Hawaii lava boat injured ‘had to grin and bear it’: passenger
When “lava bombs” crashed into a tour boat in Hawaii this week, causing third-degree burns and a broken femur in the chaos, passengers used what little they had to help the injured during an agonizing 1-3/4-hour trip back to port, according to a former…
Judge orders extension of aid for Puerto Rico storm evacuees
A U.S. judge on Thursday ordered another extension of a temporary assistance program for hundreds of Puerto Rico families who fled the hurricane-ravaged island in 2017 and are living in hotels across the United States.
Asbestos from Manhattan steam pipe blast forces evacuations
Residents and workers from 49 buildings near the site of an early-morning steam pipe explosion in Manhattan were evacuated, many for at least two days, on Thursday after lung-damaging asbestos was found on debris from the blast, officials said.
Four men indicted in murder of Florida rapper XXXTentacion
A grand jury has indicted four men in the June murder of up-and-coming rapper XXXTentacion in Florida, officials said on Thursday.
U.S. judge sets plea change for Algerian who recruited ‘Jihad Jane’
An Algerian man accused of recruiting an American woman known as “Jihad Jane” in 2009 and who originally pleaded not guilty to a U.S. charge of supporting terrorism, is expected to change his plea to guilty, a court filing showed on Thursday.
U.S. consumer watchdog slashes fine in payday lender settlement
The U.S. consumer finance watchdog ordered an Alabama-based payday lender on Thursday to return $500,000 to borrowers who were overcharged, a fine that people familiar with the matter said was only a third of what the prior Obama-era head of the agency…
U.S. lets Somali immigrants stay 18 more months
The Trump administration said on Thursday it would allow some 500 Somalis to remain in the United States for at least another 18 months under protected status given violence in their home county.
EPA’S watchdog urges better water oversight after Flint, Mich., crisis
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was slow and ineffective in its response to the 2014 water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and needs to improve its communications with state and local regulators when citizen complaints arise, its internal watchdog …
VA whistleblowers faced greater risk of retaliation by officials: watchdog
Whistleblowers who reported wrongdoing at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs between 2010 and 2014 faced greater risk of disciplinary action than other employees, according to a study released on Thursday by a congressional watchdog.
More firefighters join battle against Yosemite blaze
Reinforcements arrived on Thursday to engage a dangerous wildfire burning in steep, difficult terrain at the edge of Yosemite National Park in California that has already killed one firefighter and injured two others, fire officials said.
