Drought deepens worries about food supplies, prices

Drought deepens worries about food supplies, prices
Courts mull whether illegal immigrants can be licensed to practice law
Plaintiffs rest case in Arizona sheriff's racial profiling trial
Judge bars "hitman" testimony at Peterson murder trial
Climate change threatens California power supply-report
Unsecured creditors ally with bankrupt Alabama county
Illinois governor proposes assault weapons ban
Teacher union boss bends to school reform winds
New York urges new mothers to breastfeed babies
Provo, Sioux Falls ranks best U.S. cities for elderly
Gay marriage foes ask Supreme Court to uphold California ban
Oakland leaders urge broad battle with Goldman Sachs
District of Columbia abortion bill fails in House
New York City penthouse lists for $100 million
Gay marriage foes ask Supreme Court to uphold California ban
Oakland leaders urge broad battle with Goldman Sachs
Remains found in L.A. foothills may be missing FBI agent: police
White House prepping for budget cuts, to shield military pay
Judge disallows "hit man" testimony at Peterson trial
Massachusetts swimmer survives great white shark attack
Lion's share of crops to swelter into August
Massachusetts to vote on healthcare cost-control bill
Senate panel passes bill to block EU airline law
Senate panel approves defense bill with biofuels funds
Regulator says no to Obama mortgage write-down plan
Online poker companies settle with U.S.; two to combine
U.S. regulator blocks restart of Enbridge Line 14
White House sees more housing aid needed to boost economy
Plaintiffs rest case in Arizona sheriff's racial profiling trial
Courts mull whether illegal immigrants can be licensed to practice law
Judge bars "hitman" testimony at Peterson murder trial
Climate change threatens California power supply-report
Oakland leaders urge broad battle with Goldman Sachs
Gay marriage foes ask Supreme Court to uphold California ban
District of Columbia abortion bill fails in House
New York urges new mothers to breastfeed babies
Regulator says no to Obama mortgage write-down plan
Unsecured creditors ally with bankrupt Alabama county

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:32 PM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Alarm grew over the unrelenting Midwest drought on Tuesday, as one of the top corporate leaders in agriculture warned that the government must act quickly to reduce the amount of corn going to ethanol to prevent a sharp spike in food prices. Worries about the worst drought in more than half a century afflicting the world's largest grain exporter also deepened overseas, where buyers in China and other hungry nations fret that the expected sharp drop in U.S. harvests will cause shortages and price spikes. ...

Courts mull whether illegal immigrants can be licensed to practice law

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:02 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A law school graduate seeking to join the California bar despite his status as an illegal immigrant may soon become a test case for other young and undocumented professionals as the state's highest court weighs whether he can be admitted to practice law. The state Supreme Court is mulling the case of 35-year-old Sergio Garcia, who has already found strong support both from California's attorney general and the state bar association. The court has requested guidance from the U.S. Justice Department on the matter that could come as early as Wednesday. ...

Plaintiffs rest case in Arizona sheriff's racial profiling trial

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:04 PM PDT

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Lawyers representing Hispanic drivers who say they were racially profiled by a controversial Arizona lawman who bills himself as "America's toughest sheriff" rested their case on Tuesday in the third week of a federal class-action trial. The case in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his office will test whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling Hispanic citizens and legal residents. ...

Judge bars "hitman" testimony at Peterson murder trial

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:19 PM PDT

JOLIET, Illinois (Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday would not allow testimony to be used from a man who said former Chicago area policeman Drew Peterson offered him $25,000 to find a hitman to kill Peterson's third wife, dealing a blow to prosecutors on the first day of the murder trial. Peterson is charged with the murder of third wife Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004. Her death initially was ruled an accident. But when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007, suspicions were raised and the Savio death was ruled a homicide. ...

Climate change threatens California power supply-report

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:58 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's electricity sector is more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought, as higher temperatures will impede the state's ability to generate and transmit power while demand for air conditioning rises, a report said Tuesday. The data is part of the latest report released by the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Energy Commission, which are trying to help state and local leaders prepare for life in the hotter, drier California of the future. (Report: http://r.reuters. ...

Unsecured creditors ally with bankrupt Alabama county

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:44 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Alabama's bankrupt Jefferson County got some unexpected allies on Tuesday, when unsecured creditors lined up with the county in America's biggest municipal bankruptcy to fight a proposed September 28 deadline for a workout plan. Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp, which insures some of the county's $3.14 billion of defaulted sewer-system warrants, on July 10 asked the federal judge overseeing the case to set a hard deadline for the county to develop an exit plan. ...

