Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign

Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign
Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate
Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death
Texas city school chief gets prison for rigging student test scores
Child molester Sandusky likely to speak at sentencing
Plan to fund Chicago teacher contract heavy on one-time measures
Washington state man jailed for stealing $1 million from 107-year-old woman
Maine Republicans blast opponent for World of Warcraft play
Model was insane when he killed Portuguese journalist: lawyer
Mother of gay California Boy Scout fights for Eagle award
House Intelligence panel head blackballs China's Huawei
Romney closes gap with Obama to 2 points after debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Border agent in Arizona may have been killed by friendly fire
Maine Republicans blast opponent for World of Warcraft play
Florida Supreme Court judges fight for their jobs
NYPD shooting of unarmed motorist under investigation
Authorities identify body found 17 years ago in Los Angeles area
White House said to be frustrating drug companies in Asia trade talks
Supreme Court to review Monsanto seed patents
Gay characters at record high on U.S. television
Number of U.S. meningitis cases rises to 50 in deadly outbreak
Militants' extradition could give Obama political headache
Californians hit with unprecedented gasoline price jump
Supreme Court to review Monsanto seed patents
Washington rejected U.S. embassy request for plane in Libya
GM to shift fuel cell program from upstate New York to Michigan
Actress Daryl Hannah arrested in Keystone pipeline protest
American Airlines says seats secured on 40 of 48 planes
Obama touts jobs report as he seeks to lift campaign
Washington state man jailed for stealing $1 million from 107-year-old woman
Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate
Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death
Maine Republicans blast opponent for World of Warcraft play
Border agent in Arizona may have been killed by friendly fire
Number of U.S. meningitis cases rises to 50 in deadly outbreak
Plan to fund Chicago teacher contract heavy on one-time measures
Mother of gay California Boy Scout fights for Eagle award
Model was insane when he killed Portuguese journalist: lawyer

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 06:40 PM PDT

FAIRFAX, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday hailed a drop in the U.S. jobless rate to the lowest level since he took office, saying the country had "come too far to turn back now," as he sought to recover from a lackluster debate performance against Republican challenger Mitt Romney. A decline in unemployment to 7.8 percent in September, announced just more than four weeks before Election Day, gave an unexpected shine to the most vulnerable part of Obama's record - his economic stewardship - and offered him a chance to reset his re-election bid. The rate dropped from 8. ...

Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:49 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney gained ground on Democratic President Barack Obama after a strong performance in their first debate heading into the November 6 election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after their prime-time face-off. Romney is now viewed positively by 51 percent of voters, the first time he has enjoyed a net positive in the U.S. presidential race, the poll found. Obama's favorability rating remained unchanged at 56 percent, according to the poll. ...

Probe points to friendly fire in Arizona Border Patrol death

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:36 PM PDT

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Friendly fire was the likely cause of the death of a Border Patrol agent shot in Arizona near the Mexican border this week, according to strong preliminary indications, the FBI said on Friday. Nicholas Ivie was one of three agents patrolling on foot about five miles (eight kilometers) north of the international border before daybreak on Tuesday when gunfire erupted as the agents responded to a tripped ground sensor, authorities have said. A second agent was wounded in the incident near the border town of Naco, an area well known as a smuggling corridor. ...

Texas city school chief gets prison for rigging student test scores

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:17 PM PDT

EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A former El Paso Independent School District superintendent will spend three and a half years in federal prison for leading a scheme to rig scores on standardized state tests by keeping certain students from taking the exams. Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced Lorenzo Garcia at a Friday hearing and ordered him to pay $180,000 in restitution and a $56,500 fine. That was the same prison sentence set for Garcia as part of a plea agreement in June, and a key former state lawmaker had called for a harsher punishment. After the hearing, U.S. ...

Child molester Sandusky likely to speak at sentencing

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:07 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky is likely to break a long silence when the former Penn State assistant football coach is sentenced next week, a defense attorney said on Friday. Sandusky, 68, is expected to receive what amounts to a life sentence on Tuesday at Centre County Court in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He was convicted in June on 45 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that rocked college athletics and riveted national attention on child sexual abuse. ...

Plan to fund Chicago teacher contract heavy on one-time measures

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:52 PM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Public Schools would rely mainly on one-time measures to cover the $103 million, first-year cost of a new teachers' contract, under a plan the school system released on Friday. The plan calls for saving $42 million through a restructuring of about $100 million of outstanding debt later this year or early next year and tapping $13 million in the current budget set aside for interest payments for bonds the district sold in August, according to a spokeswoman for the district. The school system would also raise $15 million through property sales. ...

