in five U.S. cities that could start as soon as this fall, the U.S. Transportation Department said in a statement on Friday.

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Trump's corporate targets face tricky task in fending off his attacks

(Reuters) - As the White House race took off last summer, food giant Mondelez International found itself in an unusual position: Republican candidate Donald Trump began delivering broadsides against one of its iconic products, Oreo cookies.

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College dorms a new front in U.S. battle over transgender rights

BOSTON (Reuters) - As lawmakers across the United States battle over whether to allow transgender Americans to use public restrooms that match their gender identities, universities are scrambling to ensure that dorms meet federal standards.

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Sentence upheld for former Subway pitchman Fogle in child porn case

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court in Chicago on Thursday upheld former Subway sandwich pitchman Jared Fogle's 15-1/2-year prison sentence for child pornography.

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Shallow earthquake shakes some in southern California awake

(Reuters) - A shallow earthquake measuring 5.2 magnitude struck on Friday in Southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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U.S. researcher contracts Zika during experiment: media

(Reuters) - A United States laboratory researcher was back at work after contracting the Zika virus by pricking herself with a needle during an experiment last month, broadcaster ABC News said on Thursday.

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Charleston church shooter seeks trial by court instead of jury

(Reuters) - The white man accused of killing nine black parishioners in a racially motivated attack at a church in South Carolina a year ago said on Thursday he would like to waive his right to a jury trial, opting instead to be tried and sentenced by the court.

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No constitutional right for concealed guns: California appeals court

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firearm owners have no constitutional right to carry a concealed gun in public if they face no specific danger, a divided federal appeals court in California ruled on Thursday, in a victory for gun control advocates.

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Sanders stays in the race, vows to work with Clinton to beat Trump

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on Thursday he would work with his party's presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to defeat Republican Donald Trump, though he did not immediately drop out of the White House race.

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California attorney general slams sentence in Stanford sex assault case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the leading U.S. Senate candidate from the state, has joined the outpouring of criticism against a six-month jail sentence given to a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

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U.S. top court deals blow to Puerto Rico sovereignty claim

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Puerto Rico cannot pursue charges against people for the same crime that federal authorities have already prosecuted them, dealing a blow to the U.S. territory's claim that while it is not a state it should be treated like one.

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Texas, 20 other states to sue Delaware over unclaimed checks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Texas and 20 other states will file a lawsuit on Thursday in the U.S. Supreme Court against Delaware, alleging the state has violated federal law for years by claiming unclaimed checks, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.

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Efforts to cut U.S. airport security delays not sustainable: American Airlines CEO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Airlines' efforts to help the U.S. government manage long airport security lines are not sustainable, the chief executive of American Airlines Group Inc said in an interview.

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White House supports House Puerto Rico debt legislation: statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said it supports legislation, aimed at helping Puerto Rico dig out of its $70 billion debt crisis, that is set for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

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Warren to keep up assault on White House hopeful Trump over judge comments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren will keep up her assault on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday in a strongly worded speech labeling Trump a racist and accusing the Republican Party of fostering his intolerance.

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Judge in Stanford rape case receives death threats amid recall efforts

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The judge who gave a six-month jail term to the former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious young woman has received a string of death threats after the sentence was widely condemned as too lenient, court officials said on Wednesday.

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Woman fights off daughter's would-be kidnapper, video goes viral

(Reuters) - A woman fought off a man who tried to kidnap her 13-year-old daughter on Tuesday while they were shopping at a Dollar General store in Hernando, Florida, and a security video of the fierce struggle went viral.

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Oklahoma medical examiner rules oilman McClendon's deadly crash an accident

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - The fiery crash that killed U.S. oilman Aubrey McClendon in March after his car hit a wall was an accident, Oklahoma's medical examiner said on Wednesday, echoing a police inquiry's findings a day earlier that there was no evidence of suicide.

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Judge issues final order upholding Alabama same-sex marriage

(Reuters) - A federal judge in Alabama has issued a permanent injunction barring state officials from denying same-sex couples the right to marry in that state, according to court documents made public on Wednesday.

