U.S. weekly jobless claims drop as labor market gains steam
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to a further tightening in labor market conditions.
Some U.S. states taking electoral maps out of politicians’ hands
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court is due to rule by the end of June on the contentious practice called partisan gerrymandering in which state legislators draw electoral maps designed to entrench their own party in power, but states in growi…
Hundreds of residents ordered to evacuate as Colorado wildfire rages
(Reuters) – Hundreds of residents in a small town in southwest Colorado were ordered to evacuate on Thursday morning as hot, dry and windy conditions stoked a nearby wildfire that has gone largely unchecked for days.
Honolulu lawmakers pass ‘surge pricing’ cap for ride-hailing companies
(Reuters) – Honolulu could become the first U.S. city to limit fares ride-hailing companies can charge when demand spikes, following a city council vote on Wednesday, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper reported.
White House contractor was wanted on attempted murder warrant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A man wanted on a warrant for attempted murder was able to gain White House clearance as a contractor because key information identifying him had been omitted from a national database used in background checks, the U.S. Secret Se…
U.S. plans to release American captured in Syria in September
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government said on Wednesday it would release in Syria an American citizen detained on suspicion of being an Islamic State member, a move the American Civil Liberties Union compared to dumping him on the road in a war zo…
Volcanic lava buries two housing tracts on Hawaii’s Big Island
PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – An ever-creeping wall of lava from Kilauea Volcano has engulfed two entire seaside housing tracts at the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island, government scientists reported on Wednesday, an area where civil defense officials sa…
Taiwanese student hit with federal charges in U.S. school threat
(Reuters) – A Taiwanese exchange student who already pleaded guilty in state court to making shooting threats against the Catholic high school he was attending in Pennsylvania has now been hit with federal firearms charges, U.S. prosecutors said on Wed…
Designer Kate Spade suffered depression for years, husband says
(Reuters) – The husband of fashion designer Kate Spade on Wednesday broke his silence on her death, saying she suffered from depression for years and that the couple had been living separately for 10 months.
House Republicans work to craft Dreamer immigration deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Wednesday worked to come up with legislation protecting “Dreamer” immigrants from deportation while meeting President Donald Trump’s demands for tougher border security and possibly ne…




