Spring

U.S. Navy to remove senior leaders of warship after deadly June crash

By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy will relieve the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on a U.S. warship that collided with a Philippine container ship in June off the coast of Japan, the Navy said on Thursday, A separate official report released on Thursday contained dramatic accounts of what happened when the freighter hit the USS Fitzgerald, killing seven Navy sailors. Admiral Bill Moran, deputy chief of naval operations, told reporters that the USS Fitzgerald's commander, executive officer and master chief petty officer would be removed. Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are still under way into how the Fitzgerald, a guided missile destroyer, and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17.

Car owners' lawyers accuse GM of threats in ignition switch deal

Lawyers for car owners suing General Motors Co over faulty ignition switches and other defects on Thursday accused the carmaker of meddling in settlement talks and having issued threats that led to the canceling of an agreement. Under a deal with a trust that holds many GM liabilities from before its 2009 bankruptcy, the automaker would have been forced to pay $1 billion in shares to resolve millions of claims.

Solar eclipse coming with nearly $700 million tab for U.S. employers

Add next week's total eclipse of the sun to the list of worker distractions that cost U.S. companies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity. American employers will see at least $694 million in missing output for the roughly 20 minutes that outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates workers will take out of their workday on Monday, Aug. 21 to stretch their legs, head outside the office and gaze at the nearly two-and-a-half minute eclipse. "There's very few people who are not going to walk outside when there's a celestial wonder happening above their heads to go out and view it," Challenger said, estimating that 87 million employees will be at work during the eclipse.

Uber wins U.S. court appeal to push price-fixing case to arbitration

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Thursday won a victory in its effort to keep unhappy customers from suing in court, persuading a federal appeals court to send a Connecticut passenger's price-fixing case against the ride-service company into arbitration. Overturning a lower court ruling, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Uber and former Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick properly notified customers in online user agreements that disputes should be arbitrated. In a 3-0 decision, the appeals court also said the passenger, Spencer Meyer, agreed to arbitrate his own claims, but could try to show Uber waived its right to arbitration by actively fighting him in court.

Ex-Venezuela parliament head loses bid to sue Dow Jones for libel

A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the former head of Venezuela's National Assembly accusing The Wall Street Journal of libeling him in an article that identified him as the target of a U.S. drug trafficking investigation. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday that Diosdado Cabello had failed to explain exactly how the article was false. Gary Redish, a lawyer for Cabello, said he was reviewing the decision with his client.

Durant won't go to White House to visit Trump

Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump. "Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28.

Canada sees 'unsustainable' spike in asylum seekers at U.S. border

TORONTO/MONTREAL (Reuters) - The number of asylum seekers who illegally crossed the U.S. border into Canada more than tripled last month, according to Canadian government data released on Thursday, as migrants worried about the U.S. administration's immigration crackdown head north. More than 3,100 people walked across the border illegally in July to file refugee claims and were arrested, up from 884 in June, the federal government said. Ninety-six percent of them went to Quebec, where an influx of asylum seekers, primarily Haitians, is sparking a backlash from opposition politicians and anti-immigrant groups in the primarily French-speaking province.

Iran denies appeal of jailed Princeton student: university

By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iranian authorities have denied the appeal of a Princeton University student who had been convicted on espionage charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the university and his wife said on Thursday. Xiyue Wang, a history doctoral student and U.S. citizen who was conducting dissertation research in Iran in 2016 when he was detained by Iranian authorities, was accused by Iran of "spying under the cover of research," a claim his family and university deny. "Iranian authorities have denied Xiyue Wang's appeal of his conviction and 10-year prison sentence for espionage that he did not attempt or commit," Princeton University said in a statement.

Governor urges Trump to drop Virginia from offshore drilling plan

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe urged the Trump administration to exclude his state from a federal offshore oil and gas drilling plan, citing concerns about revenue sharing and environmental issues, in a letter that his office revealed on Thursday. McAuliffe, a Democrat, had previously said that any federal drilling plan that includes his state must include a revenue-sharing program. In the letter, dated Aug. 11 and sent to Kelly Hammerle, national program manager of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), McAuliffe said he could not trust President Donald Trump, a Republican, to share revenues because he had proposed axing revenue sharing with Gulf Coast states where the drilling already occurs.

Wisconsin debates billions in incentives for Foxconn plant

The Wisconsin State Assembly on Thursday opened debate on a $3 billion incentive package for a proposed liquid-crystal display plant by Taiwan's Foxconn, a deal that caused a stir when it was announced by President Donald Trump last month. It will be the first time a chamber of Wisconsin's Republican-controlled legislature has voted on the Foxconn plan. Foxconn, an electronics manufacturer formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd , hopes to open a $10 billion plant in 2020 at a 1,000-acre site in southeastern Wisconsin.

