Lawyers for Texas 'affluenza' teen seek his release from jail

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Lawyers for the Texas "affluenza" teenager who killed four people while driving drunk are seeking to have him released from a two-year jail term, arguing the judge who sentenced him had no authority to place him behind bars.

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Tropical Storm Hermine approaches Florida, Hawaii on watch

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A tropical storm developing in the Gulf of Mexico could produce near hurricane-force winds by the time it makes landfall in Florida, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.

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U.S. urges North Korea to pardon and release American prisoner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday urged North Korea to pardon and release on humanitarian grounds an American student serving a sentence of 15 years of hard labor.

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U.S. senators seek federal probe of Takata-linked explosion

(Reuters) - Two U.S. senators on Wednesday called on the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the Aug. 22 crash and explosion of a truck carrying Takata Corp air bag parts that killed a woman and injured four others.

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Obama shortens prison sentences of 111 convicts: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama shortened the prison sentences of 111 convicts serving time for drug-related offenses in his second round of clemency grants this month, the White House said on Tuesday.

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First U.S.-Cuba scheduled flight in decades set to depart

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century is set to depart on Wednesday, starting a new chapter in the Obama administration's bid to open trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

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Rubio wins Republican nod for another Senate term

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Insurgent challengers fell flat in Florida on Tuesday as Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio won his party's nomination to seek re-election in November and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz held a big lead in her Democratic nominating race.

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Florida Republicans pick Marco Rubio for Senate race: AP

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Marco Rubio, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race earlier this year, was chosen on Tuesday as the Republican Party nominee for a second U.S. Senate term from Florida, according to the Associated Press.

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Five Chicago officers face firing over slaying of black teen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The chief of Chicago's police department recommended on Tuesday that five officers be fired over their role in the 2014 shooting death of an black teenager, an incident that heaped national scrutiny on the nation's second largest police force.

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New Jersey Governor Christie vetoes minimum wage hike to $15/hr

(Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years.

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N.Y. high court broadens definition of parent in landmark ruling

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a landmark ruling for non-traditional families in New York, the state's highest court on Tuesday held a person need not have a biological or adoptive relationship with a child to be considered a parent.

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Orlando 911 calls tell of fear inside and outside of Pulse club

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Panicked callers to 911 during June's mass shooting in Orlando told police of buildings hit by stray bullets and wounded friends stuck inside the gay nightclub where a gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State killed 49 people.

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China charges U.S. woman with espionage

BEIJING (Reuters) - An American businesswoman held in China since March last year has been charged with spying, China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, the latest development in a case that has added to U.S.-China tensions.

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Maine governor mulls political future amid racism flap

BOSTON (Reuters) - Combative Maine Governor Paul LePage told a radio host on Tuesday that he was considering not finishing his term in office, amid a wave of criticism after he left a lawmaker a profanity-filled voicemail.

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FBI detects breaches against two state voter systems

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has found breaches in Illinois and Arizona's voter registration databases and is urging states to increase computer security ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election, according to a U.S. official familiar with the probe.

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Parole system questioned after murder of NBA star's cousin

(Reuters) - Two weeks before police say Derren Sorrells and his brother murdered basketball star Dwyane Wade's cousin in Chicago on Friday, he walked out of a state prison after serving less than four years of a six-year sentence for possessing a stolen car.

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California Governor Brown signs law banning use of bullhooks on elephants

(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown on Monday signed into law a measure that bans the use of bullhooks and other devices to control elephants, the latest victory for animal rights activists who condemn the practice.

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California lawmakers pass rape bill inspired by Stanford case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California lawmakers, responding to outrage over the six-month jail term given to a former Stanford University swimmer after his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, passed legislation on Monday closing a loophole that allowed the sentence.

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Traffic deaths in U.S. up by 7.2 percent in 2015: Transportation Dept.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last year 35,092 people were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, a 7.2 percent increase over 2014 that ended a five-decade trend of declining fatalities, the U.S. Transportation Department said.

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Judge dismisses Citizens United challenge to New York donor rules

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit in which Citizens United sought to block New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman from enforcing rules requiring the conservative group to disclose more information about its donors.

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HSBC executive pleads not guilty in U.S. over forex scheme

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senior HSBC Holdings Plc executive pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he participated in a fraudulent scheme to front-run a $3.5 billion currency transaction by one of the bank's clients.

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Louisiana authorities search for three escaped prisoners

(Reuters) - Louisiana authorities on Monday were searching for three inmates who scaled razor wire fencing to escape from a medium-security prison, the local sheriff's department said.

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U.S. FDA issues emergency use authorization for Zika test: Roche

ZURICH (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued emergency authorization for a Zika diagnostics test from Swiss drugmaker Roche, skirting normal approval channels as the regulator moves to fight the disease's spread.

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Los Angeles police say reports of gunfire at airport were false alarm

(Reuters) - Terminals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) were evacuated briefly late on Sunday after reports of gunfire that police later determined were incorrect, in the second recent false alarm at a major U.S. airport.

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More U.S. counties to see Obamacare marketplace monopoly: analysis

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly a third of U.S. counties will likely be served by only one insurer that participates in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in 2017, according to an analysis published Sunday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Two dead, 41 hurt in bus crash involving Louisiana flood-relief volunteers

(Reuters) - Two people died and 41 more were injured when a bus carrying volunteers to help with Louisiana flood relief spun out of control near New Orleans, local media reported Sunday.

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Two United Airlines pilots held on alcohol charge in Scotland

LONDON (Reuters) - Two United Airlines pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol in Scotland on Saturday as they were about to fly to the United States, police and the airline said.

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California legal setback fails to discourage tenure opponents

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A nationwide drive to weaken job guarantees for U.S. public school teachers shows no sign of fading away even though an extended legal battle to stop the practice of granting tenure in California went down in defeat last week.

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Kansas City area hit by floods after three days of downpour

(Reuters) - The Kansas City area was flooded late Friday after a three-day downpour, forcing emergency services to conduct about 10 water rescues in Missouri's largest city, officials said.

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Cousin of NBA star Wade killed in Chicago shooting: media

(Reuters) - The cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade was killed in a shooting while she pushed her child in a stroller on the South Side of Chicago on Friday, local media reported.

