New York deal on horse-drawn carriages collapses in blow to mayor
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A plan to rein in New York City’s horse-drawn carriages, a long-time Central Park tourist attraction, has collapsed after the labor union that helped negotiate the deal withdrew its support, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday.
Texas prosecutor offers probation to anti-abortion activist behind video
HOUSTON (Reuters) – An anti-abortion activist indicted for using a fake driver’s license ID to aid secret filming inside Planned Parenthood facilities turned himself into authorities in Houston on Thursday and was offered a probation deal, prosecutors …
Pennsylvania governor to address budget amid bitter divide
(Reuters) – Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is expected to unveil his proposal for the state’s 2017 budget on Tuesday even though state lawmakers have yet to fully agree on the current spending plan that has languished half-baked as political acrimony h…
New York mayor to back $2.5 billion light rail in key speech
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will back in his annual keynote address on Wednesday a $2.5 billion plan to create a light rail service linking the growing outer boroughs of the city that are poorly served by existing public tra…
Exclusive: New U.S. bill being drafted to reform human trafficking rankings
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A leading U.S. lawmaker on human rights has begun drafting legislation to seek major reforms in how the State Department ranks countries on human trafficking, in response to concerns that the latest annual report was watered down…
Civil rights activist DeRay McKesson running for mayor of Baltimore
(Reuters) – U.S. civil rights activist DeRay McKesson, who was instrumental in the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement against police violence, is running for mayor of Baltimore.
Mayor, city manager of Texas ‘spinach capital’ arrested for corruption
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – The mayor and city manager of a south Texas town that bills itself as the “spinach capital of the world,” were arrested on Thursday on charges including strong-arming contractors into paying bribes in exchange for doing business…
U.S. eyes ways to toughen fight against domestic extremists
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is considering legal changes to combat what it sees as a rising threat from domestic anti-government extremists, senior officials told Reuters, even as it steps up efforts to stop Islamic State-inspire…
Senate panel approves Obama’s pick to lead forces in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate committee approved on Thursday President Barack Obama’s pick to lead U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.
U.S. energy bill close to stalling over fight on Flint aid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A wide-ranging U.S. energy bill, the country’s first major energy measure in more than eight years, was close to stalling in the Senate on Thursday as the chamber struggled to strike a deal to help Flint, Michigan cope with a dri…
