Friday, November 30, 2012

High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case

High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case

High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 04:52 PM PST

Everhart and Welker hold each other before exchanging wedding vows at a comic book retail shop in Manhattan, New York(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's nine justices met in private on Friday to consider whether to enter the legal fray over same-sex marriage but made no announcement about any decision they may have reached. The high court is considering whether to review five separate challenges to a federal law that prevents married same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage benefits such as Social Security survivor payments and tax exemptions. It is also considering whether to review California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, which voters narrowly approved in 2008. ...

Missouri couple wins half of $587 million Powerball lottery

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 04:54 PM PST

Hill family talks about winning record lottery ticket in Dearborn, MissouriDEARBORN, Missouri (Reuters) - A Missouri couple who won half of a record $587.5 million Powerball jackpot said on Friday they plan to stay put in their rural community, but know their lives will be changed. "I think we'll have a good Christmas," Cindy Hill said at a news conference where she and her husband, Mark Hill, were presented as winners of the jackpot by the Missouri Lottery. Cindy Hill, 51, is a former office manager who got laid off in 2010. Mark Hill, 52, was a mechanic for Hillshire Brands, a food company, but has now quit his job. ...

Attacker at Wyoming college kills two, commits suicide

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:17 PM PST

(Reuters) - A man armed with a sharp-edged weapon that some media reports described as a bow and arrow killed two people, including a college faculty member, in Casper, Wyoming, before taking his own life on Friday. Police said officers were called to Casper College at about 9 a.m. local time to find "multiple victims" of an attack, and the campus was placed under a security lockdown, as were neighboring public schools. Details released by authorities remained sketchy hours after the incident had ended and the security alert had been lifted. ...

Boy Scouts allowed to keep sexual abuse files private

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:26 PM PST

DALLAS (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America has won a temporary reprieve from turning over more than 25 years of confidential files that describe sexual abuse complaints against adult volunteers with one of the country's largest youth organizations. Attorneys for a teenage boy who says he was assaulted by a former scoutmaster filed suit in San Antonio against the Boy Scouts and are seeking files from 1985 to 2011. ...

House votes to expand visas for high-tech workers

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:57 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill to create a permanent visa program for foreigners with advanced science and technical degrees cleared the House of Representatives on Friday, the latest salvo in the broader fight over U.S. immigration reform. The Republican-backed measure proposes reserving 55,000 permanent residence visas for foreign graduates of U.S. universities with master's and doctoral degrees in the "STEM" disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math. ...

War on al Qaeda is not indefinite: Pentagon lawyer

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 03:13 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military campaign against al Qaeda should not be seen as a conflict without end, the Pentagon's chief lawyer said on Friday in a speech that broached a rarely discussed subject among U.S. officials. The Defense Department's highest-ranking lawyer, Jeh Johnson, predicted al Qaeda would some day be so "effectively destroyed" that the United States would no longer say it is in an armed conflict. A text of his remarks to be given at Oxford University in England was made available to Reuters in advance in Washington. The U.S. ...

New Jersey bridge collapse derails freight train; chemical leaks

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:54 PM PST

Derailed freight train cars sit semi-submerged in the waters of Mantua Creek after a train crash in PaulsboroPAULSBORO, New Jersey (Reuters) - A railroad bridge collapsed on Friday over a creek in southern New Jersey, causing a Conrail freight train to derail and spill hazardous chemicals into the air and water, authorities said. Seven of the 82 cars derailed, and a tanker car that fell into Mantua Creek leaked vinyl chloride into the waterway, which feeds into the Delaware River near Philadelphia, said Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. ...

Act of kindness turns New York cop into media darling

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:51 PM PST

Handout photo of NYPD officer DePrimo giving boots to a homeless man in New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. national media just got the perfect holiday gift: a feel-good tale about a young police officer who dug into his own pocket to put boots on a barefoot panhandler on a freezing city sidewalk. Even better was the way the story of New York City Police Officer Larry DePrimo's kindness unfolded. Thanks to a blurry Facebook photo snapped on a cell phone by a tourist who happened the incident in Times Square, DePrimo, 25, went from anonymous Good Samaritan to national media celebrity in less than 72 hours. ...

Two Pakistan-born brothers arrested in Florida on terrorism charges

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 03:10 PM PST

MIAMI (Reuters) - Two Pakistan-born brothers living in Florida have been arrested on charges of providing support to terrorists and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction within the United States, authorities said on Friday. The men were charged in a grand jury indictment announced by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Federal prosecutors allege the men, both U.S. citizens, provided money, housing, communications equipment and transportation as part of a conspiracy. ...

U.S. soldier in WikiLeaks case plays down suicide comment

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:34 PM PST

Army Private First Class Manning is escorted in handcuffs as he leaves the courthouse in Fort MeadeFORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S. Army private accused of orchestrating a massive leak of classified documents to the WikiLeaks website said on Friday he may have been sarcastic in indicating he had suicidal thoughts when he first arrived at a U.S. detention center. Bradley Manning wrapped up his second day of testimony in a pretrial hearing to determine whether he should face a court-martial on suspicion of leaking thousands of classified military reports, diplomatic cables and other documents. ...