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Video emerges showing U.S. police pursuing deaf driver

(Reuters) - A video has emerged purportedly showing the beginning of a chase that resulted with a Highway Patrol trooper fatally shooting a deaf driver two weeks ago.

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Tropical Storm Madeline forms east of Hawaiian Islands: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical storm Madeline has formed in the northern Pacific ocean, well east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory on Friday.

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Popping balloons trigger stampede at Florida mall; nine hurt

(Reuters) - Popping balloons during a fire inspection at a Florida mall panicked shoppers who mistook them for gunfire, triggering a stampede in which nine people were hurt, authorities said on Friday.

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Male suspect in 1983 murders may be living in L.A. as a woman: police

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police who have renewed the search for a man suspected in two brutal murders in Michigan and Ohio more than 30 years ago have released a sketch of what the suspect could look like today and say he may be living in the Los Angeles area as a woman.

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California judge considers new physician-assisted suicide law

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Attorneys for a group of doctors bringing the first legal challenge to California's new law allowing physician-assisted suicide were due in court on Friday to urge a judge to suspend the statute while their case is under review.

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Judge lets ex-NY assembly speaker Silver stay free during appeal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sheldon Silver, former speaker of the New York State Assembly, can stay free on bail while he appeals his corruption conviction, a Manhattan federal judge ruled on Thursday.

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Orlando hospitals won't charge nightclub shooting victims for care

(Reuters) - Two Florida hospitals will not seek payment of medical bills from the dozens of people treated for injuries suffered in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June, officials at the health facilities said.

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Obama administration expects to close Guantanamo prison: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is still committed to closing the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and his administration expects to complete the task, White House said on Thursday.

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Amazon launches Amazon Vehicles to help car buyers

(Reuters) - Amazon.com on Thursday launched Amazon Vehicles, an online platform for users to research on cars, auto parts and accessories.

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Obama creates new national monument in Maine forest

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday designated 87,500 acres in Maine's North Woods as a national monument, as the administration prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

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Tornadoes slam central Indiana, demolishing homes

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Several tornadoes plowed through central Indiana on Wednesday, demolishing numerous homes and a Starbucks cafe in the town of Kokomo and cutting off power to thousands of Indianapolis-area residents, but no serious injuries were reported.

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California bill to repeal 'tampon tax' heads to governor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California lawmakers on Tuesday sent a bill to end state sales taxes on feminine hygiene products to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, the latest success for a nationwide bipartisan effort to end the so-called tampon tax.

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Special Report: How Delaware kept America safe for corporate secrecy

DOVER, Delaware, (Reuters) - In 2009, a global coalition was pressing governments to lift the veil on corporate secrecy. Its members – U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, influential senators, international law enforcement agencies, anti-corruption activists and major American allies -- presented a formidable front in their campaign against money laundering and tax evasion.

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Obama promises support to Louisiana after floods

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama walked door to door in an East Baton Rouge Parish neighborhood on Tuesday hugging people and offering assurances that the country would help them recover from some of the worst floods ever recorded in Louisiana.

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Chicago's detective force dwindles as murder rate soars

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Every two weeks, Cynthia Lewis contacts the detectives investigating the homicide of her brother on Chicago's south side almost a year ago.

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Massachusetts judge under fire for sentence in sex assault case

(Reuters) - Women's groups and social media users on Tuesday criticized as too lenient the two years' probation given to a Massachusetts student athlete who sexually assaulted two women as they slept, likening it to a recent California case that also raised a firestorm.

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Florida announces Zika case hundreds of miles from Miami

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Pinellas County, located some 265 miles (425 km) from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported.

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Appeals arguments begin on Kansas law requiring voters to prove citizenship

DENVER (Reuters) - An effort by the state of Kansas to reinstate rules requiring people to present proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle department offices is set to be heard by a federal appeals court in Denver on Tuesday.

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U.S. judge blocks Obama transgender school bathroom policy

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. judge blocked an Obama administration policy that public schools should allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice, granting a nationwide injunction sought by 13 dissenting states just in time for the new school year.

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Dylann Roof wrote white supremacist manifestos: prosecutors

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Investigators found two handwritten manifestos espousing white supremacy in the car and jail cell of a white man accused of killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year, according to a court document filed on Monday.

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New York grand jury charges man with murder of Muslim cleric

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City grand jury on Monday indicted a Brooklyn man who is accused of fatally shooting a Muslim cleric and his assistant this month after they left a mosque in Queens.

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Louisiana residents without flood insurance face uncertainty

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Quenton Robins watched on Sunday morning as a giant metal claw clamped down on his mother's ruined belongings, snapping wooden cabinets with an audible crack as the operator of a giant mechanized arm slowly cleared a mound of debris from her yard in Baton Rouge.

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Five die as airborne car hits two others on Long Island highway

(Reuters) - Five people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed on Sunday when a car driver lost control and his vehicle became airborne, striking two cars traveling in the opposite direction on the Long Island Expressway, police said.

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Health official warns Zika could spread across U.S. Gulf

(Reuters) - One of the top U.S. public health officials on Sunday warned that the mosquito-borne Zika virus could extend its reach across the U.S. Gulf Coast after officials last week confirmed it as active in the popular tourist destination of Miami Beach.

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Five people killed in Alabama, suspect in custody: police

(Reuters) - Five people were killed in rural Citronelle, Alabama, and a suspect was arrested across the border in Mississippi, police said on Saturday.

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Debris piles mark the start long road to recovery in flooded Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Renee Deal still hopes to salvage the wedding photo album placed out to dry on Saturday in the carport of her flood-ravaged house in southern Louisiana.

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Conservatives split over U.S. land transfers to Western states

ELLIOTT STATE FOREST, Ore. (Reuters) - Every time Dean Finnerty sees the locked neon-yellow gate and "No Trespassing" sign deep in Oregon's Elliott State Forest, he bristles at the growing movement to transfer federally owned land to U.S. states.

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California firefighters make gains after 100 homes destroyed

OAK HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - Firefighters gained ground on Friday against a wildfire burning in a Southern California mountain pass that has forced tens of thousands of residents to flee and destroyed about 100 homes, officials said.

