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Russian hackers targeted U.S. conservative think-tanks, says Microsoft

The software giant said it thwarted the attempts last week by taking control of sites that hackers had designed to mimic the pages of The International Republican Institute and The Hudson Institute. There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities, but the Kremlin was expected to address the report later on Tuesday. Casting such allegations as part of an anti-Russian campaign designed to justify new sanctions on Russia, it says it wants to improve not worsen ties with Washington.

Trump's environment agency seeks to roll back Obama-era clean power plan

The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed replacing the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of former President Barack Obama's regulatory efforts to combat climate change, in a move critics said would have dire environmental and health consequences. The proposal released by the Environmental Protection Agency would grant states the ability to write their own weaker regulations for the plants and give them the ability to seek permission to opt out of regulations on power plant emissions. The effort to re-write the plan is the latest move by the EPA under President Donald Trump, a Republican, to roll back environmental protections put in place by Obama, Trump's Democratic predecessor.

Protesters topple Confederate soldier statue in North Carolina

About 300 demonstrators gathered at the base of Silent Sam, a memorial to the Confederate soldiers killed during the Civil War, at about 7 p.m. (2300 GMT) to hold a protest and march. About two hours later, the statue, which had been standing on the Chapel Hill campus since 1913, was on the ground, local media reported. Protesters pulled the statue with rope and threw dirt on it, local media reported.

Study cites longer dry spells as fueling U.S. wildfires

Less rain and longer droughts are the major cause behind larger and more intense wildfires in the U.S. West, not higher temperatures and early snowmelt as previously thought, according to research released on Monday. The findings by the U.S. Forest Service and University of Montana could help scientists better predict the severity of fire seasons, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. California is marking one of the most destructive fire seasons on record.

Colorado man charged in murder of family claims wife strangled kids

Chris Watts, who had been involved in an extramarital affair with a co-worker, said during a police interrogation that his wife, Shannan, strangled their daughters Bella and Celeste after he announced that he wanted a separation, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the sensational case. "While in the bedroom, via a baby monitor located on Shannan's night stand, he observed Bella 'sprawled' out on her bed, blue, and Shannan actively strangling Celeste," Frederick Police Officer Matthew James wrote in the affidavit. "Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shannan to death," James wrote.

Father sues St. Louis police in 2015 shooting death of his son

Dennis Ball-Bey filed the action against the city of St. Louis, its former police chief and two officers involved in the shooting death of Mansur Ball-Bey. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in St. Louis on Friday, seeks unspecified damages, court records showed. The lawsuit alleged that the officers, both of them white, overreacted while chasing Mansur Ball-Bey, 18, on Aug. 19, 2015, when the teen was shot and killed.

Georgia candidates decry plan to close voting sites in mostly black county

The two-member local elections board is expected to vote on Friday on a proposal to shutter seven of nine polling sites in rural Randolph County, located in southwest Georgia, where roughly 60 percent of the 7,800 residents are black. Both Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee who is seeking to become the first female African-American governor in U.S. history, and Republican candidate Brian Kemp, who is white and serves as Georgia's secretary of state, urged county officials to drop the plan. "Although state law gives localities broad authority in setting precinct boundaries and polling locations, we strongly urged local officials to abandon this effort and focus on preparing for a secure, accessible, and fair election for voters this November," Kemp said in a statement.

Pope vows no more cover ups on sexual abuse in letter to Catholics

Pope Francis, facing sexual abuse crises in several countries, wrote an unprecedented letter to all Catholics on Monday, asking each one of them to help root out "this culture of death" and vowing there would be no more cover ups. In a highly personal letter addressed to "the people of God," Church language for all members, the pope appeared to be launching an appeal for all Catholics to face the crisis together and not let it tear the Church apart. The Catholic Church in the United States, Chile, Australia, and Ireland - where the pope is making a two-day visit this weekend - are reeling from crises involving sexual abuse of minors.