Attacker at Wyoming college kills two, commits suicide

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 01:45 PM PST

(Reuters) - A man armed with a sharp-edged weapon that some media reports described as a bow and arrow killed two people, including a college faculty member, in Casper, Wyoming, before taking his own life on Friday. Police said officers were called to Casper College at about 9 a.m. local time to find "multiple victims" of an attack, and the school was placed under a security lockdown. No guns were found to be involved. The lockdown has since been lifted, police said. "There have been three confirmed deaths at two separate crime scenes. ...

Gay "conversion therapy" proponents seek to halt California ban

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 04:01 PM PST

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A Christian legal group urged a federal judge on Friday to halt a landmark California law that bars a controversial therapy aimed at reversing homosexuality from being used on children and teenagers, calling the law a violation of privacy and free speech. California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown signed the ban into law in September, making the nation's most populous state the first to ban so-called conversion therapy among youths. Gay rights advocates say the therapy can psychologically harm gay and lesbian youths. ...

High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 01:49 PM PST

Everhart and Welker hold each other before exchanging wedding vows at a comic book retail shop in Manhattan, New York(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's nine justices met in private on Friday to consider whether to enter the legal fray over same-sex marriage but made no announcement about any decision they may have reached. The high court is considering whether to review five separate challenges to a federal law that prevents married same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage benefits such as Social Security survivor payments and tax exemptions. It is also considering whether to review California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, which voters narrowly approved in 2008. ...

Male model convicted in New York killing of Portuguese reporter, lover

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:18 PM PST

(Please note the story contains graphic and sexual content) NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City jury on Friday convicted a young male model who killed and castrated his lover, a prominent Portuguese journalist, rejecting the defense argument that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, prosecutors said. Renato Seabra, 23, killed Carlos Castro, 65, in January 2011, and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a charge of second degree murder at Manhattan criminal court. The trial lasted nearly two months, in part because it was delayed several days by Hurricane Sandy. ...

Boeing engineers union likely to back mediation talks

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:34 AM PST

A Boeing 787 sits on the assembly line at the company's operations in Everett(Reuters) - The union that represents Boeing Co engineers is likely to agree to mediated talks in a bid to resolve the standoff with the planemaker, the executive director of the union said on Friday. On Thursday, Boeing asked for U.S. mediators to help resolve talks with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) union, which represents its 23,000 engineers, saying the sides were far apart on pay and benefits. That move halted labor discussions around midday on Thursday in Seattle, and no further meetings were scheduled, the two sides said. ...

Billionaire Taubman sexually harassed flight attendant: lawsuit

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:13 AM PST

(Reuters) - Octogenarian billionaire mall developer A. Alfred Taubman has been sued for $29 million by a Michigan flight attendant who claimed he sexually harassed her numerous times aboard his private plane. In a complaint filed Thursday with the federal court in Detroit, Nicole Rock accused her former boss, 88, of a variety of improper conduct in the roughly six years she worked for the married father of three. ...

Judge rules Louisiana school voucher program unconstitutional

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:50 PM PST

(Reuters) - A state judge on Friday shot down Louisiana's sweeping school voucher program, ruling that the state could not use funds set aside for public education to pay private-school tuition for thousands of low- and middle-income children. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who had championed the program, called the ruling "wrong-headed" and "a travesty for parents across Louisiana who want nothing more than for their children to have an equal opportunity at receiving a great education." Jindal, a Republican, vowed to appeal. ...

Alabama man sentenced for impeding child abuse investigation

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST

MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) - An Alabama businessman convicted of attempting to cover up his son's molestation of children at a family-run orphanage in Honduras was sentenced on Friday to two months in jail. Bill Atkinson, 58, also was ordered to serve three years of home supervision and he was fined $25,000. A jury convicted Atkinson earlier this year on charges of conspiracy and obstructing justice. Federal prosecutors presented evidence that he had instructed two of his sons to destroy a digital video recorder that contained footage of his eldest son sexually abusing children. ...

Pentagon, Lockheed agree deal for 32 more F-35 fighters

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 01:59 PM PST

A F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is seen at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent RiverWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp and the U.S. Defense Department have reached an agreement in principle on a fifth batch of 32 additional F-35 fighter planes, the Pentagon said on Friday, bringing nearly a year of negotiations to a close. The deal is valued at around $3.8 billion, although the two sides are still finalizing details, according to a source familiar with the agreement. The agreement will also pave the way for talks about preliminary funding for a sixth batch of aircraft that Lockheed, the Pentagon's largest supplier, has been building at its own cost for some time. ...