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At largest U.S. training site, police dogs learn to thwart attacks

STORMVILLE, N.Y. (Reuters) - At a sprawling campus north of New York City, a 3-year-old German Shepherd named Johnny frantically sniffed through seats and luggage bins on an out-of-service commuter rail train trying to catch a whiff of hidden explosive.

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Correction officers union head charged in NYC corruption probe

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The powerful head of New York City’s correction officers union and a former hedge fund manager were charged on Wednesday morning in a case linked to an ongoing federal probe of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fundraising practices.

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Blue Angels cancels two air show appearances after Tennessee crash death

(Reuters) - The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron has canceled appearances at two upcoming shows in Ohio and New York days after one of its pilots was killed in a crash, the Navy said.

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Two South Carolina Air National Guard pilots eject safely after crash

(Reuters) - Two South Carolina Air National Guard fighter pilots ejected safely from their jets after they collided over eastern Georgia while performing routine night operations, the National Guard said on social media on Wednesday.

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UCLA to launch task force and investigation into campus shooting

(Reuters) - A week after a gunman shot and killed a UCLA professor and then himself, the university has begun a security analysis of its campus and will launch a task force to ensure that lessons learned from the incident will be acted upon, a spokesman said.

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Five bicyclists killed in Michigan car crash: media

(Reuters) - Five bicyclists were killed and at least four more were injured on Monday evening after a pickup truck crashed into a cycling group in southern Michigan, local broadcaster WOOD reported.

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Oklahoma police find no evidence of McClendon suicide

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oklahoma City police said on Tuesday an inquiry found no evidence suggesting oilman Aubrey McClendon committed suicide when he died in a fiery crash in March, but acknowledged his state of mind at the time of the accident was unknowable.

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U.S. airport security improves since screening lapses: DHS

(Reuters) - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is working to improve airport screening after major lapses last year, a U.S. government investigator said on Tuesday, adding that the agency has embraced oversight.

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Black students more likely to be suspended: U.S. Education Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Black students are almost four times more likely to be suspended from public school than white students, part of persistent disparities in U.S. schools, according to U.S. Education Department data released on Tuesday.

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District of Columbia to vote on $15/hour minimum wage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The District of Columbia's city council is set to vote on Tuesday on a $15-an-hour minimum wage, a rate adopted by a growing number of U.S. cities and states seeking to battle income inequality.

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Drones emerge from shadows to become key cog in U.S. war machine

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan/CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada (Reuters) - When U.S. drones obliterated a car carrying Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last month, it was the kind of targeted killing that unmanned aircraft are best known for.

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Petition seeking removal of Stanford rape case judge draws wide support

(Reuters) - A petition calling to remove from the bench the judge whose sentencing in a high-profile Stanford University rape case has sparked outrage had attracted close to 100,000 signatures by Monday.

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Which ‘La Raza’? Trump comments cause confusion over group's role

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump's attacks on a federal judge of Mexican heritage have ignited hundreds of postings on social media about an advocacy group for Latinos that some Trump supporters are calling a terrorist organization.

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No charges against mother in Cincinnati gorilla case: prosecutor

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - No criminal charges will be filed against the mother of the 3-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill an endangered gorilla to protect the child, an Ohio prosecutor said on Monday.

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L.A. jury reaches verdicts in penalty phase of 'Grim Sleeper' trial

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles jury that convicted a former sanitation worker in a string of murders attributed to a serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" reached verdicts on Monday in the penalty phase of the case, which could see him sentenced to death.

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New York City ad campaign supports transgender bathroom rights

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced a citywide advertising campaign supporting a person's right to use bathrooms corresponding with his or her gender identity, wading into a debate that has pitted more than a dozen states against the federal government.

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U.S. appeals court to consider revealing 'Bridgegate' co-conspirators

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday is set to consider whether to make public a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the "Bridgegate" criminal prosecution involving allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

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U.S. top court to consider Texas death row inmate's appeal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a convicted Texas murderer's appeal arguing that the more than 35 years he has spent on death row violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

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Oregon derailment likely to reignite oil-by-rail safety concerns

(Reuters) - A Union Pacific train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames along Oregon's scenic Columbia River gorge on Friday in the first major rail accident involving crude in a year.

