Youngstown

Keystone XL pipeline route would not harm environment: State Department

The U.S. State Department on Friday issued an environmental assessment of a revised route for the Keystone XL crude pipeline that concluded it would not harm water or wildlife, clearing a hurdle for the project that has been pending for a decade. "Prompt cleanup response would likely be capable of remediating the contaminated soils before the hazardous release reaches groundwater depth," the review said. Last month a federal judge in Montana had ordered the State Department to conduct the review of a revised route of the project to take into account new information relevant to a permit it issued for the pipeline last year.

FCC chairman ramps up defense of net neutrality repeal

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has this month also criticized California's legislature for approving a state measure to guarantee open internet access and said "bad behavior" on the part of internet service providers (ISPs) could be prevented by the FCC's new transparency requirements. The FCC voted 3-2 in December to reverse the Obama era rules that barred internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritization. FCC repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules was a win for ISPs Comcast Corp, AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc, whose practices faced significant government oversight.

United Airlines pilots resist contract changes over regional routes

President of the U.S. No. 3 carrier, Scott Kirby, has called for changes to the so-called "scope clause" which sets guidelines on the size of planes that can be operated by regional feeder carriers, among other things. A scope clause restricts planes heavier than 86,000 pounds (39,000 kg) with more than 76 seats from regional routes, where pilots are generally paid less than their mainline counterparts. "We are holding the line," said Todd Insler, chairman of the unit of the Air Line Pilots Association that represents United pilots.

PayPal ends business dealings with Alex Jones's Infowars

The move makes PayPal the latest tech company to take action against Jones, a deeply controversial right-wing radio talk-show host who has suggested that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, among other sensational claims. "We've made a decision to end our relationship with Infowars websites, including PrisonPlanet," a PayPal spokesman said.

Three infants, two adults stabbed at New York City daycare center

A female worker stabbed three babies, two of whom are less than a month old, at a home-based daycare center in New York City on Friday before slashing her own wrists and being taken into custody, police said. The unidentified woman, age 52, who also stabbed two adults in the predawn incident in the borough of Queens, was in stable condition, Juanita Holmes, assistant chief of patrol for the New York City Police Department, said at a news conference. The woman also stabbed a 31-year-old man, believed to be the father of one of the children, and a woman at the overnight nursery in Flushing, known as Mei Xin Care.

More flooding feared for South Carolina, a week after Florence

Residents of Georgetown County, South Carolina, where five rivers flow into the ocean, were preparing on Friday for a deluge of water in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which has killed at least 40 people. The county of 60,000 people, on the Atlantic coast between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, is one of several areas in the Carolinas waiting anxiously for rivers to crest, a week after Florence dumped some three feet of rain on the region. "Please heed the warnings," Sheriff Lane Cribb said.

Texan running 3-D printed guns company ordered to leave Taiwan

AUSTIN, Texas/TAIPEI (Reuters) - A Texan running a 3-D printed guns company who flew to Taiwan as police investigated an accusation he had sex with an underage girl was detained in Taipei on Friday and ordered to leave the island after his U.S. passport was annulled, officials said. Cody Wilson, 30, was taken to immigration authorities in the capital by officers from Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau, according to officials. Zhang said Wilson was being held by the agency and that its officials were in talks with U.S. representatives in Taiwan concerning his repatriation.

Trump questions Kavanaugh's accuser, says opponents want to 'destroy' nominee

After days of restrained comments on the allegations by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, Trump took to Twitter to question her account of what happened between her and Kavanaugh at a party in 1982 when they were in high school. The tweets came as a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate committee struggled on how to proceed with Kavanaugh's nomination. Democrats have demanded more time for scrutiny and Republicans want to move ahead quickly with a confirmation vote in an increasingly volatile political climate ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections.

U.S. agency accuses Walmart of pregnancy discrimination in lawsuit

The EEOC, which enforces federal laws banning discrimination in the workplace, said Walmart's distribution center in Menomonie, Wisconsin, has discriminated against pregnant employees since 2014. Federal law requires employers to accommodate workers' pregnancies in the same way as physical disabilities. Arkansas-based Walmart is the largest retailer and private employer in the United States.

Cruz to take on Senate challenger O'Rourke in Texas-sized debate

Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Beto O’Rourke will come face-to-face with the man he has been chasing for months, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, at a debate on Friday in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. O’Rourke’s candidacy has drawn large crowds in Texas and a following among progressives nationally. While he remains an underdog against Cruz in the traditionally conservative state, some recent polls have indicated the contest is tightening.