U.S. health secretary says agency can eliminate drug rebates

Such rebates are negotiated in the United States by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to lower the cost of medicines for their clients, including large employers and health plans that cover tens of millions of Americans. Drugmakers say they are under pressure to provide rebates to the few PBMs that dominate the market, which include CVS , Express Scripts and UnitedHealth's Optum , and that those payers do not pass on enough of those savings to patients - a contention the PBMs dispute. The drugmakers say the rebates force them to raise the price of their therapies over time to preserve their business.

Exclusive: Pentagon raises alarm about sharp drop in Iraqi refugees coming to U.S.

The Pentagon is concerned that not providing safe haven to more of the Iraqis, many of whom interpreted and did other key tasks for U.S. forces, will harm national security by dissuading locals from cooperating with the United States in Iraq and other conflict zones, the officials said. In a closed-door White House meeting last week devoted to the Iraqi issue, officials focused largely on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's method of conducting certain deep background checks on the Iraqis, and identified it as a major source of the drop in admissions, said the two officials aware of the discussions, who declined to be named. As of Aug. 15, just 48 Iraqis have been admitted to the United States this fiscal year through a special refugee program meant for people who worked for the U.S. government or American contractors, news media or non-governmental groups, according to data provided by the State Department.

USA Gymnastics ex-doctor moved from prison after alleged assault

Nassar was at a federal transfer facility in Oklahoma City after being removed from a penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, Federal Bureau of Prisons records showed. Last year, Nassar, 55, was given an effective life sentence by a Michigan court for sexually abusing young female gymnasts entrusted to his care. Nassar's lawyers said in a legal filing last month that the former doctor was assaulted soon after being released into the general population at the medium-security Tucson prison.

U.S. Catholics 'sickened' by sex abuse report, stand by their faith

Many churchgoers said they were sickened and saddened by a grand jury report detailing widespread sexual abuse by hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania but they would not let the Roman Catholic Church's cover-up dissuade them from their faith. Nearly 200 parishioners filled almost all the pews for Saturday’s Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in York, Pennsylvania, where six priests who at one time worked in that parish are accused in the report https://bit.ly/2vTa9oY of sexually abusing children. “I can't talk about it without crying," said Kathy Morris, a retired steelworker and a member of St. Patrick's for over 15 years.

Vigil held in Colorado town for slain pregnant woman and daughters

Shanann Watts, 34, and her daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, were reported missing from their home in Frederick, 25 miles north of Denver, by a family friend on Monday afternoon, touching off an exhaustive search by law enforcement agencies. Chris Watts was taken into custody on Wednesday on suspicion of murder, a day before the bodies of his wife and children were found. Watts, 33, had pleaded for the safe return of his pregnant wife and two young daughters while the search was underway.

Trans students: A test of identity for U.S. girls schools

As students who are openly transgender or non-binary - those who identify as neither male nor female - have become more visible at girls schools in recent years, educators are re-defining policies on admission, retention and other issues. The challenge, experts say, is to create policies that support and respect students while preserving the historic mission of these schools to educate and empower young women in exclusively female environments.

U.S. senators demand answers from Army after Reuters report on lead poisoning

"We write to you today concerned about recent reports of lead poisoning at a number of Army installations," the senators wrote. The letter, written by Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, along with Republican Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, came a day after Reuters reported that more than 1,000 young children tested at military clinics had elevated lead levels between 2011 and 2016. The Reuters investigation also found that several military bases had not been reporting children's blood test results to state health departments, violating state laws and creating public health blind spots.

U.S. judge approves plan to reunite separated immigrant families

The plan negotiated by the U.S. government and immigrant rights advocates marked the second stage of federal efforts to reunite 2,551 children ages 5 to 17 with their parents. Sabraw, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, on Friday acknowledged the challenges in efficiently bringing parents and children back together.

Ex-lawyer of pharma executive Shkreli gets 18 months prison for fraud scheme

Evan Greebel, who was outside counsel to Shkreli's former company Retrophin Inc , was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in Brooklyn. The judge also ordered Greebel to pay about $10.4 million in restitution to Retrophin. "I will regret, every day of my life, the day I met Martin Shkreli," Greebel said.

