National
Consultant says unaware of fraud in U.S. House race in North Carolina
A political consultant told North Carolina's elections board on Wednesday he was not aware an operative working for their Republican candidate had devised an unlawful absentee ballot operation that investigators say was an effort to sway a close congressional race.
White House readies panel to question security risks of climate
The White House is readying a presidential panel that would question U.S. military and intelligence reports showing human-driven climate change poses risks to national security, according to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Number of U.S. hate groups hits all-time high, watchdog says
The number of hate groups operating in the United States rose 7 percent to an all-time high in 2018, reflecting an increasingly divisive debate on immigration and demographic change, the Southern Poverty Law Center said on Wednesday.
West Virginia teachers extend strike in charter schools battle
West Virginia teachers were on strike for a second straight day on Wednesday, canceling classes for about 270,000 students and keeping up pressure against a bill that would allow the state's first seven charter schools to open.
U.S. high court buttresses constitutional ban on 'excessive fines'
Ruling for the first time that the U.S. Constitution's ban on "excess fines" applies to states as well as the federal government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with an Indiana man who argued police violated his rights by seizing his $42,000 Land Rover vehicle after he was convicted as a heroin dealer.
North Carolina hearing on alleged election fraud enters third day
North Carolina election officials were to hear a third day of testimony about an investigation into an alleged election fraud scheme led by a Republican operative to sway a close and still unsettled congressional race.
Schools shut, flights canceled as storm sweeps U.S. Midwest, East Coast
A winter storm swept across much of the U.S. Midwest and East Coast on Wednesday, hampering air travel and prompting officials to close federal offices in Washington and several large public school systems.
West Virginia teacher strike heads into second day in charter schools fight
A union for West Virginia teachers carried its strike into a second day on Wednesday, despite a retreat by the state legislature on one of their key demands.
West Virginia teacher strike heads into third day in charter schools fight
A union for West Virginia teachers carried its strike into a third day on Wednesday, despite a retreat by the state legislature on one of their key demands.
Colorado man beat fiancé to death with bat, burned body: police
A Colorado man accused of murdering his fiancé last November beat the young mother to death with a baseball bat before burning her body, a homicide investigator told a hearing on Tuesday, a court official said.
West Virginia teachers to continue strike, in charter schools fight
A union for West Virginia teachers vowed on Tuesday to continue their strike to oppose charter schools, expressing distrust of lawmakers despite scoring a legislative victory.
Trump plans to nominate Jeffrey Rosen as Justice Dept. No. 2: senior official
President Donald Trump plans to nominate Jeffrey Rosen as the next deputy U.S. attorney general, the White House said on Tuesday night, the latest shuffle in the Justice Department at a time when it faces close scrutiny over its Russia investigation.
Illinois mass shooting reveals gaps in gun laws; state seeks to close them
The governor of Illinois vowed on Tuesday to seek tighter gun control measures after learning the man who shot five co-workers dead last week was wrongly granted a firearms permit but never forced to surrender his weapon.
Pressure mounts on Alabama publisher after he urges KKK to 'ride again'
Alabama elected officials and journalism organizations condemned as hateful on Tuesday a small town newspaper's editorial calling for the Ku Klux Klan to "ride again," as pressure mounted on the publisher to resign.
U.S. agency to cancel $929 million in California high-speed rail funds
The U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday it will cancel $929 million in federal funds awarded by the Obama administration for a California high-speed rail project and is "actively exploring every legal option" to seek the return of $2.5 billion the state has already received.
Mississippi man died after beating by sheriff's officers, lawsuit says
The mother of a Mississippi man who died in jail within 24 hours of his arrest on a trespassing charge last year filed a lawsuit on Monday, saying that he was beaten and pepper-sprayed while handcuffed and accusing local jailers of "routinely" using "barbaric measures."
Trump signs directive in step to create U.S. Space Force
Republican U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a directive to start the lengthy process of creating a new branch of the military dedicated to handling threats in space, the U.S. Space Force.
Bernie Sanders faces new challenges in crowded 2020 U.S. presidential race
Bernie Sanders is back for another White House run, but this one promises to be far different than the improbable 2016 presidential campaign that made the Vermont senator a political force.
