Lafayette

U.S. state, local tax revenue up 5.8 percent in first quarter: Census

U.S. state and local government tax revenue climbed to $350.2 billion in the first quarter of 2018, a rise of 5.8 percent compared with the same time period in 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on Tuesday. The data measures the four largest tax categories: property, sales, individual income and corporate income taxes. Individual income tax collections had big gains for a second-straight quarter with a 12.8 percent increase to $107.4 billion in 2018's first quarter.

Drumbeat of opposition to family separation grows; Trump not budging

By Sarah N. Lynch and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats staged an impromptu congressional protest and moderate Republicans and key U.S. business groups pressed President Donald Trump on Tuesday to stop separating immigrant children from their parents as an opinion poll showed most Americans oppose the policy. The family separations and detentions of children at the southern U.S. border, highlighted by the videos of youngsters in cages and an audiotape of wailing children, have sparked an outcry at home and strong condemnation abroad. Trump, who has made a tough stance on immigration a centerpiece of his presidency, has staunchly defended his administration's actions.

Ford to redevelop symbol of Detroit decline to house tech workers

Ford Motor Co executives on Tuesday said the automaker will renovate and revamp Michigan Central Station, Detroit's infamous blighted landmark, turning it into offices for up to 5,000 tech workers and software engineers focused on self-driving vehicles and ancillary technologies and services. Speaking to a large crowd outside the grand, yet dilapidated 18-story Michigan Central Station, Ford family scion and the automaker's executive chairman, Bill Ford, recalled how the railway station, opened in 1914, brought countless thousands of immigrants to Detroit during its heyday, before closing in 1988 and falling into disrepair. "This became a place where hope left, it became a symbol of the city's hard times" Ford told a crowd gathered in front of the looming structure.

Pizza Hut pledges to drop some chicken antibiotics by 2022

Yum Brand Inc's Pizza Hut chain will fully phase out chickens raised with certain antibiotics in its U.S. restaurants by 2022, in the latest push by a major restaurant chain to follow healthier food practices. The restaurant had said in 2016 it planned to remove antibiotics important to human medicine from chicken for its pizzas by the end of March 2017. The move announced on Tuesday will include all antibiotics considered important to human medicine in all its chicken products, including its WingStreet wings.

Washington, D.C. residents to vote on plan to hike wage for tipped workers

Washington, D.C. residents on Tuesday are voting on a proposal that would more than quadruple the minimum wage for tipped workers, including servers, bartenders and hairstylists, to $15 an hour, matching that of other workers in the U.S. capital. Voters in the District of Columbia last year approved a measure to lift the minimum wage to $15 per hour beginning in 2020, up from $12.50 currently - higher than the current minimum wage in any U.S. state. Last year's measure raised tipped workers' minimum pay to $5 from its current $3.33, though employers in the city are already legally required to pay the current $12.50 hourly wage to workers who do not receive enough in tips to reach that rate.

Bucks' Sterling Brown files suit against Milwaukee, police department

Sterling Brown filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee and its police department, stemming from an incident in which a stun gun was used during an arrest for a parking violation in January. Brown, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, is the son of a Chicago police officer. Milwaukee police chief Alonso Morales issued an apology on behalf of the officers he said acted "inappropriately." Mark Thomsen, Brown's attorney, filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging excessive force and unlawful arrest.

High heat, chance of flash floods lingers for parts of U.S.

(Reuters) - Hot, humid weather on Tuesday is expected to bring thunderstorms and a risk of flash floods from Texas to the southeastern United States, after damaging overnight storms in the Northeast region of the country, the National Weather Service said. The biggest flooding threat will be in southern and southeastern Texas, which could see several more inches of rain after getting drenched overnight, the NWS said. Much of the northern part of the central and eastern United States had record-setting temperatures on Monday followed by strong overnight thunderstorms that downed some trees and caused flooding.

Trump administration puts skimpy health insurance plans in place

Health providers, insurers and medical groups have warned that the plans could drive up premiums and make insurance unaffordable for some people by siphoning off healthy consumers who want cheaper coverage, leaving behind a sicker patient pool with higher medical costs in Obamacare plans. The finalized rule is the Trump administration’s most recent effort to provide consumers with alternatives to Obamacare, former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.