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Texas appeals court halts execution of man who did not kill anyone

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday halted an execution planned for next week of a man convicted as an accomplice to a murder he did not commit in a case that raised questions about how the state applies the death penalty.

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U.S. judge seeks criminal contempt charges against Arizona sheriff

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A federal judge recommended on Friday that prosecutors bring criminal contempt charges against Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, finding that the controversial sheriff had violated court orders stemming from a racial profiling case.

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U.S. Justice Dept to send team to Turkey for Gulen probe: Bloomberg

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will dispatch a team to Turkey in coming days to pursue allegations by the Turkish government of criminal activity by Fethullah Gulen, Bloomberg news reported on Friday, citing an Obama administration official.

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Man whose death sparked Milwaukee riots was shot in chest and arm

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - The African-American man whose shooting death by police over the weekend sparked riots in Milwaukee was shot once in the chest and once in the right arm, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office said on Friday.

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Death toll in Maryland apartment building fire rises to seven

(Reuters) - Seven bodies have now been discovered in a Washington, D.C., suburb where a natural gas explosion and fire tore through an apartment complex just over two weeks ago, authorities said on Friday.

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New York nabs global property crown from London on Brexit fears

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York has knocked off London as the world's premier city for foreign investment in commercial real estate due to fears the vote to leave the European Union would diminish the British capital's appeal as a global financial center.

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Starr leaves Baylor University faculty post after sex assault scandal

(Reuters) - Kenneth Starr said on Friday he is leaving his law professor post at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, months after being removed as president at the large Christian university for not taking sufficient action against sexual assaults.

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U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States Army’s finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced.

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Under Armour drops sponsorship of wife of hunter who speared bear

TORONTO (Reuters) - Under Armour Inc, the athletic clothing company, has ended its sponsorship of the wife and hunting companion of a U.S. hunter who sparked outrage over a video showing him killing a bear with a spear in the woods of Alberta in western Canada.

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U.S. State Department issues travel alert over Ethiopia protests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Ethiopia on Friday over anti-government protests, some of which have involved violence.

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Clinton told FBI Colin Powell suggested she use private email: NYT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told federal investigators that former Secretary of State Colin Powell suggested she use a personal email account, the New York Times reported late on Thursday.

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Trump, Pence to visit flooded Louisiana as governor warns against 'photo op'

(Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate planned to visit Baton Rouge on Friday to survey the damage after recent deadly floods in Louisiana, sources with knowledge of the trip said, despite calls from the state's governor advising against any touring of the area.

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U.S. swimmers Conger and Bentz land in Miami: Reuters witness

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz landed in Miami from Brazil early on Friday, after being moved to business class and covering themselves to avoid media during an overnight flight, according to a Reuters witness.

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Former Chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs, Gen. John Vessey Jr., dies: NYT

(Reuters) - The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during former president Ronald Reagan's administration, General John W. Vessey Jr., died on Thursday night, the New York Times reported. He was 94.

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California mayor pleads not guilty in strip poker scandal

(Reuters) - The mayor of Stockton, California, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to criminal charges stemming from a strip poker game he is accused of playing while furnishing beer to minors at a summer camp he hosts for underprivileged children.

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Witness in N.Y. cleric killing ID'd someone other than suspect

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A potential witness in the New York City shooting deaths of a Muslim cleric and his assistant picked out someone during a police lineup who was not the suspect now facing murder charges, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

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U.S. judge permanently blocks Florida law to end abortion funding

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday permanently blocked parts of a Florida law that aimed to cut off state funding for preventive health services at clinics that also provide abortions.

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U.S. judge rejects Uber's driver expenses settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by Uber Technologies Inc to settle a class action lawsuit with drivers who claimed they were employees entitled to expenses.

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Gun advocates file lawsuit to overturn California open-carry restrictions

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California gun rights group has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's restrictions on openly carrying firearms.

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Los Angeles human trafficking sweep leads to nearly 300 arrests

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nearly 300 people have been arrested in a human trafficking sweep in Los Angeles, where authorities discovered ten victims who had been forced into prostitution, police said on Thursday.

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In wake of riots, Milwaukee looks inward for solutions

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - After violent riots, Milwaukeeans in the blighted inner city are searching for their own way out of despair, saying they cannot rely on government-led economic development projects to remedy chronic crime and unemployment.

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Seven Chicago officers face firing for role in 2014 shooting of teen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago's police superintendent has recommended that seven officers be fired after they were accused of lying about the details of a black teenager's fatal shooting by a white officer in 2014, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

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Investment banker sues Jefferies, alleges pregnancy bias

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jefferies Group LLC was sued by a former female investment banker who accused it of stripping away her bonus and derailing her career because she became pregnant.

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Former NFL star Sharper to be sentenced in drug, rape cases

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former National Football League star Darren Sharper could be sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison in a case that accuses him of drugging and raping nine women in four states while working as a television analyst.

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New York state man charged with plotting school attack

(Reuters) - A New York state teen who allegedly plotted an attack on a school and put bomb-making materials on a list of items was arrested by sheriff's deputies on Wednesday, authorities said.

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Teen shot by Chicago police suffered gunshot wound to his back

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A teenager who was shot and killed by Chicago police officers last month suffered a single gunshot wound to his back, according to an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office made public on Wednesday.

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Texas death sentence for accessory challenged by defense lawyer

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas is planning to execute a man next week for a murder he did not commit.

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Ex-Boston mob boss 'Whitey' Bulger appeals to U.S. Supreme Court

(Reuters) - Former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his 2013 conviction for committing or ordering the murders of 11 people while he ruled the city's underworld in the 1970s and 80s.

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Larry Flynt does not deserve Lucky Lady: lawsuit

(Reuters) - A new lawsuit seeks to force Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt to rename his new Lucky Lady casino near Los Angeles because it infringes trademarks belonging to Isle of Capri Casinos Inc.

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Southern California wildfire triggers evacuation orders for 82,000 people

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A fast-moving Southern California wildfire that broke out on Tuesday has triggered evacuation orders for 82,000 people, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said by telephone.