Museum or dumpster? U.S. cities wrestle with Confederate statues' fate

(Reuters) - As communities across the United States redouble efforts to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces after a far-right rally in Virginia turned deadly, city leaders now face another conundrum: what to do with the statues.

Mylan, U.S. finalize $465 million EpiPen settlement

Mylan NV has finalized a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, resolving claims it overcharged the government for its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment, which became the center of a firestorm over price increases. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts revealed the accord on Thursday, 10 months after Mylan said it reached a deal resolving claims it misclassified the EpiPen as a generic rather than a branded product to reduce the rebates it pays to the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor.

Apple's Cook says he disagrees with Trump, vows donations to rights groups

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook has joined a chorus of business leaders who have voiced their opposition to President Donald Trump after he blamed white nationalists and anti-racism activists equally for violence in Virginia over the weekend. "I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans," Cook wrote in a note late on Wednesday to employees, according to technology news website Recode.

Rare trio of stinky corpse flowers to bloom at Washington garden

A botanic garden on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol is expecting a stinky first in coming days as a trio of so-called corpse flowers is due to open and release an odor likened to the smell of rotting flesh. The event would mark the first time that three of the giant plants, also known as titan arums, have bloomed close to the same time at a North American institution, U.S. Botanic Garden spokesman Ray Mims said on Wednesday. The Botanic Garden, at the foot of Capitol Hill, will be open until 10 p.m. once the flower blooms to handle crowds.

Forest rangers, fire crews brace for eclipse watchers to descend on U.S. West

By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Forest rangers and fire managers across the U.S. West will be on high alert as motorists flock to Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming for next week's total solar eclipse, clogging roads and straining scarce resources at the height of summer wildfire season. "It's all hands on deck," said U.S. Forest Service ranger Kurt Nelson, who works in the Sawtooth National Forest near the affluent resort of Sun Valley in central Idaho.

Truck driver formally indicted for 10 immigrant deaths in Texas

A truck driver accused of smuggling immigrants inside a packed and sweltering tractor-trailer through Texas, 10 of whom died, was formally indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on charges that can carry the death penalty, prosecutors said. James Bradley Jr., 60, was given a five-count indictment that included charges of transportation of undocumented aliens resulting in death and conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death. If convicted on these charges, he could face up to life in prison or death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.

Violence prompts U.S. Congress review of militants

Violent extremism, including threats from domestic militants, will top the agenda at a Sept. 12 U.S. congressional hearing, following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly. The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee chairman, Republican Michael McCaul, announced the hearing in a letter to the panel's top Democrat, Bennie Thompson. The committee once a year meets to discuss militant threats, with the focus usually on abroad, but a committee aide said the Charlottesville protests had raised interest in domestic threats.

New York Times editor testifies in Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit

James Bennet testified at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in a Manhattan federal court that he meant to link Palin to an "overall climate" of incitement to political violence, but not to say she caused the shooting. Palin, the former Alaska governor who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate in an unsuccessful 2008 campaign, is seeking in excess of $75,000 for compensatory, special and punitive damages.

U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed a ruling forbidding Arkansas from carrying through with Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson's directive to suspend Medicaid reimbursements to a Planned Parenthood affiliate.

U.S. ends program for Central American minors fleeing violence

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security terminated a program on Wednesday that allowed minors fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to settle in the United States, ending travel hopes for more than 2,700 children awaiting approval. In a notice published in the Federal Register that goes into effect Aug. 16, the government said it was ending the practice of granting parole under the Central American Minors (CAM) Program, which was offered to children even if they had been denied refugee status. The program started at the end of 2014 under the administration of former President Barack Obama as a response to tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors and families from Central America who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking entry into the United States.

Seven charged in U.S. insider trading ring

U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced insider trading charges accusing seven people of generating more than $5 million of profit based on tips from a Bank of America Corp employee about dozens of pending corporate transactions. Daniel Rivas, who was the alleged tipper and later worked at Royal Bank of Canada , and James Moodhe, the father of Rivas' girlfriend, both pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

Baltimore removes four Confederate statues after Virginia rally

The statues, including one of General Robert E. Lee and another of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, were taken off their bases in Wyman Park Dell, beside the Baltimore Museum of Art, and carried away on a flatbed truck. City Councilman Brandon Scott had called for immediate action following the "domestic terrorism" carried out on Saturday by white supremacists in Charlottesville. In Los Angeles on Wednesday, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to remove a monument that since 1925 honored Confederate veterans.