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Cleanup underway after Oregon train carrying oil derailed

(Reuters) - Most of the cars from a Union Pacific train carrying crude oil that derailed and burst into flames in Oregon on Friday have been removed and the remaining oil will be hauled away on flatbed trucks, a spokesman for the company said on Sunday.

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Tropical Storm Colin threatens Florida, southeastern U.S.

(Reuters) - A tropical depression threatening Florida and parts of the southeastern United States with severe thunderstorms was upgraded on Sunday to Tropical Storm Colin by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

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Storms menace East Coast; Florida under tropical storm warning

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - While the U.S. West Coast sweated in a heat wave, forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms along the East Coast on Sunday and issued a tropical storm warning for Florida's Gulf Coast

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Memphis policeman dies after being hit by car during pursuit

(Reuters) - A Memphis police officer died after being struck by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect, who was being pursued following several local shootings, authorities said.

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Southern California brush fire threatens homes, prompts evacuations

(Reuters) - A brush fire outside Los Angeles was threatening thousands of homes and has prompted mandatory evacuation of local residents, authorities said on Saturday.

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Military identifies Fort Hood soldiers killed in Texas floods

(Reuters) - The U.S. military released the names on Saturday of eight of nine soldiers who were killed this week when their vehicle overturned in flood waters in Texas.

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Louisiana, Mississippi areas under flood watch as Texas floods spread

(Reuters) - Torrential rains in Texas which caused flooding that killed 16 people this week have spread to southern Louisiana, leaving parts of that state and Mississippi under a flash flood watch through Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

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Obama: Muhammad Ali 'fought for us'

PALM CITY, Fla (Reuters) - President Barack Obama paid tribute on Saturday to boxer Muhammad Ali, saying his fight for racial justice and religious tolerance "shook up the world" and was an inspiration.

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Muhammad Ali: 'Greatest' boxer, showman, ambassador

(Reuters) - More than 60 years ago, a bicycle thief in Louisville, Kentucky, unknowingly set in motion one of the most amazing sports careers in history.

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Carter says nine soldiers now known to have died in Fort Hood incident

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Nine U.S. soldiers are now known to have died when a troop carrier overturned this week during a training exercise at the U.S. Army base of Food Hood in Texas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said on Saturday.

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UCLA gunman killed estranged wife before campus attack

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former University of California, Los Angeles, graduate student shot dead his estranged wife at her Minnesota home before driving halfway across the country to UCLA, where he killed a professor and himself, authorities said on Friday.

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Three Minnesota men convicted of conspiring to join Islamic State

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Three Minnesota men were convicted on Friday of conspiring to commit murder in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State militant group, the U.S. Justice Department said.

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U.S. adds criminal charge against ex-drug executive Shkreli

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors tacked on an additional criminal charge to their case against former drug executive Martin Shkreli on Friday, alleging that he tried to conceal from investors his control over unrestricted shares in Retrophin.

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Chicago police watchdog releases hundreds of tapes of past incidents

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The watchdog group that monitors Chicago's police released on Friday audio and video recordings of 101 police shootings and other use-of-force incidents that are under investigation, and said in the future it would make such footage public within 60 days of an event.

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U.S. Army searches for 4 soldiers swept away in deadly Texas floods

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The U.S. Army searched on Friday for four soldiers missing after the truck they were riding in overturned in a swollen creek at Fort Hood army base in central Texas, killing five others.

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Michigan House approves, sends school funding package to state Senate

(Reuters) - Michigan lawmakers on Thursday approved paying off a $467 million deficit incurred by Detroit Public Schools and to fund costs associated with creating a new school system, online legislative records showed and local media reported.

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Airports go slow on Delta's plans to expand VIP security lanes

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As travelers face long waits for U.S. airport security checks, Delta Air Lines Inc wants to expand limited access lanes to allow its top fliers – and anyone who pays a fee – to jump to the front of the line.

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Storms dump more rain on flood-hit Texas, snarling transport

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A new round of storms dumped more rain on flood-hit parts of Texas on Thursday, scrambling transport, further swelling rivers already spilling over their banks and sending more people to evacuation shelters to escape the rising waters.

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Civil liberties group challenges Alabama abortion restrictions

(Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union challenged in federal court in Alabama on Thursday new state abortion restrictions that limit the proximity of clinics to public schools and ban a procedure used to terminate pregnancies in the second trimester.