California deals with dementia among aging inmates

By Sharon Bernstein STOCKTON, Calif. (Reuters) - California prison inmate Richard Arriola does not remember the digestion problems that drove him to the doctor on a recent morning, or details of the conviction for child molestation that sent him to prison at age 88. Arriola is one of about 18,400 inmates over the age of 55 in California prisons, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It is a swelling population that has led authorities to take the first steps toward creating a dementia unit at the state's main prison medical facility in the San Joaquin Valley city of Stockton, Reuters has learned.

Inside the prison hospice where no inmate dies alone

One of Fernando Murillo's greatest fears is dying in prison. The 38-year-old former gang member, serving a sentence of 41 years to life for second-degree murder when he was 16, says it is that fear which helps him empathize with the terminally ill inmates he looks after at a California prison hospice. Murillo's work in the 17-bed hospice unit at the medium-security California Medical Facility in Vacaville, about 55 miles (88.51 km) northeast of San Francisco, includes helping dying prisoners take a shower or go to the bathroom.

Nick Hague dreamed of the stars as a boy, now he's heading to space

As a boy growing up in Kansas, Nick Hague looked up at the stars and wanted to explore the unknown. In October, his dream will come true when he blasts off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. An engineer and colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Hague was one of eight selected in 2013 for NASA's astronaut candidate training program.

White House defends immigration policy as outrage grows over children

By Lisa Lambert and Makini Brice WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration defended its hardline immigration policy at the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday as furor grew over the separation of immigrant parents and children, including video of youngsters sitting in concrete-floored cages. Democrats blasted such treatment as "barbaric," while a few of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans also voiced concern as the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives moved toward voting later this week on two pieces of immigration-related legislation. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a Trump appointee, told reporters at a White House briefing that the administration was only strictly enforcing the law.

Honduras, El Salvador decry U.S. border separations impact on kids

By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Honduras called on Monday for the United States to stop separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S. border, while El Salvador warned that the policy puts children's health at risk and could cause psychosocial scars. El Salvador's foreign ministry said in a statement that the Trump administration's hardline policy of separating immigrant parents and children violated human rights and "strongly urged" for an end to the practice. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to an increase in immigration from Central America with a "zero tolerance" migration policy that provides for the arrest of all adults caught trying to enter the United States illegally, including those seeking asylum.

Kansas judge strikes down voter ID law

It was one of numerous voter ID laws passed by Republican-led state legislatures in recent years. Supporters of the law included Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the United States' most prominent voter fraud crusaders and an adviser to President Donald Trump on the issue.

U.S. charges ex-CIA employee with leaking classified data, child porn offenses

U.S. federal prosecutors on Monday charged a former CIA employee with leaking classified national defense information to an unnamed organization that publicly disseminates such data, as well as with child pornography offenses. Joshua Schulte, a New York City resident, was charged in a 13-count superseding indictment connected to alleged theft of classified information from the CIA, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement with U.S. Justice Department and FBI officials. The charges, which carry combined maximum prison sentences of 130 years, also include criminal copyright infringement, the statement said.

Trump orders creation of space-focused U.S. military branch

By Makini Brice and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was ordering the creation of a sixth branch of the military to focus on space, a move critics said could harm the Air Force. "We are going to have the Air Force and we're going to have the 'Space Force.' Separate but equal. The idea of a Space Force has been raised before, by Trump and previous administrations, with proponents saying it would make the Pentagon more efficient.

Judge cancels hearing in Stormy Daniels case against Trump, Cohen

According to an order issued on Monday, U.S. District Judge James Otero decided it was unnecessary to hear arguments on the request by Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti to lift a 90-day stay imposed on April 28. In imposing the stay, the judge cited the potential overlap between Daniels' lawsuit and a separate criminal probe by federal prosecutors in Manhattan that he said could result in Cohen's indictment.

