Talks resume to avert San Francisco transit strike
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Talks to forestall a potentially crippling rail strike in the San Francisco area moved forward on Tuesday, even as management officials said they could not guarantee that there wouldn’t be a strike affecting about 400,000 dail…
Florida executes man with new lethal injection drug
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) – Florida prison officials on Tuesday carried out what they described as the first execution in the United States using the sedative midazolam hydrochloride in a lethal injection.
Deals struck to reopen Grand Canyon and other iconic U.S. sites
PHOENIX (Reuters) – Three of the most famous U.S. National Parks – the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty – will reopen in the coming days after state governors reached deals despite an ongoing government shutdown.
U.S. fiscal talks stumble as lawmakers race against time
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Efforts by lawmakers to stop a U.S. debt default were in disarray on Tuesday with just over a day before the government’s authority to borrow money lapses, risking the Treasury’s ability to pay bills and creditors.
Secret U.S. court says does not rubber stamp surveillance requests
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The secret U.S. court that reviews electronic surveillance and searches approves nearly every request it receives, but demands substantial changes to nearly one in four applications before giving the go-ahead, the court’s top jud…
Fatal California boardwalk car crash was accident, not rampage: lawyer
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A man accused of murder for plowing his car into crowds at a California beach boardwalk this summer, killing an Italian newlywed on her honeymoon, did not intend to harm anyone in what amounted to a “horrendous accident,” his pu…
Georgia clamps down on free cell phone calls for the poor
ATLANTA (Reuters) – Georgia on Tuesday became the first U.S. state that will begin charging low-income residents $5 per month for cell phone service now provided for free by federal taxpayers.
Obama: When you’re the president, everyone takes your calls
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The coolest thing about being the leader of the free world? Everyone will take your call, said President Barack Obama in a television interview on Tuesday.
Legality of Detroit bankruptcy contested in court
DETROIT (Reuters) – Lawyers representing Detroit unions, retirees and creditors tussled with city attorneys on Tuesday in bankruptcy court, seeking to derail the city’s claim of bankruptcy with an assertion that Michigan’s constitution protects retiree…
Oklahoma cattle auction keeps selling despite USDA shutdown
(Reuters) – One of the nation’s largest and oldest cattle auctions was not going let the shutdown of the U.S. government affect operations, so it now reports sales privately via the Internet to ensure its benchmark prices get out.