Trump says Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh is 'under assault'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was "under assault" by radical leftist politicians, appearing to grow impatient with the delay of his appointee's confirmation proceedings. "Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay," Trump said in a Twitter post. A vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation was delayed after a California professor accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago while both were in high school.

At Las Vegas rally, Trump backs Kavanaugh, treads carefully around accusations

U.S. President Donald Trump gave a full-throated endorsement to his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday and tip-toed carefully around the sexual assault accusations that are facing him. At a rally in Las Vegas, Trump appeared with Republican U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada and offered strong support for him in his tough re-election battle against Democrat Jackie Rosen in November congressional elections.

Democrats' enthusiasm to blunt Trump soars for congressional election: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Carol Donovan became convinced 2018 could be a good year for Democrats in Dallas County, Texas, when so many enthusiasts jammed into the party's annual fish fry fundraiser last October that they ran out of catfish. What the county Democratic chair Donovan saw at the event is backed up by a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, which found enthusiasm among Democrats is soaring ahead of elections on Nov. 6 that will determine whether Republicans maintain control over the U.S. Congress. Across almost all demographic groups, more Democrats say they are certain to vote compared to poll results in 2014, the last non-presidential election year.

A year after deadly Maria, U.S. housing funds on way to Puerto Rico

A year after Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico with 150 mile-per-hour (241 kph) winds, government officials on Thursday announced that about $1.5 billion in federal funds aimed primarily at rebuilding housing will start flowing to the island. “One year (after the event) is quite good for what we generally do," U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson said. HUD allocated the funds in February.

Kavanaugh's accuser ready to testify under certain conditions: New York Times

A lawyer for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, professor Christine Blasey Ford, told a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday that Ford would be prepared to testify next week if the terms are fair and her safety is ensured, the New York Times reported on Thursday. In an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee, attorney Debra Katz said, however, that it was "not possible" for Ford to testify on Monday, as the committee had hoped, the Times said.

Maryland woman kills three people and herself in warehouse gun rampage

The shooting unfolded shortly after the suspect, a temporary employee there, reported for work around 9 a.m. EDT at the warehouse in Perryman, Maryland, about 34 miles (55 km) northeast of Baltimore, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a news conference. The sheriff's office identified the assailant in a tweet as Snochia Moseley from Baltimore County. The sheriff said investigators have not yet determined a motive, but a law enforcement source told Reuters the shooting was believed to have been sparked by a work-related grievance.

Accuser of Trump's court nominee sets conditions for testifying

A lawyer for the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nominee, of sexual assault told a Senate panel on Thursday the professor will not testify on Monday as Republicans want but would be willing to appear sometime next week if certain terms are met. Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, has been given a Friday deadline by the Republican-led Judiciary Committee to decide whether to testify at a high-stakes hearing it has scheduled for Monday. If Ford agrees to appear, it would set the stage for a potentially explosive hearing just weeks before congressional elections that will decide the balance of power in Congress, against a backdrop of the #MeToo movement fighting sexual harassment and assault.

American Airlines joins rivals in hiking U.S. baggage fees by five dollars

American Airlines Group Inc said on Thursday it would raise domestic U.S. baggage fees by $5, joining major rivals in the price hike amid higher fuel costs. The largest U.S. airline said it would hike the price of a first checked bag by $5 to $30 and the second bag to $40 in the first price increase since 2010. Other U.S. airlines, including Delta Airlines Inc, United Continental Holdings Inc and JetBlue Airways Inc, have also announced price hikes recently.

Judge bars parade of Cosby accusers at sentencing hearing

A Pennsylvania judge on Thursday denied a request by prosecutors to allow additional women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct to tell their stories at his sentencing hearing on a sexual assault conviction. Cosby, 81, is due in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Monday to be sentenced by Judge Steven O'Neill in the drugging and sexual assault of his one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, in 2004.

Trump releases first two names of U.S. war dead handed over by North Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump released the names on Thursday of two Army soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War whose remains were handed over by North Korea this year in a goodwill gesture. Trump said the first remains identified by the U.S. military belonged to Army Master Sergeant Charles H. McDaniel, 32, of Vernon, Indiana, and Army Private First Class William H. Jones, 19, of Nash County, North Carolina. "These HEROES are home, they may Rest In Peace, and hopefully their families can have closure," Trump said in his Twitter post.