Woman trapped after building collapse in New York's Hudson Valley

At least one woman was trapped in rubble in Poughkeepsie, New York after a vacant seven-story building partially collapsed onto smaller buildings on Monday, according to the city's police department and local media reports. The trapped woman, who was not identified, was conscious and talking to firefighters, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported, citing Mayor Rob Rolison. The partial collapse appeared to have crushed parts of a neighboring building's rear, smothering it and at least two nearby parked vehicles with rubble, according to photographs posted online by the Connecticut Fire Photographers Association, which had a member at the scene.

Wendy's under fire after employee films mouse amid buns

A Wendy's restaurant in Oklahoma is under fire after an employee video showing a mouse inside a bag of hamburger buns was widely shared online. The Facebook video was filmed at a Wendy's restaurant in Catoosa, Oklahoma, the employee, Sky Frame, said in a post. "Not only does Wendy's now have mice - we have crew members who leave cigarettes all over the place.

Bid-rigging trial begins for ex-State University of New York official

The former president of the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute went to trial on Monday on charges that he helped rig a 2013 bidding process for a billion-dollar development project intended to revitalize the Buffalo, New York, region. Alain Kaloyeros has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors have said he helped fix bids for "Buffalo Billion," an economic development project to invest $1 billion in Buffalo, the state's second largest city.

Heat wave wilts much of U.S. Midwest, Northeast

By Suzannah Gonzales CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago and St. Louis sweltered on Monday at the center of a heat wave that stretched across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast, although relief could come as soon as Monday evening in some areas. After a hot weekend, the temperature reached 91 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) in Chicago and 92F in St. Louis by early afternoon, the National Weather Service said, with both cities opening air-conditioned cooling centers to the public. The heat index, which factors in humidity, hit 100F in St. Louis.

Prosecution urges murder conviction of former New England mob boss

A federal prosecutor on Monday urged jurors to find a former New England mob boss guilty of murdering a nightclub manager in 1993, citing the eyewitness testimony of the ex-partner of convicted Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ferland asked the federal jury in Boston to credit the testimony of Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, who said he saw the son of Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme strangle Steven DiSarro as the elder Salemme watched. Ferland said Flemmi told authorities about DiSarro's slaying when he cut a deal to plead guilty to 10 murders and become a cooperating witness in 2003, long before DiSarro's remains were found in Rhode Island in 2016.

Supreme Court sidesteps major rulings on electoral map manipulation

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to election reformers by declining to use high-profile cases from Wisconsin and Maryland to curb the ability of state lawmakers to draw electoral districts purely for partisan advantage. Sidestepping major rulings, the nine justices decided both cases on narrow legal grounds and put off perhaps until their next term, which begins in October, a more definitive ruling on whether courts can step in to limit the contentious practice known as partisan gerrymandering. In the Wisconsin case, the court ruled 9-0 in favor of Republican legislators who drew state electoral districts that helped entrench their party in power, throwing out a lower court ruling that the map had deprived Democratic voters of their constitutional rights including equal protection under the law.

Embattled Rosenstein wins case at U.S. Supreme Court

Rod Rosenstein, the No. 2 U.S. Justice Department official who has come under criticism from President Donald Trump, picked up a legal victory for Trump's administration at the Supreme Court on Monday in the first case he ever argued there. In a 5-3 ruling in favor of the administration, the high court rejected convicted drug dealer Adaucto Chavez-Meza's bid to reduce his sentence by six months. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein's 30-minute oral argument in April was a break from his regular job, which includes overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 U.S. election.

Trump administration seeks to limit court's 'sanctuary cities' order

By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration, escalating its fight with so-called sanctuary cities, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to narrow a lower court's nationwide order preventing the federal government from denying public safety grants to municipalities that limit cooperation on immigration enforcement. The Justice Department asked the high court to make the injunction issued by a federal judge in Chicago cover only that city and not the entire country. Republican President Donald Trump's administration has gone on an offensive against Democratic-governed cities and states that protect illegal immigrants as part of his hard-line immigration policies.

