FBI chief warns encryption emboldens would-be Islamic State attackers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Barring law enforcement authorities’ access to encrypted communications would make it easier for Islamic State sympathizers to attack the United States, FBI Chief James Comey told Senate lawmakers on Wednesday.
Oklahoma sets execution dates for inmates who lost Supreme Court case
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma court on Wednesday set execution dates for three inmates who lost a battle to have the U.S. Supreme Court put their capital punishment on hold because of problems they claimed with the state’s lethal injection mix….
U.S. judge rules Washington Redskins trademarks disparaging
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The National Football League’s Washington Redskins lost an emotionally charged battle on Wednesday when a U.S. federal judge refused to reinstate six trademark registrations canceled last year for being offensive to Native American…
Ex-Vanderbilt football players set for retrial on rape charges
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Two former Vanderbilt University football players will face a retrial later in 2015 on charges that they raped an unconscious female student two years ago, a judge said on Wednesday.
Big Yosemite rock fall alters climbing route on Half Dome
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A 2,400-ton chunk of granite broke loose last week from the towering Half Dome formation in Yosemite National Park, altering one of North America’s most popular rock-climbing routes, but no one was hurt and casual visitors will …
Prosecutor grills Colorado movie massacre trial defense expert
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) – The lead prosecutor in Colorado’s movie massacre trial attacked the testimony of the defense’s star witness on Wednesday, challenging her diagnosis that the gunman, James Holmes, suffers schizophrenia and could not tell ri…
United, NYSE technical troubles not caused by ‘nefarious’ actor: U.S. Homeland Security chief
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said technical problems reported on Wednesday by United Airlines and the New York Stock Exchange were apparently not related to “nefarious” activity.
Federal workers union sues U.S. agency over data breach
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said on Wednesday it has sued a federal government hiring agency over recent cyberattacks, alleging it violated constitutional privacy rights of NTEU members by failing to keep their p…
New York City creates bail alternative for low-risk defendants
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New Yorkers who are charged with low-level crimes but cannot afford bail could avoid jail time under an $18 million program being launched by the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday.
Tom Selleck accused of taking water for California ranch: report
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Tom Selleck has been accused by a California agency of unlawfully taking water from a public hydrant to supply his ranch, even as the state reels from a four-year drought, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