Illinois governor proposes assault weapons ban

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:43 PM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on Tuesday proposed a state ban on assault weapons in the aftermath of the July 20 movie theater massacre in Colorado in which a former graduate student is charged with killing 12 people with guns including a semi-automatic rifle. Quinn, a Democrat, called himself a "strong supporter" of the constitutional right to bear arms, but said in a letter to state legislators that the proliferation of military-style assault weapons undermines public safety. ...

Teacher union boss bends to school reform winds

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:42 PM PDT

DETROIT (Reuters) - In the maelstrom of criticism surrounding America's unionized public teachers, the woman running the second-largest educator union says time has come to collaborate on public school reform rather than resist. Randi Weingarten, re-elected this week for a third term as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with 98 percent of the vote, wants her 1.5 million members to be open to changes that might improve public schools. ...

New York urges new mothers to breastfeed babies

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and state officials are pushing initiatives aimed at encouraging new mothers to breastfeed their babies, drawing criticism from some parents who say officials are interfering with their health choices. State health commissioners announced on Tuesday that letters highlighting the importance of breastfeeding were being sent to hospitals, reminding them of regulations limiting unnecessary formula feedings for breastfed newborns. ...

Provo, Sioux Falls ranks best U.S. cities for elderly

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:37 PM PDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Provo, Utah, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota came out on top in a new index of the best U.S. communities to live for senior citizens, based on factors that promote successful and healthy aging. The Milken Institute's "Best Cities for Successful Aging" study, released on Tuesday, took into account 78 factors that affect senior citizens' quality of life including affordability, safety, health, financial security, and transportation. ...

Gay marriage foes ask Supreme Court to uphold California ban

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:08 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gay marriage opponents asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold a California ban on same-sex matrimony that was struck down by two lower courts as a violation of the Constitution. The request from backers of Proposition 8, the voter-approved state constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, comes a week after the high court was asked to review a Massachusetts case challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage the same way. ...

Oakland leaders urge broad battle with Goldman Sachs

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:28 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oakland leaders took their financial troubles to the doorstep of Goldman Sachs on Tuesday, urging other cities to join them in fighting a bank that has become a lightning rod for criticism of the U.S. financial system. Oakland is trying to get out of a Goldman-brokered interest rate swap that is costing the cash-starved city some $4 million a year. The swap, entered into 15 years ago as part of a bond sale to hedge against rising interest rates, has turned sour for Oakland now that interest rates are near zero. ...

District of Columbia abortion bill fails in House

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:05 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives rejected a bill on Tuesday that would have banned most abortions in the 20th week of pregnancy in the District of Columbia. The closely watched vote marked the first time Congress has voted on legislation that would have limited abortion because of pain to the fetus. The Republican-controlled chamber voted down the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act 220-154, with two members voting "present." The House suspended its usual rules for the vote, meaning that a two-thirds majority of those present was needed to pass. ...

New York City penthouse lists for $100 million

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An 8,000-square-foot penthouse in midtown Manhattan is on sale for $100 million, the most expensive apartment currently on the market in New York and a price that would set a record for the city. "If someone paid $100 million for this apartment it would be record-breaking, said Ashley Murphy, director of public relations at Prudential Douglas Elliman, which listed the apartment on Friday. ...

Gay marriage foes ask Supreme Court to uphold California ban

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:21 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gay marriage opponents asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold a California ban on same-sex matrimony that was struck down by two lower courts as a violation of the Constitution. The petition from supporters of Proposition 8, the voter-approved state constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, moves the politically charged case a step closer to a potential high-court review in the weeks before November's U.S. presidential election. ...

Oakland leaders urge broad battle with Goldman Sachs

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:43 PM PDT

Remains found in L.A. foothills may be missing FBI agent: police

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:50 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Authorities investigating human remains found in the foothills north of Los Angeles said on Tuesday they likely belonged to an FBI agent who went missing in May, carrying his handgun and possibly bent on suicide. Los Angeles County Coroner's medical examiners were working to formally establish if the body was that of FBI Special Agent Steven Ivens, 35, who was last seen leaving his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank on May 10. ...

White House prepping for budget cuts, to shield military pay

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:18 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday it was starting to get ready for potentially painful year-end spending cuts, and was committed to shielding U.S. military pay from any government budget crunch. Jeffrey Zients, acting director of President Barack Obama's Office of Management and Budget, said discussions would start soon on how to weather the looming automatic spending cuts, known as "sequestration," that would take place starting January 2 if Congress cannot achieve a deficit reduction deal. ...