U.S. court orders Trump administration to enforce chemical safety rule

The D.C. Circuit Court ruling was the latest to counter efforts under President Donald Trump, a Republican, to delay environmental regulations introduced by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat. The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the Chemical Disaster Rule, saying the agency did not have authority to delay the rule for 20 months. The EPA cannot delay the rule "by invoking general rulemaking authority under a different statutory provision," of federal clean air law, the court said in the ruling.

Trailer at New Mexico compound had been stolen in Alabama: police

A camping trailer at the New Mexico compound where five people were charged with child abuse earlier this month had been stolen from an Alabama farmer and towed to the ramshackle settlement north of Taos, police said on Friday. The trailer, which was partially buried at the compound, was reported stolen from a farm in Notasulga, Alabama, in August 2017, New Mexico Office of Special Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Torres told Reuters. Torres said it was towed to the compound last December by a white moving truck owned by Lucas Morton, one of the people arrested at the settlement.

Psychologist may examine if Reagan shooter deserves complete freedom

A federal judge on Friday authorized a psychologist chosen by the U.S. government to examine John Hinckley, who shot President Ronald Reagan in a 1981 assassination attempt, in order to determine whether he deserves unconditional freedom. Hinckley, 63, has been living with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, with many restrictions on his travel and contact with the outside world, since his September 2016 release from a Washington, D.C., psychiatric hospital. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said the psychologist, Mitchell Hugonnet, may examine Hinckley to determine his "present mental condition and risk of dangerousness" if he were released unconditionally or subject to new conditions.

Gunman who killed five at Florida airport sentenced to life

Esteban Santiago, 28, had pleaded guilty in May to launching the attack, near a baggage carousel at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Jan. 6, 2017. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom had pushed back the sentencing hearing to allow families of victims to be present. A woman who was wounded and whose husband was killed told Santiago he was a coward, WFOR-TV in Miami reported.

California judge rejects plea deal in Oakland warehouse fire

Families whose loved ones died in the Dec. 2, 2016 blaze in Oakland demanded a criminal trial for Derick Almena and Max Harris so they could learn more about how the tragedy unfolded, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said. The families' emotional appeal prompted District Attorney Nancy O'Malley to end plea discussions with defense attorneys for Almena, who ran the warehouse as an art collective and party space, and Harris, the creative director. Instead, she asked Judge James Cramer to set a trial date for the men, who are each charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

U.S. attorney general issues order to speed up immigrant deportations

Unlike the federal judiciary system, U.S. immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice and the attorney general can intervene. Sessions, a Republican former U.S. Senator appointed by President Donald Trump, has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors.

Federal probe targets Ohio State over sex abuse allegations

The investigation by the U.S. Department of Education will focus on what school officials knew about alleged crimes by the late Dr. Richard Strauss, OSU said on Thursday in a statement. Last month, the university said that more than 100 former students have told investigators they were victims of Strauss, who killed himself in 2005. The abuse allegedly occurred from 1979 to 1997, according to claims from athletes in 14 varsity sports and former patients of the student clinic, OSU has said.

Trump says Turkey has acted badly in Brunson case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States was not going to take Turkey's detention of U.S. Christian pastor Andrew Brunson "sitting down," a day after his Treasury chief said Washington could hit Ankara with further sanctions.

Body found at New Mexico compound identified as missing boy

The finding came two days after a Taos County judge received death threats and Islamophobic abuse for granting bail to the five defendants, who are all black and Muslim. Authorities unearthed the boy's body at the compound on Aug. 6, three days after they raided the ramshackle home near Amalia, New Mexico, where they found 11 children in "filthy conditions" with no food or clean water. Marie Legrand Miller, an attorney for one of the defendants, said she feared for her client's safety after threats of violence, "Islamophobia" and "overt racism" directed at judge Sarah Backus after her decision to grant bail.