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Bar rises for Milwaukee police review after latest shooting

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Milwaukee, shaken by two nights of violence after a shooting by police, is one of a few U.S. cities to have volunteered for federal government review of its police force and may now be held to higher standards for how it responds.

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Supreme Court stance on North Carolina law to send signal on voting limits

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's handling of North Carolina's long-shot bid to reinstate its contentious voter identification law will set the tone for the court's treatment of similar cases that could reach the justices before the Nov. 8 elections.

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Friend to name ex-NFL star Hernandez as gunman in double murder: prosecutor

(Reuters) - A former friend of convicted murderer and ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez will identify him as the man who fatally shot two Cape Verdean nationals after a dispute at a Boston nightclub in July 2012, Massachusetts prosecutors said on Tuesday.

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U.S. prosecutors dealt setback in medical marijuana cases

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice cannot spend money to prosecute federal marijuana cases if the defendants comply with state guidelines that permit the drug's sale for medical purposes, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

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Exclusive: U.S. seeks Latin American help amid rise in Asian, African migrants

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington is seeking closer coordination with several Latin American countries to tackle a jump in migrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East who it believes are trying to reach the United States from the south on an arduous route by plane, boat and through jungle on foot.

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U.S. prison recordings of attorney-client meetings spur legal fight

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Reuters) - Federal agents investigating a massive drug smuggling ring inside a U.S. prison in Kansas in April subpoenaed Corrections Corp of America, a private company that manages the facility, seeking all prison video footage for nearly two years.

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Calls for calm, curfew bring quieter night after Milwaukee riots

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Milwaukee's curfew on teenagers and community leaders' calls for restraint brought relative calm to the city overnight after two nights of riots sparked by the fatal shooting of a black man by a black police officer.

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Man arrested for arson related to destructive California fire

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. (Reuters) - A man was arrested on Monday on suspicion of arson, officials said, over a wildfire in Northern California that has destroyed more than 175 homes and businesses and forced hundreds of residents to flee.

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Illinois families fight transgender access to school locker room

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A lawyer for dozens of families from a suburban Chicago high school district argued in court on Monday that students' privacy was being violated at a school that allowed a transgender girl access to the girls' locker room under an agreement with the federal government.

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Pennsylvania attorney general convicted of all charges over leak: media

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - A jury found Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane guilty on Monday of perjury and all other charges in her trial on allegations that she leaked grand jury information to a reporter, local media reported.

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Family rescues Idaho girl from jaws of mountain lion

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Idaho wildlife managers on Monday praised family members who charged a mountain lion and rescued a young girl from the jaws of the animal which was attempting to drag her off for the kill.

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In Dallas, police bear the burden of stark inequities

DALLAS, August 15 (Reuters) - Antoinette Brown begged, in her final words, "somebody help me." Then she was mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs.

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Search at New York's JFK airport finds no signs of gunfire

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A preliminary investigation at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport found no evidence of gunfire inside one of its terminals on Sunday despite earlier reports of shots being heard, the airport's operator said.

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Three dead, thousands rescued from deadly Louisiana flood waters

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Emergency crews have rescued more than 7,000 people stranded in Louisiana by historic flooding that has killed at least three people and submerged whole communities, Governor John Bel Edwards said on Sunday, as the U.S. Gulf Coast braced for more rain and rising waters.

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U.S. police officer killed in Georgia responding to emergency call

(Reuters) - A police officer was fatally shot while responding to a call about a suspicious person near an intersection in southern Georgia, police said on Sunday.

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Violent protests erupt in Milwaukee after police kill armed suspect

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Protesters fired gunshots, hurled bricks and set a gas station on fire in the U.S. mid-western city of Milwaukee on Saturday night, hours after a patrol officer shot and killed an armed suspect who took flight after a traffic stop, authorities said.

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Reports of gunfire trigger pandemonium at North Carolina mall

(Reuters) - Multiple reports of gunfire sent a crowded mall in Raleigh, North Carolina, into chaos on Saturday, and several people were injured trying to flee the shopping center, police said.

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Muslim cleric killed, second man wounded in New York shooting: reports

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Muslim imam was killed and a second man was critically wounded on Saturday while walking home from afternoon prayers at a mosque in the New York City borough of Queens, according to media reports that cited witnesses to the shooting.

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Florida woman's hand bitten nearly off by alligator, TV reports

(Reuters) - A woman visiting the Florida Everglades was attacked on Friday by an alligator that bit her hand nearly off, local media reported.

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Liz Cheney's Wyoming campaign backed by big names, bigger money

CODY, Wyo. (Reuters) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney's eldest daughter, bouncing back from an aborted 2014 U.S. Senate bid, heads into a crowded primary race next week for Wyoming's lone seat in the House of Representatives buoyed by big-name Republicans and wealthy out-of-state donors.

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Conviction overturned for case spotlighted in 'Making a Murderer'

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday overturned the murder conviction of one of two Wisconsin men serving life sentences for the 2005 slaying of a freelance photographer in a case spotlighted in the popular Netflix television documentary "Making a Murderer."

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At least two dead in Virginia plane crash

(Reuters) - At least two people were killed on Friday when a small private plane crashed near Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Virginia, after the plane attempted a landing, pulled up, and crashed into a tree line, officials said.A spokeswoman for Virginia State Police said there could be more victims. NBC News reported six dead without citing a specific source.

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California man gets life in prison for slaying of Saudi student

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California man was sentenced on Friday to life in prison for fatally stabbing an engineering student from Saudia Arabia who the killer met after the victim posted an online ad to sell his car two years ago, prosecutors said.

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U.S. declares state of emergency in Puerto Rico over Zika

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services on Friday declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico because of the widespread transmission of the Zika virus, which poses a "significant threat" to public health.

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At least one dead, two injured as rains pound U.S. Gulf Coast

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Torrential downpours in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi caused flooding on Friday that killed at least one man, left two people injured and forced residents to evacuate homes throughout the region, officials said.

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Another Zika case reported outside Miami's transmission zone

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three more people in Florida have tested positive for Zika caused by local mosquitoes, including another person who does not live in the one-square-mile (2.6-square-km) area believed to be the hub of local transmission, state officials said on Friday.