Judge disallows "hit man" testimony at Peterson trial

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:38 PM PDT

JOLIET, Illinois (Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday would not allow testimony to be used from a man who said that former Chicago area policeman Drew Peterson offered him $25,000 to find a hit man to kill Peterson's third wife, dealing a blow to prosecutors on the first day of the murder trial. Peterson is charged with the murder of third wife Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004. Her death initially was ruled an accident. But when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared in 2007, suspicions were raised and the Savio death was ruled a homicide. ...

Massachusetts swimmer survives great white shark attack

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:59 PM PDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - A man mauled in the waters off Massachusetts' Cape Cod was probably bitten by a great white shark, authorities said on Tuesday, the first such attack in the state in 76 years. Gregory Skomal, a biologist with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game's Division of Marine Fisheries, told a news conference in Boston that the attack at Ballston Beach in Truro had all the hallmarks of a great white. ...

Lion's share of crops to swelter into August

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:11 AM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The midday weather model suggested a slightly wetter pattern for the U.S. Midwest where corn and soybean crops have withered under an extensive drought, but rainfall will be only scattered and light, agricultural meteorologists forecast Tuesday. "There's going to be rain, but it's just not going to be heavy enough to dramatically improve the situation in very many areas. There's no general soaking over the next two weeks," said Andy Karst of World Weather Inc. ...

Massachusetts to vote on healthcare cost-control bill

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:50 PM PDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts lawmakers on Tuesday are expected to vote on a sweeping bill aimed at containing the growth of healthcare costs and supporting the state's 2006 health reforms, which became a national blueprint. The 350-page bill, which has broad support from businesses and the healthcare industry, is being debated on the final day of the legislature's formal session, and if passed would go to Governor Deval Patrick for approval. ...

Senate panel passes bill to block EU airline law

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:51 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate committee passed a bill on Tuesday authorizing the transportation secretary to bar U.S. airlines from complying with a European Union law that would require them to pay for carbon emissions on flights to and from Europe. The measure approved by the Senate Commerce Committee will be sent to the full Senate for a vote. The 19-member panel voted to approve an updated version of a bipartisan bill authored by Republican Senator John Thune and Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill. ...

Senate panel approves defense bill with biofuels funds

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:48 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate subcommittee approved legislation on Tuesday that continues funding for the Pentagon's use of biofuels, a senator said, in a move pushing back against critics trying to limit outlays on programs such as the Navy's "Great Green Fleet." Some biofuels funding was included in a $604 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2013 passed by the Senate's defense appropriations subcommittee, the panel's chairman, Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye, told reporters. "I think we do have funding for that," Inouye said. ...

Regulator says no to Obama mortgage write-down plan

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:45 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top housing regulator rebuffed a plan by the Obama administration to cut mortgages held by struggling homeowners, a blow to the White House, which is keen to show voters it can help fix the housing market. The regulator for government-run housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said on Tuesday that using taxpayer-funded bank bailout money could encourage defaults and not make a big improvement in reducing foreclosures in a cost-effective way for taxpayers. ...

Online poker companies settle with U.S.; two to combine

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:46 AM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two online poker companies settled U.S. civil charges of illegal Internet gambling on Tuesday in a deal that positions one of them to take over the assets of the other and to capitalize on the growing legalization of the U.S. market. The Department of Justice said it had brokered a deal in which Isle of Man-based PokerStars will acquire the assets of rival Full Tilt of Dublin and forfeit $731 million. The two companies, once the main online poker operators in the United States, along with a third, Absolute Poker, were slapped with civil money laundering charges last year. ...

U.S. regulator blocks restart of Enbridge Line 14

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:29 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government blocked Enbridge Inc from restarting a key Midwestern oil pipeline on Tuesday, saying last week's spill on the line was "absolutely unacceptable." U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blasted Enbridge over the leak of more than 1,000 barrels of crude oil in a field in Wisconsin, which shut its 318,000 barrel per day pipeline on Friday. ...

White House sees more housing aid needed to boost economy

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:29 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday that housing rescue programs are still needed to help homeowners who remain behind on their mortgage payments due to the housing boom and bust that helped fuel the 2007-2009 recession. "We are far from where we want to be," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters when asked about the current state of the housing market. "We need to continue to take the steps necessary to assist responsible homeowners to keep making their payments, to stay in their homes. ...