U.S. industry gears up to fight Obama’s climate rules
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. plan to curb carbon emissions from power plants is likely to come under attack this summer by industry opponents in a bid to stir voter anger ahead of elections in November, when voters in states such as Kentucky and West …
California killings renew call for police mental health training
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – California lawmakers urged swift action on Wednesday to better train law enforcement officials to recognize and deal with mental illness after last week’s bloody rampage in an idyllic college town near Santa Barbara.
Chicago aldermen propose hiking minimum wage to $15 an hour
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A group of Chicago aldermen on Wednesday introduced a proposal to boost the minimum wage in the nation’s third-largest city to $15 an hour, joining officials in other major U.S. cities who also are considering a hike.
Edward Snowden says he was trained ‘as a spy’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked details of massive U.S. intelligence-gathering programs, said in a U.S. TV interview he “was trained as a spy” and had worked undercover overseas for U.S. government ag…
Obama calls report on veteran care delays ‘extremely troubling’: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama found a report confirming a coverup of long wait times at veterans’ care facilities “extremely troubling,” the White House said on Wednesday, noting the Veterans Affairs department must take immediate steps…
Waves of immigrant minors present crisis for Obama, Congress
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of children unaccompanied by parents or relatives are flooding across the southern U.S. border illegally, forcing the Obama administration and Congress to grapple with both a humanitarian crisis and a budget dil…
U.S. Chamber of Commerce chief defends visit to Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce defended his visit to Cuba on Wednesday after coming under fire from critics in the U.S. Congress who contend the trip is a publicity coup for the communist government.
Fischer sworn in as member of U.S. Federal Reserve’s board
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer was sworn in as a member of the Federal Reserve’s board on Wednesday, buttressing the U.S. central bank’s depleted policymaking ranks as officials map out plans to exit from their ex…
Obama says U.S. to boost support to Syrian opposition groups
WEST POINT N.Y. (Reuters) – In a major foreign policy address on Wednesday, President Barack Obama said he will work with Congress to ramp up U.S. support for Syrian opposition groups that are the best alternative to President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. Labor Dept delays unveiling of new fiduciary plan to 2015
(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Labor will, once again, delay plans to unveil a revised proposal for a rule aimed at beefing up standards of conduct for brokers who advise on retirement plans and individual retirement accounts, according to its agen…