U.S. Justice Department orders investigation of frigid Brooklyn jail: media
The U.S. Department of Justice late on Wednesday ordered an investigation into a Brooklyn jail where inmates said they spent days in frigid, dark cells after a fire cut power and heat during a cold snap in New York City, media reports said.
California utility PG&E vows more power shutdowns to prevent wildfire
California utility PG&E Corp plans to increase the controversial practice of shutting off the power to communities at risk of wildfire when dangerous conditions such as high winds and dry heat are present.
Caravan migrants stalled at Texas border eye other routes
Some Central American migrants seeking entry into the United States but stalled near a Texas crossing said on Wednesday they are considering moving to another part of the border, where they may have a better chance of lodging a speedy asylum claim.
U.S. political activist linked to Russian agent charged with money laundering, fraud
A conservative U.S. political activist romantically linked to admitted Russian agent Maria Butina has been indicted by a federal grand jury on wire fraud and money laundering charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota said on Wednesday.
Top Virginia Democrats imperiled by blackface, sex assault scandals
The political crisis in Virginia deepened on Wednesday when the attorney general admitted to wearing blackface in the 1980s at a college party, becoming the state’s third high-ranking Democrat caught up in scandal.
U.S. court blocks execution of Muslim inmate who requested imam
A U.S. federal court blocked Thursday’s scheduled execution of a Muslim inmate in Alabama on grounds the state may be violating his religious rights by refusing to allow an imam to be present at his death.
New York fast-food workers’ payroll law survives free speech challenge
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a restaurant industry lawsuit challenging a New York City law requiring fast-food employers to send money that workers want deducted from their paychecks to nonprofits, including groups they might oppose.
Pennsylvania hospital patient tests negative for Ebola
An unidentified patient who was kept in isolation at a Philadelphia hospital while being tested for Ebola has been confirmed as not infected with the deadly virus, a hospital spokesman said on Wednesday.
‘El Chapo’ jury deliberations to stretch into fourth day
Jury deliberations in the U.S. trial of accused Mexican drug cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman were expected to stretch into a fourth day after jurors asked to review days’ worth of testimony from key prosecution witnesses.
Blackface, sex assault scandals shake top Virginia Democrats
Virginia’s attorney general on Wednesday admitted he wore blackface at a college party, becoming the state’s third high-ranking Democrat caught up in scandal since the release of a racist photo from Governor Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook.
