Obama lashes out at Republican efforts to restrict voting
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Closing out a week of commemorating progress from the Civil Rights Movement, President Barack Obama on Friday sharply criticized Republicans for leading efforts in some parts of the country to prevent citizens from voting.
U.S. government contractor jailed in Cuba ends hunger strike
MIAMI (Reuters) – A U.S. contractor imprisoned in Cuba ended a hunger strike on Friday after eight days of protesting his treatment by the Cuban and U.S. governments while serving a 15-year term for illegally attempting to establish Internet service on…
Arkansas to appeal ruling on abortion restriction law
TEXARKANA, Arkansas (Reuters) – Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said on Friday he would appeal a federal judge’s decision striking down a state law that bans most abortions starting at 12 weeks of pregnancy, one of the most stringent such sta…
Senate energy leaders call for reports into U.S. crude export ban
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate energy committee leaders on Friday asked the Department of Energy to prepare reports examining issues relating to the country’s ban on exporting crude amid record oil and gas production.
Reporters who broke Snowden story return to U.S. for first time
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, the U.S. journalists who reported on spy agency analyst Edward Snowden’s leaks exposing mass government surveillance, returned to the United States on Friday for the first time since revealing the…
Florida bill would allow guns with no permit in natural disasters
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) – In a crisis situation or evacuation for natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires, people with no criminal record would be allowed to carry a firearm without a permit, under a bill approved Friday by the Florid…
Moderate Republican to retire after primary challenge emerges
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Longtime Republican congressman Thomas Petri of Wisconsin will not seek re-election in November, announcing his decision just a week after a conservative state legislator revealed plans to mount a primary challenge for his seat.
Iranian official will not get visa for U.N. ambassadorship: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Friday it would not grant a visa to Iran’s proposed U.N. ambassador, citing the envoy’s links to the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, in a rare step that raises questions about how much influence the White Hous…
Colorado legalized marijuana tax revs ahead of expectations: Moody’s
(Reuters) – Colorado, the first state to tax legalized recreational marijuana sales, expects to bring in an estimated $98 million in revenue this year, exceeding the state’s original expectations by 40 percent.
Deputy Secretary of State Burns to retire in October
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, who led secret talks with Iran that led to an agreement to curb its nuclear program and who served as the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East as well as ambassador to Russia, will reti…
