GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) – The hunger strike that began nearly six months ago at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba and spread to include two-thirds of its 166 prisoners has tapered off with a Ramadan pardon that has allowed some p... More »
(Reuters) – The “Fifty Shades of Grey” series of erotic novels are the favorite reading material among “high-value” prisoners at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba, a U.S. congressman said. Representative Jim Moran of Virginia was among congressional delega... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – Police divers on Monday searched a pond in Bristol, Connecticut, the hometown of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, for evidence linking him to the murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, a law enforcement source said... More »
DETROIT (Reuters) – For five days in July 1967 riots tore apart Detroit, exacerbating racial tensions, and forcing the National Guard to quell the violence. The Tigers, Detroit’s Major League Baseball team, felt immense pressure to win the next season to help ... More »
(Reuters) – The campaign manager who helped to guide Anthony Weiner’s bid for New York City mayor resigned over the weekend, a spokeswoman said on Sunday, as the Democratic former Congressman grapples with slumping poll numbers and fresh revelations of his sex... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Sunday warned Congress against manufacturing a crisis over federal spending in the months ahead, as looming deadlines set the stage for a repeat of the political deadlock which two years ago triggered ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has narrowed his choices to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to “some extraordinary candidates” and will announce his pick “over the next several months,” he said in an interview with the New York Time... More »
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Embattled San Diego Mayor Bob Filner on Friday defied calls to resign over a hail of sexual harassment allegations, but apologized to the women he offended and said he would take a two-week leave of absence to undergo intensive therapy. A... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama could be months away from announcing his pick to replace Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve, yet critics are already making an unusual public effort to stop one contender in the race – former U.S. Treasury Secreta... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The two Russians arrested in what prosecutors call the largest online fraud case brought in the United States were caught through a combination of high-tech tools, dogged detective work and sheer luck. The propensity of the wealthy yo... More »
ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (Reuters) – The body of a man that former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is accused of murdering last month was found with the keys to a black Chevrolet Suburban that Hernandez had rented, according to court papers release... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Anthony Weiner resisted mounting calls to bow out of the New York City mayoral race on Wednesday, a day after admitting he had continued the sexually charged online chats that led him to resign from Congress in disgrace two years ago. Wein... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The racially charged shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was the focus of a congressional hearing on Wednesday, where Martin’s father vowed to find a way his son’s death could lead to positive changes for other black American men... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago on Wednesday approved a $500 million proposed renovation of Wrigley Field, the storied home of the Chicago Cubs, which will add luxury boxes, a nearby hotel and eventually a jumbo outfield electronic sign to the 99-year-old baseball... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden’s hopes of leaving Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for the first time in a month on Wednesday were dashed when he failed to secure permission from Russia to leave. An airport source said Snowd... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate on Wednesday approved a bipartisan deal to reverse a recent spike in interest rates on millions of new federal student loans. The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives, which is hoping to approve the deal befor... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Anthony Weiner resisted mounting calls to bow out of the New York City mayoral race on Wednesday, a day after admitting he had continued the sexually charged online chats that led him to resign from Congress in disgrace two years ago. Wein... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. spy program that sweeps up vast amounts of electronic communications survived a legislative challenge in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the first move to curb the surveillance effort since a worker leaked details of it... More »
GALESBURG, Illinois (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama sought to inject momentum into his economic and domestic policy agenda on Wednesday with a speech designed to clarify his vision for his second term and hammer Republicans in the House of Representati... More »
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – Women’s health group Planned Parenthood has agreed to pay the state of Texas $1.4 million to settle allegations of fraud in billing to a health program for the poor, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said on Wednesday. But a spokeswoma... More »
(Reuters) – The bankruptcy judge overseeing Detroit’s historic bankruptcy filing has proposed appointing a federal judge as mediator to hash out the most difficult disputes as the city struggles to resolve more than $18 billion in bond and pension obligations.... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – John Eskridge knows what he wants to hear President Barack Obama say when he returns to Galesburg, Illinois, on Wednesday for what the White House has billed as a major economic address. This town where plants once rolled out refrigerato... More »
DETROIT (Reuters) – A showdown over the biggest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history begins in a federal court on Wednesday morning as creditors challenge its legality. Attorneys for Kevyn Orr, a corporate bankruptcy lawyer tapped by Michigan officials ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has not made a decision on a nominee to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who is expected to step down at the end of his term in January, a person familiar with the process said on Tuesday. The Washing... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawyers for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong said on Tuesday he should be able to keep the sponsorship money he got from the U.S. Postal Service during his record-breaking victories, despite his admission to using performance-enhancing ... More »
DALLAS (Reuters) – Donations to the cancer charity founded by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong declined last year following charges of doping against the seven-time Tour de France champion, the charity said in its 2012 tax return released on Tuesday. Livestro... More »
(Reuters) – The U.S. Defense Department is proposing to share some of its radio airwaves with the private sector, a nod to growing pressure from the wireless industry and the Obama administration for federal agencies to ease their control of valuable spectrum.... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the House of Representatives started to coalesce on Tuesday around the idea of legalizing the children who were brought to the country by their parents, marking their first step toward dealing with the millions of undocume... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday vetoed two measures meant to curb the city’s controversial stop-and-frisk policing policy, setting up a likely showdown with the City Council. Bloomberg called the bills dangerous and irresponsibl... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a hit-and-run charge in a case that could lead to jail time for the Grammy-winning performer, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman said. Brown had been on probation for assault... More »