Washington state man jailed for stealing $1 million from 107-year-old woman

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 06:09 PM PDT

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Washington state caregiver received a 10-year prison sentence on Friday for stealing $1 million from an 107-year-old woman who was left living in feces-strewn squalor while he spent her money on guns and tractors, prosecutors said. John Herbert Friedlund, 79, was sentenced by Stevens County Superior Court Judge Al Nielson, a day after jurors convicted him of first-degree theft, local deputy prosecutor Lech Radzimski said. Friedlund lived on a ranch near Kettle Falls, a town 210 miles northeast of Seattle. ...

Maine Republicans blast opponent for World of Warcraft play

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:05 PM PDT

LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - A Maine Senate race has turned into a fight over trolls, dwarves and goblin-like creatures known as orcs. In a mailing this week, state Republicans accused Democrat Colleen Lachowicz of living in a fantasy world and making "crude, vicious and violent comments" in online forums dedicated to World of Warcraft, a popular online game. Lachowicz, who is challenging incumbent Senator Tom Martin, has responded by accusing Republicans of focusing on her hobbies rather than public policy issues. ...

Model was insane when he killed Portuguese journalist: lawyer

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:42 PM PDT

(Advisory: Story contains graphic and sexual descriptions.) NEW YORK (Reuters) - A young model was insane when he killed and castrated a prominent Portuguese journalist in a New York hotel room, believing he could "harness the power" of the man's severed testicles, a defense lawyer said at the start of the murder trial on Friday. Renato Seabra, 22, has been charged with second degree murder for the killing of 65-year-old Carlos Castro in the room they were sharing at the Intercontinental Hotel near Times Square in January 2011. ...

Mother of gay California Boy Scout fights for Eagle award

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:46 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The mother of a gay California Boy Scout denied an Eagle award because of his sexual orientation is fighting to overturn the decision before turns 18, the cut-off date for the organization's highest honor. Ryan Andresen's mother, Karen, said the scoutmaster of his Troop 212 in Moraga, a San Francisco suburb, had refused to grant Eagle status to Ryan, who has been a scout since age 6, even though he met the requirements. "His last words were I'd rather resign than sign," Andresen told Reuters. A petition launched by Andresen on Change. ...

House Intelligence panel head blackballs China's Huawei

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:43 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. companies should avoid doing business with China's Huawei, the world's No. 2 maker of telecommunications gear, for fear its equipment could open doors for spying, the head of the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee said. "If I were an American company today ... and you are looking at Huawei, I would find another vendor if you care about your intellectual property; if you care about your consumers' privacy and you care about the national security of the United States of America," Chairman Mike Rogers said. ...

Romney closes gap with Obama to 2 points after debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:12 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's lead over challenger Mitt Romney has narrowed to just two percentage points since the Republican's strong performance in their first debate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. In more bad news for Obama, one in five voters said the Democrat's performance in the contest in Denver on Wednesday made them feel more negative about him and almost a third said they felt more positive about his Republican challenger. ...

Border agent in Arizona may have been killed by friendly fire

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 04:45 PM PDT

PHOENIX (Reuters) - There are strong indications that a Border Patrol agent killed in Arizona near the Mexico border earlier this week may have been hit by friendly fire in an accidental shooting involving other agents, the FBI said on Friday. "While it is important to emphasize that the FBI's investigation is actively continuing, there are strong preliminary indications that the death of United States Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie and the injury to a second agent was the result of an accidental shooting incident involving only the agents," the FBI said in a statement. ...

Maine Republicans blast opponent for World of Warcraft play

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:25 PM PDT

Florida Supreme Court judges fight for their jobs

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:30 PM PDT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Facing unprecedented political opposition, three Florida Supreme Court justices are fighting back against Republicans and conservative activists seeking to change the balance in the state's highest court by getting voters to fire them. Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente, and Peggy Quince face what is called a "merit retention" vote in November. Normally that would be a routine affair with little political campaigning. This time, the three have been targeted by the Republican Party and conservative advocacy groups who accuse them of judicial activism. ...

NYPD shooting of unarmed motorist under investigation

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 01:57 PM PDT

(Reuters) - New York authorities have launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of an unarmed motorist by police who pulled him over for erratic driving in the early morning hours and may have shot him while his hands were on the steering wheel. The incident occurred early on Thursday morning when a detective fired one shot into the torso of driver Noel Polanco, 22, from outside his black Honda. Polanco was pronounced dead just before 6 a.m. at a nearby hospital, police said in a statement. It remains unclear what prompted the detective to open fire. ...

Authorities identify body found 17 years ago in Los Angeles area

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:32 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A burned body found dumped on the side of a road outside Los Angeles 17 years ago has been identified as that of a 20-year-old woman who went missing from California's central coast, authorities say. The remains of Gail Catherine Allen were identified after nearly two decades when forensic scientists matched her remains to DNA samples taken from her parents, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lieutenant Dave Dolson. ...

