U.S. bullet train proposals shun public funds, favor private cash
(Reuters) – It took years of lawsuits and political battles for California to finally break ground last year on the nation’s first bullet train, which aims to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2029.
Fire crews battle blaze at Houston hazardous materials warehouse
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Nearly 200 Houston firefighters were dispatched to fight a massive blaze on Thursday at a warehouse where hazardous materials are stored, fire officials said.
Striking union workers protest at Verizon shareholder meeting
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dozens of Verizon Communications Inc landline workers, on strike since mid-April after contract talks hit an impasse, marched on the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday.
Prince had painkiller Percocet in his system: reports
(Reuters) – Music superstar Prince’s autopsy found the painkiller Percocet in his system, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and KSTP-TV reported on Thursday, citing sources close to the investigation.
Michigan lawmakers push forward $500 million package for Detroit schools
(Reuters) – The Michigan House of Representatives approved on Thursday a $500 million spending package for Detroit’s cash-strapped schools, which could run out of money to pay employees at the end of June.
Florida Supreme Court weighs unconstitutional death sentences
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) – The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday weighed the fate of a death row inmate sentenced under a scheme the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional this year, in a case that could affect nearly 400 other state inmates a…
Watchdog finds much larger Catholic influence on U.S. hospitals
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A growing number of U.S. hospitals are now owned or affiliated with Catholic health institutions that restrict procedures such as sterilizations or abortion, according to patients’ rights watchdog MergerWatch.
North Carolina transgender law violates civil rights law: U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal authorities told North Carolina’s governor on Wednesday that a new state law limiting restroom access for transgender people violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act.
Abortion provider Planned Parenthood sues Kansas over plan to cut funding
(Reuters) – Planned Parenthood, a U.S. women’s healthcare and abortion provider, has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Kansas over a plan to strip it of government healthcare funding, court records showed.
Obama sips Flint water, urges children be tested for lead
FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sipped filtered water in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday and assured angry residents that their children would be fine in the long term despite the “complete screw-up” that contaminated their drinking water…