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Judge rejects Ohio law to cut Planned Parenthood funds over abortion

(Reuters) - A judge on Friday prevented Ohio from cutting federal taxpayer funding from 28 Planned Parenthood clinics, setting back the governor's hopes of stopping the women's health services group from providing abortions.

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Sandusky asserts innocence at hearing on bid for new trial

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (Reuters) - Jerry Sandusky, the former football coach convicted in 2012 of molesting 10 boys, took the stand for the first time in his own defense on Friday, forcefully denying he had abused anyone, as a hearing on his bid for a new trial in Pennsylvania got underway.

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Muslim woman sues Chicago over arrest, stripping off of head garment

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Muslim woman has sued six Chicago police officers alleging abuse and harassment after she was arrested as she entered a train station on July 4, 2015, stripped of her head garment and jailed overnight, a Muslim civil rights group said on Friday.

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Firefighters make leap to smokejumping

WINTHROP, Wash. (Reuters) - On a 100-degree day in early June, Matt Mueller did sit-ups in a semicircle with seven other experienced firefighters training to parachute into a wildfire.

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JetBlue says 24 injured as flight hits heavy turbulence

(Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp said 22 passengers and two crew members were injured when its flight from Boston to Sacramento, California ran into heavy turbulence on Thursday.

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Texas, other states to ask judge to halt Obama transgender policy

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Texas and a dozen other states plan to ask a U.S. judge in Fort Worth on Friday to halt Obama administration recommendations regarding bathroom access for transgender students, arguing they are unlawful "radical changes" being foisted on the nation.

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Family lawyer calls black man's accused shooter 'George Zimmerman 2.0'

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A lawyer for the family of a man shot and killed in North Carolina called his accused killer "George Zimmerman 2.0" as the dead man's mother pleaded on Thursday for an end to gun violence in the United States.

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N.Y. man admits planning Islamic State-inspired New Year's Eve attack

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man pleaded guilty on Thursday to planning a New Year's Eve attack last year inspired by Islamic State, the U.S. Department of Justice said, and faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in November.

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Florida officer who killed retiree accused of prior excessive force

(Reuters) - A Florida police officer who mistakenly killed a 73-year-old woman during a role-play exercise this week has been the subject of excessive force complaints in the past, according to a police official and media reports.

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Panera challenges U.S. restaurants to come 'clean' on kids menus

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Panera Bread Co is launching a "clean" kids menu, the restaurant chain said on Thursday, and it challenged rivals like McDonald's Corp to stop luring children with junk food and toys that often have more taste and flash than nutritional value.

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U.S. DEA denies petition to reclassify marijuana

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday denied requests to loosen the classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical use.

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Delta cancels 25 flights, some due to bad weather

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc said it had canceled about 25 flights on Thursday as operations return to near-normal following a power outage on Monday that hit its computer systems, leading to cancellation of nearly 2,000 flights.

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FCC votes to keep most media ownership rules

(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted to retain nearly all rules limiting cross ownership of newspapers, radio and TV stations in the same market, a source familiar with the vote told Reuters.

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Man scales part of Trump Tower in New York City using suction cups

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man scaled the side of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon with what looked like suction cups and a climbing harness, drawing hundreds of onlookers and prompting a significant police response.

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U.S. judge dismisses lawsuit against Twitter over Islamic State rhetoric

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc won a bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the widow of an American killed in Jordan which accused the social media company of giving voice to Islamic State, according to a ruling on Wednesday.

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Baltimore pledges police reforms after scathing U.S. report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baltimore officials on Wednesday pledged to carry out sweeping police department reforms after a scathing U.S. Justice Department report found that officers in the majority-black city routinely violated the civil rights of black residents.

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U.S. Secret Service talks to Trump camp about gun rights remark: CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service has had "more than one" conversation with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign regarding comments the candidate made about gun rights, CNN reported on Wednesday.

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Suspect arrested in shooting of two Arkansas police: local media

(Reuters) - A man suspected of shooting two Arkansas police officers, wounding one of them critically, was arrested on Wednesday after a standoff with law enforcement at a rural home that lasted several hours, local media reports said.

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Amtrak begins settling lawsuits in Pennsylvania derailment

(Reuters) - Amtrak has begun settling lawsuits brought by passengers on a speeding train that crashed in Pennsylvania last year, killing eight people and injuring about 200, according to court filings and attorneys for passengers.

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U.S. appeals court stays ruling striking down part of Wisconsin ID law

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday issued a stay of a recent ruling that struck down parts of Wisconsin's voter ID law, the Department of Justice said.

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Christie 'lied' about staff involvement in New Jersey's 'Bridgegate': filing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former aide to Chris Christie said in a text message that the New Jersey governor "flat out lied" when he said senior staff members were not involved in the "Bridgegate" scandal in 2013, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

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Glenn Beck must reveal Boston Marathon bombing sources

(Reuters) - The conservative commentator Glenn Beck must reveal the names of confidential sources he used in reports alleging that a Saudi Arabian student injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing was "the money man" who funded the attack, a federal judge ruled.

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Florida says four new locally transmitted Zika cases, Congress must act on funds

(Reuters) - Florida has four new cases of people likely infected with Zika through mosquito bites in Miami, Governor Rick Scott said on Tuesday, as he urged Congress to reconvene and approve additional money to combat the virus.

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'Grim Sleeper' faces death penalty recommendation at L.A. sentencing

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An ex-sanitation worker found guilty of committing 10 Los Angeles murders three decades ago as the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer was due in court on Wednesday for a judge to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison.

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Delta expects normal operations to resume on Wednesday

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines said it expects to return to normal operations on Wednesday after a power outage hit its computer systems on Monday, causing the cancellation of more than 1,600 flights over two days.

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Justice Department report on Baltimore police expected Wednesday: reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is preparing to announce that it has found unconstitutional practices within the Baltimore Police Department in a probe stemming from the death of black detainee Freddie Gray last year, two newspapers reported on Tuesday.

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Out-of-control California wildfire grows, forces schools to close

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wildfire burning out of control in mountains and foothills east of Los Angeles mushroomed more than 50 percent overnight, forcing authorities to order three school districts to cancel classes due to heavy smoke and dangerous conditions.

