Trump says U.S. Energy Secretary Perry to step down at end of the year
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will step down by the end of the year, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, a day before a deadline set by congressional Democrats for Perry to turn over documents in the impeachment probe.
Pentagon official won’t testify Friday to House impeachment probe
A top Pentagon official who oversees policy on Ukraine won’t testify on Friday before the congressional committees leading an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump but is expected to do so next week, two sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Trump says he has a lot of confidence in acting chief of staff Mulvaney
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he has a lot of confidence in his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, after Mulvaney told reporters that Ukraine’s investigation into the 2016 election was one of the reasons Washington had delayed aid to …
White House official denies Ukraine investigation into 2016 election was a condition for aid
Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, said on Thursday that the White House had never required Ukraine to investigate the 2016 U.S. election in exchange for military aid, reversing comments he made earlier that day.
U.S. ramps up testing in search of vaping illness cause as cases near 1,500
U.S. health officials on Thursday reported another 180 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses and announced plans to start testing aerosols produced by e-cigarettes and vaping products as they search for the source of the nationwide outbreak that has s…
New York city council votes to close infamous Rikers Island jails
The New York City Council voted on Thursday to close the city’s infamous Rikers Island jail complex by 2026, casting off a detention system plagued by chronic violence and decrepit facilities, as the nation rethinks mass incarceration.
California launches earthquake early warning system it calls best in world
California rolled out the nation’s first statewide earthquake warning system on Thursday, designed to detect seismic waves and alert residents through a mobile phone app even before the ground starts shaking.
Chicago teachers picket across the city on first day of strike
Chicago teachers went on strike on Thursday and set up picket lines outside many of the city’s 500 public schools, as union leaders and officials of the third-largest U.S. school district pushed ahead with negotiations over a new contract.
Cargill suspends shifts at Kansas beef facility after explosion
Cargill said on Thursday it had suspended some shifts at its Dodge City, Kansas, beef-packing plant after an explosion injured two employees.
Former Pimco chief to plead guilty in U.S. college scam case
Douglas Hodge, the former chief executive of the investment firm Pimco, has agreed to plead guilty to participating in what prosecutors say is the largest college admissions scam uncovered in the United States, according to a court filing on Thursday.