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Ohio prosecutor reviewing Cincinnati Zoo gorilla case

(Reuters) - Prosecutors are reviewing a police investigation into the parents of a 3-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday, prompting the killing of an endangered gorilla.

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4,700 Syrian refugees approved resettlement to U.S.: Homeland Security chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has approved 4,700 Syrian refugees who are awaiting resettlement to the country, while an additional 7,900 are awaiting security review, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday.

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Arizona mother kills three young sons, stabs herself: police

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A 29-year-old woman stabbed and killed her three young sons before seriously wounding herself inside a north Phoenix home where she lived, police said on Thursday.

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Judge to appoint special prosecutor in Chicago cop's murder trial

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A judge will appoint a special prosecutor in the trial of a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a black teenager, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

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Prince died of opioid overdose: AP citing law enforcement

(Reuters) - Tests show music superstar Prince, who was found dead in his home in a Minneapolis suburb in late April, died of an overdose of opioid painkillers, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a law enforcement official.

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Obama's Supreme Court lawyer to step down

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's top Supreme Court lawyer is leaving office at the end of June having won a string of major cases including fending off challenges to President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law and legalizing same-sex marriage.

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Use it or lose it: Occasional Ohio voters may be shut out in November

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - When Larry Harmon tried to vote on a marijuana initiative in November in his hometown of Kent, Ohio, the 59-year-old software engineer found his name had been struck from the voter rolls.

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Six automakers to recall nearly 2.5 million U.S. vehicles over Takata airbags

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six automakers said Thursday they are recalling nearly 2.5 million U.S. vehicles with defective Takata air bag inflators, documents posted with government regulators show.

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Obama says transgender bathroom directive based on law

ELKHART, Ind. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the decision to direct public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice was based on the law and the best interests of the children.

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Man beaten and held in closet by East Cleveland police gets $22 million

(Reuters) - A jury awarded $22 million to an Ohio man who sued the city of East Cleveland and police officers after he was beaten while handcuffed and placed in a storage closet for four days, a lawyer said on Wednesday.

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Family will not sue Cincinnati zoo over child-gorilla incident

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - The family of a 3-year-old boy who fell into an animal enclosure, prompting the killing of an endangered gorilla, said on Wednesday that it would not sue the Cincinnati Zoo over the incident.

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Kansas is latest U.S. state to challenge Obama transgender directive

(Reuters) - Kansas vowed on Wednesday to sue the Obama administration over a directive telling U.S. public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identities.

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Pittsburgh abortion clinic buffer zone challenge is revived

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Wednesday revived a challenge to a Pittsburgh ordinance that established a 15-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics in that city, to make it easier for patients to avoid protesters.

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U.S. will not charge Minneapolis police in shooting of black man

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday they would not bring charges against two Minneapolis police officers involved in the shooting death of a 24-year-old black man, due to insufficient evidence.

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Starr to step down as Baylor chancellor after sex assault scandal: ESPN

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former Baylor University President Kenneth Starr will resign as chancellor of the world's largest Baptist university after being implicated in a report for not doing enough to probe sexual assaults by athletes at the school, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

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Possible shooter reported at UCLA in Los Angeles: university tweet

(Reuters) - A possible shooter has been reported at the University of California, Los Angeles, and police are investigating, the university's media relations section said in a message on Twitter.

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Texas' Brazos River surges to century high, Houston braces for floods

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The Brazos River in Texas surged to its highest in more than a century in an area outside of Houston on Wednesday after floods killed at least six people, damaged hundreds of buildings and turned roads into lakes over the past week.

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FDA issues guidelines to reduce sodium in food products

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines to the food industry to reduce the use of sodium in processed food.

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Polish justice minister says aims to extradite Polanski to U.S.

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's justice ministry, which makes the final decision on extraditions of Polish citizens, intends to extradite Roman Polanski to the United States if the court approves it, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Wednesday.

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Thousands of U.S. voters in limbo after Kansas toughens election law

WICHITA, Kansas (Reuters) - After moving to Kansas, Tad Stricker visited a state motor vehicle office to perform what he thought was the routine task of getting a new driver's license and registering to vote.

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