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Delta cancels more than 500 flights worldwide on Tuesday

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc said it was canceling more than 500 flights worldwide on Tuesday as the carrier worked to restore operations after a power outage hit its computer systems on Monday.

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U.S. recovers data recorder from sunken cargo ship El Faro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The data recorder from the cargo ship El Faro, which sank near the Bahamas during a Caribbean hurricane last October, has been recovered, offering possible answers about why the vessel went down, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday.

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U.S. judge upholds 14-year sentence for ex-Illinois governor

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the 14-year prison sentence for imprisoned ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich despite his emotional courtroom plea for leniency after an appeals court last year set aside part of his public corruption conviction.

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Texas man sentenced to 25 years for abusing orphan boys in Malawi

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man who managed an orphanage in Malawi was sentenced on Tuesday in federal court to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing children in his care, U.S. prosecutors said.

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Police seek killer of Google worker found slain in Massachusetts woods

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investigators searched on Tuesday for clues in the case of a 27-year-old Google employee who was found slain in woods near her mother's Massachusetts home hours after leaving for a jog, police said.

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Death of infant in Texas linked to Zika: state health officials

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The recent death of an infant in the Houston area has been linked to the Zika virus, state health officials said on Tuesday.

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Americans of both major parties say infrastructure has worsened; want more spending: poll

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly half of registered U.S. voters think American infrastructure has deteriorated in the last five years, a national poll released on Tuesday found, with Republicans taking the dimmer view.

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NAACP leaders arrested during voting rights protest in Virginia

(Reuters) - NAACP President Cornell William Brooks and Stephen Green, the body's youth director, were arrested on Monday in a congressman’s district office in Virginia over a six-hour sit-in protest on voting rights, the NAACP said.

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Harassment case against Roger Ailes will remain in New Jersey court

(Reuters) - Former Fox News Channel Chairman Roger Ailes on Monday dropped a bid to move a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former anchor from New Jersey to a federal court in New York.

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California wildfire forces closure of scenic Highway 1

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An epic wildfire that has killed one person and blackened about 60,000 acres along the California coast, forced authorities on Monday to shut down a portion of scenic Highway 1 near Carmel-by-the-Sea.

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Florida is investigating apparent new case of locally transmitted Zika

(Reuters) - Florida health officials are investigating a new non-travel- related case of Zika virus in Palm Beach County, but it is not yet clear whether the person contracted the virus from local mosquitoes or from a recent trip to Miami.

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Muslim teen sues Texas school district after arrest over homemade clock

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The family of a Muslim boy, who was arrested last year after taking a homemade digital clock to a Dallas-area high school, sued the Texas school district and the city where he once lived on Monday, saying they violated the teenager's civil rights.

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Delta flights resume after power outage strands passengers

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc's flights gradually resumed on Monday after an outage hit its computer systems, grounding planes and stranding passengers of one of the world's largest carriers at airports around the globe.

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Disenchanted Republicans to float ex-CIA officer to oppose Trump: reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans disenchanted with Donald Trump as the party's presidential candidate plan to put forth a conservative alternative, former top House Republican aide and former CIA officer Evan McMullin, according to media reports on Monday.

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Pennsylvania attorney general goes on trial in leak case

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane will go on trial on Monday on charges that she illegally leaked grand jury information to embarrass a rival, closing out a four-year term dominated by a web of allegations that have roiled the state government.

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Florida governor criticizes Washington for lagging in Zika fight

(Reuters) - Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott on Sunday accused the federal government of lagging in providing assistance to combat the spread of the Zika virus in a Miami-area neighborhood, the site of the first U.S. transmission of the virus.

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Young boy dies in accident at Kansas City water park

(Reuters) - A young boy died on Sunday in an apparent accident on what has been dubbed the world's tallest water slide at a popular water park in Kansas City, park and police officials said.

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Family identified in Pennsylvania murder-suicide that left five dead

(Reuters) - The five people who died in a murder suicide in Pennsylvania over the weekend were identified as two parents and their three children, all of whom were shot to death, a local district attorney said on Sunday.

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Bentley, former Congresswoman from Maryland, dies at 92

(Reuters) - Helen Delich Bentley, a former journalist and a U.S. Republican congresswoman from Maryland who gained global attention by smashing Japanese goods to protest Tokyo's trade policies, died over the weekend at the age of 92, officials said.

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Two dead in California skydiving accident

(Reuters) - Two California skydivers died on Saturday when their parachutes failed to open and they landed in a vineyard, the skydiving company's owner said.

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South Carolina girl dies from brain-eating amoeba

An 11-year-old South Carolina girl has died after she became infected by a brain-eating amoeba in a river where she had gone swimming, an undertaker said on Saturday.

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Tennessee police arrest 41 in online prostitution sting

(Reuters) - Tennessee police have arrested 41 people in connection with an online human trafficking sting in Nashville, with many suspects allegedly paying for sex with underage girls, authorities said.

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Michigan man charged in grenade case may have followed al Qaeda - report

(Reuters) - U.S. authorities have found an apparent link between a Michigan man charged with illegally purchasing an arsenal of explosives and the radical U.S.-born al Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki, the Detroit News reported on Saturday.

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Four killed, three injured in Oregon motel fire: media

(Reuters) - Four people were killed and four were injured in a fire that destroyed a motel in a coastal city in Oregon on Friday, local media said.

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Railing collapses at New Jersey concert injuring about 30: media

(Reuters) - Dozens of concertgoers suffered minor injuries on Friday night when a railing collapsed during a hip hop concert featuring Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa in west New Jersey, local media reported.

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Judge eases restrictions on defendants in armed Oregon occupation

(Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Friday that eight anti-government militants facing criminal charges in the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife center can now communicate with each other ahead of a trial set for next month.

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Virginia town mostly unfazed about arrival of Reagan attacker Hinckley

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Reuters) - Many residents of the Virginia town where John Hinckley Jr. will settle after his release from a psychiatric hospital were unfazed by his expected arrival on Friday, though some were still wary of the man who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

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Former L.A. county sheriff indicted on new federal charges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who withdrew his guilty plea to a charge of lying to federal investigators in a corruption probe, was indicted on Friday on three new criminal counts, prosecutors said.