Americans own nearly half world's guns in civilian hands: survey

Americans make up 4 percent of the world's population but owned about 46 percent of the estimated 857 million weapons in civilian hands at the end of 2017, a survey showed on Monday. The Small Arms Survey, an independent global research project based in Geneva, Switzerland, found that there were more than 1 billion firearms in the world, of which civilians owned 85 percent, while the rest were held by militaries or law enforcement agencies. The number of guns owned by civilians globally rose to 857 million in 2017 from 650 million in 2006, the survey said.

GM plans $175 million retooling of Michigan plant for Cadillac sedans

General Motors Co will invest $175 million to modernize and retool a plant in Lansing, Michigan, to build the next generation of luxury Cadillac sedans, the company said on Monday. Much of Cadillac's growth is expected to come from China, the luxury brand's largest market. "We expect global luxury sales will continue grow, with Cadillac's global volume and profit expected to double by 2021, and our investments in the U.S. will be a major driver," GM said in a statement.

Americans grapple with recognizing facts in news stories: Pew survey

By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - Only a quarter of U.S. adults in a recent survey could fully identify factual statements - as opposed to opinion - in news stories, the Pew Research Center found in a study released on Monday. The survey comes amid growing concerns about so-called fake news spread on the internet and social media. Facebook Inc , Alphabet Inc's Google and other tech companies have recently come under scrutiny for failing to promptly tackle the problem of fake news as more Americans consume news on social media platforms.

Too frail for death row? Texas inmate seeks execution reprieve

After two recent botched U.S. executions of inmates with compromised veins, a convicted murderer and rapist is arguing he is too ill to be put to death by lethal injection in Texas later this month. Lawyers for Danny Bible, a 66-year-old inmate set to be executed on June 27, said in a federal court filing in June that his health and vein access were worse than inmates in Alabama and Ohio whose executions were called off after IV placements failed. The cases have capital punishment critics questioning whether justice is served by executing a person convicted of horrific crimes but who is now too weak or sick to be considered a threat.

Democrats, activists rally against Trump's family separation policy

By Joseph Ax ELIZABETH, N.J. (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers joined protesters outside immigration detention facilities in New Jersey and Texas on Sunday for Father's Day demonstrations against the Trump administration's practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. "This must not be who we are as a nation," said Representative Jerrold Nadler, one of seven members of Congress from New York and New Jersey who met with five detainees inside a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, including three who said they had young relatives removed from their care after seeking asylum at the border.

Gang shootout at New Jersey arts festival kills one, injures 22

One of the shooting victims was a 13-year-old boy who was in extremely critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told a news conference. Three others were in critical condition. At least two people opened fire around 2:45 a.m. at the annual Art All Night event in Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City.

Fields of dreams: Texas project seeks new corn strains for whiskey

By Jon Herskovitz COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Reuters) - A master distiller and a crop scientist who specializes in corn breeding are working on a project they hope one day will help bring local identities to American whiskeys. Seth Murray, a top corn breeder at Texas A&M University, and Rob Arnold, working on a doctorate at the school while making whiskey for a Fort Worth distiller, are trying to develop commercially viable strains of corn with identifiable flavors, in the same way as specific grapes define the taste of wine from California's Napa Valley or a Bordeaux produced in southwest France. If the project proves successful, it might not be until the middle of the next decade that it will produce a commercial whiskey.

Suspect dead after 20 hurt in shooting at New Jersey arts festival

(Reuters) - A suspected gunman was fatally shot after multiple people opened fire at an all-night arts festival in New Jersey, wounding 20 people including a boy who is in critical condition, authorities said on Sunday. Prosecutors said a 33-year-old man was killed and a second suspect arrested after gunfire erupted at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT) at the event in the city of Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City. ... Multiple weapons have been recovered," Angelo Onofri, prosecutor for Mercer County, told a news conference.

Flooding possible in U.S. Southwest where wildfires scorch earth

By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Heavy thunderstorms and widespread rains expected on Saturday in the U.S. Southwest could help douse the numerous unrelenting wildfires crews are battling in the parched region. "Water can rise quickly downstream of heavy rain, even when thunderstorms and heavy rain are miles away," the service said in an advisory. "When an area has burned, soil become hydrophobic, or water resistant, which causes water to rush over soil instead of soak in," The Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said in an advisory, noting that crews are in place to perform water rescues.