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.
U.S. agency enters $1.5 million judgment on payday lender but slashes return of funds
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…
A tenth of U.S. veteran coal miners have black lung disease: NIOSH
More than 10 percent of America’s coal miners with 25 or more years of experience have black lung disease, the highest rate recorded in roughly two decades, according to a government study released on Thursday that showed cases concentrated heavily in central Appalachia.
Asbestos from New York 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.
Operation Troop Aid charity shuts down after probe by U.S. states
A Tennessee charity created to send care packages to military personnel deployed overseas, and featured by media including NBC Nightly News and the Fox Business Network, has agreed to shut down to resolve a probe by 16 U.S. states into its fundraising….