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Obama prepares to boost U.S. military's cyber role: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is preparing to elevate the stature of the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, signaling more emphasis on developing cyber weapons to deter attacks, punish intruders into U.S. networks and tackle adversaries such as Islamic State, current and former officials told Reuters.

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North Carolina will ask Supreme Court to allow voter ID law to stand

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to stay an appellate court ruling that struck down the state's voter ID law a week ago, Republican Governor Pat McCrory said on Friday.

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Florida woman killed in London was retired educator, tennis player: media

(Reuters) - A Florida woman killed in a knife attack in London this week was a mother, a retired special education teacher and an avid tennis player, local and national media said on Friday.

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Virginia mayor arrested in methamphetamine bust

(Reuters) - The mayor of Fairfax City, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C., has been arrested on suspicion of providing methamphetamine for sex, police said on Friday.

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Chicago releases videos of fatal police shooting of unarmed teen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago authorities on Friday released nine video clips related to last week's fatal police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old black man who crashed a stolen car into a police vehicle, then fled into a nearby backyard where he was gunned down.

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American Airlines reaches interim deal to hike ground staff wages

(Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc said it had reached an interim agreement with a labor union to raise wages for about 30,000 of its ground staff, effective immediately.

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Court denies North Carolina motion to stay decision on voter ID law

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court issued an order on Thursday denying North Carolina's motion to stay the court's decision last week striking down the state's voter ID law.

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South Dakota motorcycle rally gets back to normal after big 2015

STURGIS, S.D. (Reuters) - Sturgis, South Dakota, is expecting its annual motorcycle rally to draw only about half of the 1 million people who came for the 75th anniversary last year, but the tiny city is viewing this as a return to normalcy.

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San Francisco gangster 'Shrimp Boy' sentenced to life in prison

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco gangster Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison after his conviction on dozens of federal charges, including ordering the murder of a Chinatown rival, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman said.

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Black Lives Matter activist sues Baton Rouge police over arrest

(Reuters) - A prominent activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, DeRay McKesson, on Thursday sued the chief of the Baton Rouge police department and other officials over the arrests of nearly 200 demonstrators during peaceful protests about police killings.

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Iran nuclear pact opponents lobby in U.S. against Boeing, Airbus deals

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. Treasury Department decides whether to license sales of Boeing Co and Airbus commercial aircraft to Iran, opponents of last year's nuclear pact with the Islamic republic have launched a lobbying campaign against the deals.

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U.S. woman killed in London was wife of Florida State professor

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An American woman killed in a knife attack in London on Wednesday night was the wife of an eminent psychology professor at Florida State University (FSU), the university said in a statement on Thursday.

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Amid campaign turmoil, Trump allies urge him to get back on message

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of Republican Donald Trump urged him to get back on message on Thursday after a week of dropping opinion poll numbers and a war of words with ranking Republicans over his U.S. presidential campaign.

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Group sues Illinois over polling-place voter registration law

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group aligned with a conservative Illinois think tank sued the state in federal court on Thursday, challenging a recent law allowing Election Day voter registration at polling places in the state's most populous counties.

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In slap at Trump, some wealthy Republicans campaign for Clinton

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Groups of wealthy Republicans unhappy with Donald Trump have been privately courting prominent peers to join them in backing Democrat Hillary Clinton's U.S. presidential bid, several people involved in the effort told Reuters.

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South Carolina church shooting suspect attacked in jail

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The gunman accused of killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year was attacked in jail by another inmate early Thursday but not badly injured, a local sheriff's spokesman said.

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Judge in Chicago police officer's murder trial appoints special prosecutor

(Reuters) - An Illinois judge on Thursday appointed a special prosecutor in the murder case against a white Chicago police officer in the shooting death of a black teenager, selecting a state's attorney from a neighboring county.

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North Carolina man charged with trying to aid Islamic State: Justice Dept

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A North Carolina man was arrested Thursday on a charge of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State militant group by attempting to recruit people to carry out an attack in the United States, the Justice Department said.

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Texas professors seek U.S. court help to ban guns in their classrooms

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Three University of Texas professors plan to ask a U.S. judge on Thursday to give them the option of barring students from bringing guns into their classroom after the state gave some students that right under a law then went into effect this week.

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Two L.A. policemen who shot unarmed black man sue city for racial discrimination: media

(Reuters) - Two Los Angeles police officers who shot dead an unarmed black man in 2014 are suing the city for alleged racial discrimination and retaliation after not being allowed to return to the field, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Suicide rate of U.S. veterans rose one third since 2001: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The suicide rate among American veterans has increased by nearly a third since 2001, a bigger rise than in the wider population of the United States, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs study released on Wednesday said.

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Retired cop arrested outside New York's Trump Tower while armed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An armed, retired New York City police officer was taken into custody outside Trump Tower and charged for resisting U.S. Secret Service agents while they were protecting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, authorities said on Wednesday.

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California bus crash death toll revised down to four from five

(Reuters) - Officials in Northern California on Wednesday revised down the death toll from a charter bus crash the day before to four from five.

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Obama cuts short prison sentences for 214 convicts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama cut short the prison terms of 214 convicts on Wednesday, the largest number of commutations a U.S. leader has granted in single day since at least 1900, the White House said.

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Supreme Court blocks bathroom choice for transgender student

(Reuters) - A Virginia school board may temporarily block a transgender student who was born a girl from using the boys' bathroom while a legal fight over transgender rights proceeds on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court said on Wednesday.

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Pregnant in Miami: Zika's arrival adds new anxieties

TAMPA, Fla./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Since Florida officials declared that the Zika virus is circulating in the state, Miami-area resident Karla Maguire has avoided taking her toddler son to a playground where mosquitoes may be biting. She walks her dogs less frequently and vigilantly applies bug repellant when she must go outside.

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Icahn to close Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City at summer's end

(Reuters) - Atlantic City's Trump Taj Mahal casino, owned by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, will close after Labor Day at the end of the summer, the company said on Wednesday.