Carmakers win brief reprieve from lawsuits over faulty Takata air bags

The decision gives the Japanese auto supplier breathing room to work through its bankruptcy reorganization. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon in Wilmington, Delaware, granted a 90-day halt on lawsuits brought by Hawaii, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as individuals. Takata argued for a six-month freeze on hundreds of lawsuits so management could complete a $1.6 billion sale of its viable operations, crucial to its reorganization, and replace air bag inflators that are subject to the biggest recall in automotive history.

Black banker sues Goldman Sachs for racial discrimination

Rebecca Allen in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan said Goldman's virtually all-white senior leadership team favors white bankers for promotions and lucrative accounts, so they earn more than black coworkers. "Simply put, Goldman Sachs does virtually nothing to hire, promote or develop black talent, instead focusing its efforts on retaining and promoting white employees to positions of leadership," Allen said in the complaint. Goldman in a statement said the claims were meritless.

Virginia rally victim's message 'magnified,' mother tells memorial

With tears and defiant tributes, hundreds of purple-clad people packed an historic Charlottesville theater to remember the 32-year-old woman killed when a suspected white nationalist crashed his car into anti-racist demonstrators. Heather Heyer, a paralegal whom colleagues said was devoted to social justice, was killed after clashes on Saturday between white nationalists attending a "Unite the Right" gathering and counter-protesters. You just magnified her," Heyer's mother Susan Bro said to long and loud applause from those gathered at the city's 1930s era Paramount Theater.

U.N. experts condemn racist violence in U.S., urge investigations

United Nations human rights experts called on U.S. political leaders "at all levels" on Wednesday to combat rising racist violence and xenophobia and urged prosecution of perpetrators of hate crimes. U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that both left- and right-wing extremists had become violent during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia, reigniting a political firestorm over race relations in the United States and his own leadership of a national crisis. "We are outraged by the violence in Charlottesville and the racial hatred displayed by right-wing extremists, white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups," the independent U.N. experts said in a joint statement issued in Geneva.

German politicians accuse Trump of trivializing Nazi violence

By Michael Nienaber and Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior German politicians on Wednesday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of trivializing violence by white supremacists in Virginia and called for a clear rejection of their ideology. Governments could only win the fight against hatred, racism and anti-Semitism by rejecting such ideology and the willingness to use violence, said Martin Schulz, the center-left candidate for chancellor, adding that this applies to Germany and the United States. "The trivialization of Nazi violence by the confused utterances of Donald Trump is highly dangerous," said Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD).

Army helicopter with five aboard crashes off Hawaii: U.S. Coast Guard

(Reuters) - Rescue teams searched for a downed Army Black Hawk helicopter with five crew members aboard that was last reported off the west coast of Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Coast Guard Hercules and Army Black Hawk aircrews spotted debris near Kaena Point, Oahu at 11:28 p.m. local time after staff at Wheeler Army Airfield said they had lost contact with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews, the Coast Guard said. Rescue crews searched for five missing people who were training between Kaena Point and Dillingham Airfield, also on Oahu, when communications were lost. ...

Trump blames 'both sides' for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk

By Amanda Becker and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump inflamed tension after a deadly rally by white nationalists in Virginia by insisting that counter protesters were also to blame, drawing condemnation from some Republican leaders and praise from white supremacists. In a combative news conference, Trump backed off from his Monday statements explicitly denouncing the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists for the violence that erupted at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, and reverted to his weekend contention that "many sides" were to blame. "You had a group on one side that was bad," Trump said on Tuesday.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington defaced with expletive

(Editor's note: Please be advised that paragraph 2 contains language that some readers may find offensive) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. capital was spray painted with expletive graffiti that was discovered on Tuesday, days after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over an American Civil War-era monument. The graffiti appeared to read "fuck law" spray painted in red on a column of the memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the American president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States. The National Park Service said in a statement that it was removing the graffiti from the monument and a Smithsonian Institution directional sign blocks away that was also vandalized with spray paint.

Texas 'bathroom bill' dies in special legislative session

Texas measures criticized as being discriminatory for limiting transgender people's access to bathrooms in schools and public buildings died on Tuesday, as the House adjourned and ended its special legislative session. The measures were blocked by moderate House Republicans. Adoption by Texas, the most populous Republican-dominated state, could have fed momentum in other socially conservative states on the issue, a flashpoint in the U.S. culture wars.