Pressure mounts on Trump to deliver for Iowa ahead of elections

Other farmers, meanwhile, are upset that the White House has not yet followed through on a promise to reform rules that would boost demand for corn-based ethanol, one of the state's biggest businesses. “I still support him, but not as much,” Bachman said between bites of pork chops and baked beans at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines last week. “I am afraid we are close to seeing a repeat of the 1980s, where farmers across Iowa lost their land because they ran out of money and couldn’t get loans.” November's congressional elections represent the first nationwide response to Trump's aggressive trade policies, particularly in the Farm Belt, which runs roughly from Indiana to Kansas and the Dakotas, which favored Trump heavily two years ago.

George Washington gold coin sells for $1.7 million

An 18th century gold coin featuring the likeness of first U.S. President George Washington sold for $1.7 million at auction on Thursday, with the net proceeds going to charity, the auction house said. The 1792 Washington President gold eagle coin was never circulated as money but is instead thought to have been presented to Washington when post-Revolutionary War plans were being drawn up for the first U.S. Mint, according to Heritage Auctions. Currency researchers believe that the Washington President coin, which has his profile on the front and an eagle on the back, was given to him as part of a sales promotion in a bid to obtain a contract to strike U.S coinage, and that Washington carried it as a personal memento.

Do not call us Mormons or LDS Church, leaders of faith ask

An online guide accompanying a pronouncement from the church president also asked people to stop referring to followers of the religion as Mormons and not to use the name "LDS" as a shorthand way of describing the faith. "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," church President Russell Nelson said in a statement. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long proclaimed their faith as Christian and fought any association with polygamy, which was practiced by early members of the church before they abandoned it more than 100 years ago.

U.S. judge blocks programs letting 'Grand Theft Auto' players 'cheat'

A federal judge on Thursday awarded Take-Two Interactive Software Inc , the maker of the "Grand Theft Auto" series, a preliminary injunction to stop a Georgia man from selling programs that it said helps players cheat at the best-selling video game. Take-Two had accused David Zipperer of selling computer programs called Menyoo and Absolute that let users of the "Grand Theft Auto V" multiplayer feature Grand Theft Auto Online cheat by altering the game for their own benefit, or "griefing" other players by altering their game play without permission. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan said Take-Two was likely to show that Zipperer infringed its "Grand Theft Auto V" copyright, and that his programs would cause irreparable harm to its sales and reputation by discouraging users from buying its video games.

U.S. judge blocks programs letting 'Grand Theft Auto' players 'cheat'

Take-Two had accused David Zipperer of selling computer programs called Menyoo and Absolute that let users of the "Grand Theft Auto V" multiplayer feature Grand Theft Auto Online cheat by altering the game for their own benefit, or "griefing" other players by altering their game play without permission. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan said Take-Two was likely to show that Zipperer infringed its "Grand Theft Auto V" copyright, and that his programs would cause irreparable harm to its sales and reputation by discouraging users from buying its video games. Stanton also said an injunction would serve the public interest by encouraging Take-Two to invest more in video games and was appropriate because of the "high risk" that Zipperer, who claimed to be unemployed, could not afford damages.

Pentagon says China military 'likely training for strikes' on U.S. targets

The assessment, which comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions over trade, was contained in an annual report that highlighted China's efforts to increase its global influence, with defense spending that the Pentagon estimates exceeded $190 billion in 2017. "Over the last three years, the PLA has rapidly expanded its overwater bomber operating areas, gaining experience in critical maritime regions and likely training for strikes against U.S. and allied targets," the report said, using an acronym for China's People's Liberation Army. The report comes as China and the United States plan to hold trade talks, offering hope they might resolve an escalating tariff conflict that threatens to degenerate into an all-out trade war.

