Oklahoma enacts new restrictions on abortions, Louisiana to follow
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Oklahoma, soon to be followed by Louisiana, has joined other socially conservative states in adopting laws that place new restrictions on abortions, measures that critics say are aimed at shutting abortion clinics.
California Assembly passes bill mandating porn film condoms
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – A bill requiring pornographic film actors to wear condoms during sex scenes easily passed the California State Assembly on Tuesday despite resistance from most of the adult film industry.
Consumer group sues USDA over drug-resistant salmonella in meat
(Reuters) – A consumer group on Wednesday accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of putting the public’s health at risk by allowing meat with antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella to be sold to consumers, according to a lawsuit filed against t…
Chicago aldermen propose hiking minimum wage to $15 an hour
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A group of Chicago aldermen on Wednesday introduced a proposal to boost the minimum wage in the nation’s third-largest city to $15 an hour, joining officials in other major U.S. cities who also are considering a hike.
Emergency declared in Colorado mudslide area, search halted
DENVER (Reuters) – The Colorado county where a three-mile-wide mudslide roared through the Grand Mesa National Forest declared an emergency on Wednesday, after dangerous conditions prompted authorities to suspend a search for three ranchers presumed de…
Moral Monday protesters arrested at North Carolina legislative offices
RALEIGH N.C. (Reuters) – Fourteen protesters were arrested on Wednesday morning after staging a 10-hour sit-in at the office of one of the leaders of North Carolina’s Republican majority.
Federal judge halts executions in Ohio to mid-August
(Reuters) – A U.S. federal judge has ordered a halt on executions in Ohio until the middle of August, giving attorneys for condemned inmates time to prepare legal challenges to the state’s plan to increase the dosages of drugs used when administering l…
Obama calls report on veteran care delays ‘extremely troubling’: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama found a report confirming a coverup of long wait times at veterans’ care facilities “extremely troubling,” the White House said on Wednesday, noting the Veterans Affairs department must take immediate steps…
Florida court overturns murder conviction of former FBI agent
MIAMI (Reuters) – A Florida appeals court on Wednesday overturned the 2008 murder conviction of John Connolly, a former FBI agent linked to mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger.
Police arrest 26 in raid on suspected Florida dog-fighting ring
ORLANDO Fla. (Reuters) – Police arrested 26 people and rescued 28 dogs on Tuesday night in a raid on what they believe to be a dog-fighting ring operating throughout central Florida.