New York lawsuit targets student loan debt relief fraud

New York's attorney general on Thursday sued 10 companies and two executives over their alleged roles in a scam to induce thousands of struggling borrowers into buying student loan debt relief services that they could have received for free. Barbara Underwood, the attorney general, said defendants typically charged more than $1,000 for their services, which often came with usurious interest rates, after luring borrowers with false claims such as being affiliated with the government, or that their help was needed. "It strikes me that the lawsuit has merit," Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Savingforcollege.com, said in an interview.

Trump chips away at liberal U.S. appeals court majorities

Although there are no guarantees a judge will rule the way a president might like, the number of Republican and Democratic appointees is generally an indicator of an appeals court's conservative-liberal balance. With the Republican-led Senate rapidly considering and confirming many of his judicial nominees, Trump already has appointed 26 appeals court judges. Trump's Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, appointed 55 in eight years as president.

Hurricane raises questions about rebuilding along North Carolina's coast

The privately owned Rodanthe pier has already undergone half a million dollars in renovation in seven years and the owners started a new round of repairs this week. “The maintenance and upkeep on a wooden fishing pier is tremendous,” said co-owner Terry Plumblee. “We get the brunt of the rough water here." Scientists have warned such rebuilding efforts are futile as sea levels rise and storms chew away the coast line but protests from developers and the tourism industry have led North Carolina to pass laws that disregard the predictions.

Flooding expected to worsen in Carolinas in Florence's aftermath

Flooding from rain-swollen rivers was expected to worsen across the Carolinas on Thursday and the next couple of days in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which killed 36 people in three states, forecasters said. Twenty flood gauges showed some level of flooding in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, where some major waterways, well above their flood stages, were expected to rise through the weekend before they crest, the National Weather Service said. "People in flood prone areas or near waterways need to remain alert as rivers crest and stay above their banks in coming days," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said in a written statement.

Trump urges Republicans to 'get tough' on border wall spending

The Senate passed a massive spending package that included a provision to fund the federal government through Dec. 7.

Creator of 3-D printed guns flies to Taiwan amid U.S. sex assault accusation

Cody Wilson, 30, was placed under investigation after a counsellor on Aug. 22 told police that a 16-year-old girl had said she was paid $500 to have sex with Wilson at an Austin hotel, Austin Police Commander Troy Officer said at a news conference. Police later interviewed the girl and on Wednesday obtained a warrant for Wilson's arrest, but by then he had caught a flight to Taiwan, Officer said. "We know Mr. Wilson frequently travels for business.

NBA- Mavs' Cuban to donate $10 million after probe into workplace harassment

The investigation followed a Sports Illustrated report in February that described a culture in the Mavericks' front office "rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behavior". The findings of an independent investigation, carried out on behalf of the Mavericks by external law firms and overseen by the NBA, were published on Wednesday. The NBA issued a statement summarizing the investigation's findings, which said that there was no wrongdoing on Cuban's part.

Trump defends Supreme Court nominee, accuser faces deadline

President Donald Trump on Wednesday stepped up his defense of his U.S. Supreme Court nominee, saying it was hard to imagine Brett Kavanaugh committed a sexual assault and that it would be unfortunate if his accuser did not testify before the Senate. With Trump's effort to cement conservative control of the nation's highest court on a knife's edge, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley set a Friday morning deadline for Christine Blasey Ford to decide if she will talk to lawmakers. Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, has said Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, sexually assaulted her in 1982 when both were high school students in Maryland.

U.S. judge dismisses GM ignition switch criminal case

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan approved a request filed Monday by federal prosecutors to dismiss the two-count criminal information. In 2015, GM entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York after the Detroit automaker was charged with concealing information from government officials, and wire fraud. GM agreed to pay a $900 million fine and accept three years of oversight by an independent monitor.

Sessions limits U.S. judges' ability to dismiss deportation cases

Unlike the federal judiciary system, U.S. immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice and the attorney general can rewrite opinions issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals. Sessions, a Republican former U.S. senator appointed by President Donald Trump, has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors. Judges “have no inherent authority to terminate removal proceedings even though a particular case may pose sympathetic circumstances,” he said.

'Calm before storm,' Trump warns South Carolina after Florence deluge

"Over the next couple of days, it's going to get rough in South Carolina... Whatever you need from Washington, we are there," Trump told an official briefing in Conway, South Carolina. "Now it looks nice, but it's really the calm before the storm," he said referring to water draining into rising rivers after Florence's epic deluge over the weekend. Trump visited a neighborhood in Conway where residents were loading moving vans in anticipation of more flooding.