White House said to be frustrating drug companies in Asia trade talks

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 01:36 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's reluctance to push for 12 years of data protection on "biologic" medicines in free-trade talks is a growing concern for U.S. drug manufacturers who employ about 4 million Americans, an industry official said. "The biggest challenge we're facing right now is the White House," Harrison Cook, a vice president at Eli Lilly, told Reuters in an interview on his company's goals for the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed regional free trade agreement covering 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific. ...

Supreme Court to review Monsanto seed patents

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:01 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider an Indiana soybean farmer's appeal of an appellate court decision that he infringed Monsanto Co patents over seeds that can be replicated. The case is one of seven that the highest U.S. court decided on Friday to review, with oral arguments likely to be scheduled for January or February of 2013. Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, has a reputation for zealously defending patents on its genetically altered crops, including Roundup Ready soybeans, corn and cotton. ...

Gay characters at record high on U.S. television

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 08:30 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - New shows "The New Normal," "Girls" and comedy "Go On" have helped U.S. television rack up a record number of gay, bisexual and transgender characters, gay rights group GLAAD said on Friday. In its 8th annual report tracking gender and ethnic diversity on television, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said on Friday there will be 111 LGBT characters in regular or recurring roles on scripted shows across U.S. television. ...

Number of U.S. meningitis cases rises to 50 in deadly outbreak

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 04:21 PM PDT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - The number of people stricken with a rare form of meningitis linked to steroid injections rose to 50 in seven U.S. states, authorities said on Friday, in a widening outbreak that has killed at least five people. Michigan said it had confirmed six cases of fungal meningitis, the seventh state to report people falling ill after receiving the injections, mainly for back pain. Other states with cases are Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Indiana. The U.S. ...

Militants' extradition could give Obama political headache

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:33 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The British government's imminent move to extradite five prominent Islamic militants to the United States for trial could trigger security and political headaches for President Barack Obama and his administration. After years of appeals, two British judges gave final legal sanction on Friday to the extradition of the militants, who include a one-time U.K.-based spokesman for late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and a notorious hook-handed imam who once preached at a big London mosque. ...

Californians hit with unprecedented gasoline price jump

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:16 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Californians awoke on Friday to yet another unprecedented spike in the price of gasoline that brought the one-week increase in the Golden State to a whopping 36 cents a gallon. Prices dropped, however, on the wholesale market, possibly signaling the end to a price spike that has blindsided the state's car-loving consumers. "It's insane," said Matt Hurd, 35, as he filled up at a San Francisco gas station near the Bay Bridge. "Especially with this thing," Hurd, who works in real estate, added, motioning toward his white SUV. ...

Supreme Court to review Monsanto seed patents

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:37 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider an Indiana soybean farmer's appeal of a decision finding that he infringed Monsanto Co patents over seeds containing the company's genetically altered Roundup Ready technology. The case is one of seven that the highest court agreed to hear on Friday, with oral arguments likely to be scheduled for January or February of 2013. In the Monsanto case, Vernon Bowman, who is in his mid-70s, was appealing a September 2011 decision by the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upholding an $84,456 damages award for Monsanto. ...

Washington rejected U.S. embassy request for plane in Libya

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:11 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - State Department officials in May denied a request from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to allow a security team to continue using an official U.S. DC-3 aircraft, suggesting they could charter a plane instead, an unclassified email obtained by Reuters shows. The email dated May 3, carrying the subject line "Termination of Tripoli DC-3 Support," was copied to Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya who was killed with three other Americans in an attack on the Benghazi mission on September 11 this year. The email is among documents U.S. ...

GM to shift fuel cell program from upstate New York to Michigan

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:29 AM PDT

(Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Friday it will shift its hydrogen fuel cell development program from upstate New York, and consolidate the operation with its global power train engineering headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan. The move, to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2013, will shift the operations, including research and product engineering, from Honeoye Falls, south of Rochester, New York, said Charlie Freese, the executive in charge of the U.S. automaker's fuel cell programs. ...

Actress Daryl Hannah arrested in Keystone pipeline protest

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 08:25 PM PDT

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Actress Daryl Hannah was arrested in Texas on Thursday after she stood in front of an earth-moving machine clearing ground for the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, her representative said. The protest took place outside Winnsboro, Texas, about 80 miles east of Dallas, said Hannah's agent, Paul Bassis. Hannah, 51, a longtime environmental activist, was arrested last year outside the White House in another protest against the pipeline. ...

American Airlines says seats secured on 40 of 48 planes

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 09:41 AM PDT

(Reuters) - American Airlines on Friday said it has repaired seat locks on 40 Boeing 757 jets after some seats came loose during flights earlier this week. The AMR unit, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said all 48 of its 757 jets that were to get the seat adjustments would be back in service by Saturday. The carrier had canceled 94 flights over Thursday and Friday to improve the locking mechanisms used to secure seats to aircraft floors. ...