Hastert defense attorney complains about leaks to judge
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A defense attorney for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert complained to a federal judge on Thursday about leaks to the media, which he said could interfere with his client’s right to a fair trial on money transaction charges.
South Carolina massacre suspect had apparent interest in white supremacy
(Reuters) – His uncle worried he was cooped up in his room too much. The few images of him found easily online suggest he had a fascination with white supremacy. And for his birthday this year, his father bought the young man a pistol, the uncle said.
Ancient ‘Kennewick Man’ skeleton was Native American: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The much-anticipated results of a study of DNA taken from the hand bone of the so-called Kennewick Man, a 8,500-year-old skeleton discovered in Washington state in 1996, suggest the man was most closely related to Native American po…
Husband of NY prison worker tied to escape ‘can’t stand by her’: lawyer
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The husband of a prison worker charged with helping two convicted killers escape from an upstate New York prison “can’t stand by her” and was “blown away” when she revealed a plot to murder him, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Authorities arrest 243 people in $712 million Medicare fraud
(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday that 243 people have been arrested across the country, charged with submitting fake billing for Medicare, a government healthcare program, that totaled $712 million.
Teen shark-bite victim released from hospital in North Carolina
(Reuters) – A 16-year-old who lost his left arm this week in one of two back-to-back shark attacks in North Carolina has been released from the hospital, officials said on Thursday.
U.S. top court upholds Texas refusal to issue Confederate license plate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Texas did not violate free speech rights when it rejected a proposed specialty vehicle license plate displaying the Confederate flag, to some an emblem of Southern pride and to others…
Detroit’s county seeks state help on fiscal woes, delays note sale
(Reuters) – Michigan’s Wayne County, home of Detroit, has asked the state for a fiscal emergency declaration to deal with a chronic budget deficit, spokesmen for the county and state confirmed on Thursday.
Texas to execute man for bludgeoning mechanic to death in robbery
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Texas is set on Thursday to execute Gregory Russeau, 45, who was convicted of killing a 75-year-old auto mechanic in a 2001 robbery and driving off from the crime scene in the victim’s car.
Experts point to likely wood rot in California balcony collapse
BERKELEY (Reuters) – Wood rot from exposure to excess moisture probably weakened the horizontal beams supporting an apartment balcony that collapsed in Berkeley, California, killing six people, several independent experts said a day after the tragedy.