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Texas in deal to remedy 'discriminatory' voter ID law: court papers

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas has reached a deal to remedy ahead of the November general election a voter identification law that a U.S. appeals court last month ruled was discriminatory and violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act, court papers filed on Wednesday showed.

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Washington D.C. police officer charged with helping Islamic State

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Metro transit police officer in Washington, D.C. was arrested on Wednesday morning on charges he attempted to provide material support to Islamic State, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

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Amid Republican backlash, Trump insists campaign is unified

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday that his White House campaign was unified, even as he faced a strong backlash from some in his party over his insistent criticism of the family of a dead American soldier.

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Muslim families of fallen U.S. soldiers driven to oppose Trump

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nazar Naqvi has faithfully voted Republican for more than three decades.

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Trump loses bid to end Trump University lawsuit before trial

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's pretrial bid to throw out a lawsuit brought by Trump University students who said they were defrauded by its real-estate seminars.

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FBI took months to warn Democrats of suspected Russian role in hack: sources

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The FBI did not tell the Democratic National Committee that U.S officials suspected it was the target of a Russian government-backed cyber attack when agents first contacted the party last fall, three people with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

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Florida to begin aerial spraying of insecticides to control Zika

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Florida will conduct an aerial insecticide spraying campaign at dawn on Wednesday in an effort to kill mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, officials in Miami-Dade County said.

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Mental exam ordered for accused serial killer of San Diego homeless

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A San Diego man charged with attacking five homeless men by driving railroad spikes into his victims' heads, killing three of them, was ordered on Tuesday to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is mentally competent, a prosecutor said.

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Deadly California blaze near Big Sur traced to unattended campfire

(Reuters) - A deadly blaze that has scorched some 43,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes near California's famed Big Sur coast was sparked by an illegal, unattended camp fire in a state park, authorities said on Tuesday.

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Republican tensions rise as Trump withholds support for leading figures

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions in his Republican Party on Tuesday, denying leading figures support in their re-election bids, while his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton won her first endorsement from a Republican lawmaker.

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Chicago police watchdog inaccurately reported shooting incidents: official

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The agency tasked with reviewing all shootings involving Chicago police officers inaccurately reported use of force, the city's inspector general said on Tuesday.

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Delaware's top court strikes down state's death penalty statute

(Reuters) - Delaware's top court on Tuesday struck down the state's death penalty statute, arguing it grants judges powers that juries should wield and that it is unconstitutional.

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U.S. police body camera policies put civil rights at risk: study

(Reuters) - Police forces in 50 U.S. cities are failing to protect the civil rights and privacy of residents due to the inadequacy of programs that govern how their officers use body-worn cameras, a report by a coalition of rights groups said on Tuesday.

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Family of 'Star Trek' actor sues Fiat Chrysler over rollaway death

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The parents of the late "Star Trek" movie actor Anton Yelchin sued Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV for negligence and product liability on Tuesday over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that killed their son.

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Maryland police fatally shoot armed woman who threatened them

(Reuters) - Maryland police fatally shot an armed woman who threatened to kill officers during an hours-long standoff, and a 5-year-old boy was shot and wounded, authorities said.

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Man charged with sexually touching sleeping Virgin America passenger

(Editor's note: Please be advised that fifth paragraph contains language that may offend some readers)

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Maryland prosecutors appeal new trial ruling for 'Serial' podcast's Adnan Syed

(Reuters) - Maryland's attorney general has appealed a judge's order for a new trial for Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was put into question by the 2014 podcast "Serial."

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New York City Police Commissioner Bratton to retire in September

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton will retire in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday, capping a four-decade career that saw him become the most well known figure in U.S. policing.

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Briton in Trump gun incident could die in U.S. prison, mother says

LONDON (Reuters) - A British man detained in the United States for allegedly trying to wrestle a gun from a police officer at a Donald Trump rally is suffering from severe mental illness and risks dying in prison, his mother said on Tuesday.

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Lawyers of church shooter argue federal death penalty unconstitutional

(Reuters) - Attorneys for a white man accused of killing nine black parishioners in a racially motivated attack at a South Carolina church a year ago argued that their client should not face the death penalty, asserting the punishment is unconstitutional.

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After Orlando shooting, gay leaders train sights on guns

NEW YORK, August 2 (Reuters) - Dozens of leading civil rights activists gathered earlier this summer at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York, the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender synagogue in the United States.

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Trump campaign asks Capitol Hill to back him up in Khan controversy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Donald Trump's presidential campaign appealed to Capitol Hill for support on Monday as his attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq drew sharp rebukes from fellow party members.

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Bergdahl's lawyers ask for charges to be dropped over McCain comments

(Reuters) - The legal team for U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl on Monday asked to have the charges against the former prisoner of war dismissed, arguing comments made by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain violated his due process rights.

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U.S. charges two ex-leaders of Venezuelan anti-narcotics agency

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors announced an indictment on Monday of two former top officials at Venezuela's anti-narcotics agency, including one who became the head of the national guard, over allegations that they took part in a cocaine distribution scheme.

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University of Texas holds first memorial of 1966 rampage that left 16 dead

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The University of Texas on Monday held its first memorial of a shooting rampage half a century ago that left 16 people dead, with a survivor of the massacre leading a procession across the field where she was hit by the sniper and her unborn child was killed.

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Ohio man pleads guilty to plotting to attack U.S. Capitol

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - An Ohio man on Monday pleaded guilty to plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol with guns and bombs and faces up to 30 years in prison.

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FBI employee accused of being Chinese agent to plead guilty: prosecutors

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An FBI electronics technician born in China who had access to classified information is expected to plead guilty on Monday to charges that he acted as an agent of China, prosecutors said.

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U.S. judge to weigh halt to North Carolina transgender bathroom law

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A U.S. judge will hear arguments on Monday to stop North Carolina from enforcing a state law barring transgender people from using bathrooms in government buildings and public schools that correspond with their gender identity.

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Texas allows guns in college classrooms under new law

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A new law went into effect in Texas on Monday that allows certain students to bring guns into classrooms, with supporters saying it could prevent mass shootings and critics saying the measure will endanger safety on campuses.

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