Explosion outside federal building in Arizona prompts evacuation

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 01:52 PM PST

PHOENIX (Reuters) - An explosion and small fire on Friday outside a federal office building in southern Arizona caused minor damage and prompted an evacuation of the complex, but no injuries were reported, authorities said. The blast occurred at about 8:30 a.m. near a rear doorway to the Social Security Administration building in downtown Casa Grande, a small city about 50 miles south of Phoenix. ...

High winds, heavy rain to batter California through the weekend

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 10:17 AM PST

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Heavy rain and winds of up to 80 miles per hour were forecast in California's mountain and coastal regions when a storm rolls through the U.S. West Coast this weekend, prompting warnings of mud flows and flooding. High wind advisories were issued for Northern and Central California, and transportation officials warned against campers and trailers crossing bridges, including San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. ...

Fourth man sentenced to prison in failed Ohio bridge bomb plot

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 01:29 PM PST

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - A self-described anarchist was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison after pleading guilty and agreeing to testify against others accused of plotting to blow up a four-lane highway bridge near Cleveland. Anthony Hayne, 36, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to use and the attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, as well as malicious use of an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce. In sentencing Hayne, U.S. District Judge David D. Dowd Jr. ...

Missouri couple wins half of record Powerball lottery jackpot

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 09:27 AM PST

Six-year old Jaiden is asked about winning the lottery in Dearborn, MissouriDEARBORN, Mo (Reuters) - A Missouri couple, Mark and Cindy Hill, were identified by lottery officials on Friday as winners of half the record $587.5 million Powerball jackpot. Cindy Hill first learned she was a winner on Thursday when she checked her numbers from a ticket she bought at a local Trex Mart gas station and convenience store about 30 miles north of Kansas City, according to a statement by Missouri Lottery on Friday. The drawing was held late on Wednesday. "I called my husband and told him, 'I think I am having a heart attack,'" Hill, 51, said, according to the release. ...

Alpha Natural says electrician dies at legacy Massey mine

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 10:10 AM PST

(Reuters) - An electrician working at a West Virginia mine owned by Alpha Natural Resources Inc was killed on Friday after being struck by a scoop used to transport supplies, becoming the second electrician to die at the mine in less than three years. State and federal mine safety and health officials are investigating the incident, Alpha Natural said in a statement. Alpha Natural was not immediately available to comment. Steven O'Dell, 27, an employee of Alex Energy Inc passed away this morning, Alpha Natural said. ...

Electronic braking system in vehicles saves thousands: U.S. study

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 10:20 AM PST

(Reuters) - Computer-controlled braking systems in cars and light trucks are saving thousands of lives in the United States, according to a three-year study released on Friday by federal safety regulators. The systems have been required on all light-duty trucks and passenger vehicles under a 2007 federal safety regulation. The requirement was phased in over the years covered by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study. It estimated that the technology saved more than 2,200 lives from 2008 through 2010, including 634 in 2008, 705 in 2009 and 863 in 2010. ...

Analysis: Democrats' discord undercuts Obama estate tax push

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:07 PM PST

President Obama talks while on White House complex in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Divisions among Democrats are undermining President Barack Obama's push to raise the U.S. estate tax on inherited wealth, just weeks before the arrival of the "fiscal cliff" could drive the present estate tax rate even higher than Obama proposes. Action on the estate tax could be postponed. But in his successful re-election campaign, Obama called for wealthy Americans to pay more in taxes - and it is overwhelmingly the wealthy who pay the estate tax. ...

Thousands touched by photograph of New York cop helping shoeless man

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:44 AM PST

Handout photo of NYPD officer DePrimo giving boots to a homeless man in New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) - A photograph of a New York City police officer crouching by a shoeless panhandler to give him a new pair of boots on a cold night in Times Square has drawn a deluge of praise after it was published on the police department's Facebook page this week. By Thursday afternoon, nearly 394,000 people had clicked a button on the department's Facebook page to indicate that they "liked" the photograph. Tens of thousands left comments, most praising Officer Lawrence DePrimo for his charitable deed. ...

Only three major U.S. cities see economic recovery: study

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 09:07 PM PST

General view of the city of Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retailers moving into old downtown buildings, an abundance of freshly planted greenspaces, and a stream of new jobs in Knoxville, Tennessee, are all signs to Mayor Madeline Rogero that for the last year prosperity has been blooming in her city. "We feel very good about how we're coming out of this recession," Rogero said. "We see new interest. We see new development that's occurring. We're optimistic that this recovery is going to continue." Knoxville is a member of a very small club. Three and a half years since the 2007-09 economic recession ended, only three major ...

Suspect in custody in firebombing of Arizona federal building

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:52 PM PST

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A firebomb exploded on Friday outside a federal office building in southern Arizona, causing minor damage and prompting an evacuation of the facility, but no injuries were reported, authorities said. Police arrested a man suspected of setting off the blast, which occurred at about 8:30 a.m. local time (1530 GMT) behind the Social Security Administration building in downtown Casa Grande, a small city about 50 miles south of Phoenix, a source close to the investigation told Reuters. ...
Posted by Harshad at 8:26 PM

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