U.S. judge bars retrial of ex-Georgeson employees in bribe case

A federal judge on Thursday ruled prosecutors could not retry three former employees of a firm that advises companies on shareholder votes who were accused of using bribes to learn how a proxy advisory firm's investor clients voted. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston barred prosecutors from retrying three former employees of Georgeson LLC, a proxy solicitation firm owned by Computershare Ltd, after an earlier trial ended in a mistrial in March. The ex-employees - Michael Sedlak, Charles Garske and Richard Gottcent - were on trial alongside their colleague Donna Ackerly.

U.S., ACLU agree on plan to reunite separated immigrant families

In a Thursday court filing, U.S. Department of Justice lawyers said the changes would ensure an "efficient process" for reunifications, without requiring that parents removed from the United States be returned for that purpose. The plan is the second stage of government efforts to reunite 2,551 children ages 5 to 17 with their parents, after they had been separated under U.S. President Donald Trump's now-abandoned "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered the reunifications on June 26 and must approve any reunification plan.

Body found at New Mexico compound identified as missing boy

A child's body found at a New Mexico compound has been identified as Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, a missing 3-year-old boy whose father is one of five adults charged with child abuse at the remote settlement, the Taos County Sheriff said on Thursday. The condition of the body made identification difficult, and investigators had to use different methods to make a positive identification, according to a statement from Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe.The cause and manner of death remained unclear, the statement said. Authorities unearthed the boy's body at the compound on Aug. 6, three days after they raided the ramshackle home near Amalia, New Mexico, where they found 11 children in "filthy conditions" with no food or clean water.

Vatican voices 'shame and sorrow' over damning sex abuse report

In a long statement that broke the Vatican's silence over a damning U.S. grand jury report that has shaken the American Church, spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See was taking the report "with great seriousness". The grand jury on Tuesday released the findings of the largest-ever investigation of sex abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church, finding that 301 priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years.

Man held on suspicion of killing wife, two kids in Colorado

The body of a woman, believed to be the spouse of Christopher Watts, 33, has been recovered, authorities said. Watts was taken into custody late on Wednesday for the suspected murder of his wife Shanann Watts, 34, and of the couple's children. "This is absolutely the worst possible outcome that any of us could imagine," John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, said at a news briefing about the incident in Frederick, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Denver.

Vatican feels 'shame and sorrow' over U.S. grand jury report on abuse

The Vatican, in its first response to a damning report by a U.S. grand jury on sexual abuse of children by priests in Pennsylvania, on Thursday expressed "shame and sorrow". The grand jury on Tuesday released the findings of the largest-ever investigation of sex abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church, finding that 301 priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years. In a statement, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke also said the Catholic Church "must learn hard lessons from its past", and that the Vatican vowed to hold abusers and enablers accountable.

U.S. judge orders review of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline route

A federal judge in Montana has ordered the U.S. State Department to do a full environmental review of a revised route for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, possibly delaying its construction and dealing another setback to TransCanada Corp . For more than a decade, environmentalists, tribal groups, and ranchers have fought the $8-billion, 1,180-mile (1,900-km) pipeline that will carry heavy crude to Steele City, Nebraska, from Canada's oilsands in Alberta. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris ruled late on Wednesday for the Indigenous Environmental Network and other plaintiffs, ordering the review of a revised pipeline route through Nebraska to supplement one the State Department did on the original path in 2014.

Newspapers across U.S. rebuke Trump for attacks on press

Hundreds of U.S. newspapers on Thursday launched a coordinated defense of press freedom and a rebuke of President Donald Trump for denouncing some media organizations as enemies of the American people. "A central pillar of President Trump's politics is a sustained assault on the free press," said the editorial by the Boston Globe, which coordinated publication among more than 350 newspapers. "The greatness of America is dependent on the role of a free press to speak the truth to the powerful," the Globe said.

Senate adopts resolution backing free press after Trump attacks

The vote comes after more than 300 hundred U.S. newspapers on Thursday launched a coordinated defense of press freedom and a rebuke of President Donald Trump for denouncing some media organizations as enemies of the American people. "A central pillar of President Trump's politics is a sustained assault on the free press," said the editorial by the Boston Globe, which coordinated publication among more than 350 newspapers.