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, facing pressure to resign over allegations of making lewd comments and unwanted advances toward women, was hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit on Monday by a former aide who accused the 70-year-old politician ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s mother testified on Monday in her wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live that the late pop star denied he was abusing prescription drugs when she confronted him in the years before his death. Katherin... More »
DETROIT (Reuters) – Labor unions trying to stop Detroit from cutting pensions filed a new challenge to the city in bankruptcy court as the federal judge overseeing the case said he would hear arguments on Wednesday. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Steven Rhodes ag... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – What’s so funny about President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law? A website known for viral comedy videos popular with Americans under 30 – Funny or Die – has a few ideas and is enlisting celebrities to make something that catches th... More »
(Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked North Dakota’s new abortion law, the most restrictive in the country because it prohibits ending a pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks after conception. ... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Outgoing U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was confirmed on Thursday as president of the University of California despite an unruly protest by students from the prestigious 10-campus system that led to six arrests. Sev... More »
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) – Florida must either repeal its Stand Your Ground self-defense law or enact sweeping changes to avert more tragedies like the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, Democratic leaders of the state’s legisla... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was confirmed on Thursday as president of the University of California despite a loud and unruly protest by students from the prestigious 10-campus system. Several students were... More »
(Reuters) – The younger brother of country music superstar Randy Travis was hit with more charges on Thursday stemming from his arrest earlier in the week on suspicion of making and distributing methamphetamine from his home in North Carolina, authorities said... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator John McCain said on Thursday that he and other backers of immigration reform “are not winning,” and must boost efforts to get the House of Representatives to pass such a bill. McCain said proponents – who include businesses, chur... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hoping to gain the high ground in an escalating war of words over Obamacare, the U.S. administration on Thursday forecast sharply lower than expected insurance costs for consumers and small businesses in new online state healthcare excha... More »
(Reuters) – Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of former Penn State assistant football coach and convicted child sex abuser Jerry Sandusky, wants a new name. Matt Sandusky, 33, has filed for a name change, a spokeswoman for the court clerk’s office in Centre Count... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fending off delays and a barrage of political criticism of his signature healthcare law, President Barack Obama on Thursday touted benefits Americans already are reaping from the law and vowed to work through setbacks to fully implement ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Liz Cheney’s decision to challenge Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi in a Republican primary next year sets up the type of divisive, intraparty fight that Republican leaders vowed to avoid after the 2012 elections. The move this week by Che... More »
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday will sign into law tough new restrictions on abortion, including a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy, marking one of the biggest victories in a decade for opponents of abortion in the United States.... More »
(Reuters) – Fox News has parted ways with Liz Cheney, the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, after her announcement that she will challenge incumbent U.S. senator and fellow Republican Mike Enzi in Wyoming, a spokeswoman for the network said... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senators met privately for more than three hours on Monday but failed to reach an agreement to avert a showdown over Republicans’ power to block President Barack Obama’s executive-branch nominees with procedural hurdles known as filibust... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday saluted former President George H.W. Bush for more than two decades of efforts to push volunteerism and national service, as the Bush family patriarch sat smiling in a wheelchair at a ceremony in the Whit... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military in many cases does not properly investigate allegations of sexual assault, sometimes failing to collect key evidence, fully examine crime scenes or interview witnesses, a probe by the Pentagon’s inspector general found.... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two security experts said they have figured out how to spy on Verizon Wireless mobile phone customers by hacking into devices the U.S. carrier sells to boost wireless signals indoors. The finding, which the experts demonstrated to Reuters ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. cable news network CNN came under withering criticism last week as it chose to stick with the George Zimmerman murder trial while Egypt’s military ousted the elected president, an event teased in a small box during the network’s tr... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia kept former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden at arm’s length on Saturday, saying it had not been in touch with the fugitive American and had not yet received a formal request for political asylum. Remarks by Foreign Minister ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Welder Mark Moynihan crawled down a narrow tube into a space the size of a car interior to seal the crack in the fermentation tank at Calhoun’s Bar-B-Q & Brewery in Knoxville, Tennessee. The space was oversaturated with oxygen. He lit his ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Worries about rising interest rates and falling stock prices dinged U.S. consumer sentiment in early July, while other data showed a firm rise in wholesale prices, which could make the Federal Reserve more comfortable reducing its moneta... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – The annual Def Con hacking convention has asked the federal government to stay away this year for the first time in its 21-year history, saying Edward Snowden’s revelations have made some in the community uncomfortable about having feds ther... More »
DALLAS (Reuters) – Grammy award-winning country music singer Randy Travis is out of emergency surgery but still in critical condition after suffering a stroke in a Texas hospital, representatives for the singer and the medical facility said late on Wednesday. ... More »
DETROIT (Reuters) – With the threat of a city bankruptcy looming, Detroit city workers and retirees are pushing back against the state-appointed emergency manager, filing lawsuits to limit his options and refusing to accept demands to keep details of their dis... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives emerged from an immigration meeting on Wednesday divided over whether to help the 11 million undocumented people living in the United States, but eager to bolster border security. Several ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The leader of a U.S. Senate committee said Wednesday the panel would hold a hearing later this year to examine systemic payroll problems in the U.S. military, following a Reuters investigation that showed how widespread Pentagon pay erro... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama jumped into the immigration debate on Wednesday by releasing a report touting economic benefits from reforms and meeting with Hispanic lawmakers, as Republican lawmakers gathered to try to craft their response. The... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. consumer watchdog on Wednesday warned lenders it will crack down on unfair and misleading debt collection practices, part of growing scrutiny of how financial firms treat consumers who owe them money. Banks and third-party compa... More »
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – An Alaska glacier is exposing remains from a military air tragedy six decades later. Relics from an Air Force cargo plane that slammed into a mountain in November 1952, killing all 52 servicemen on board, first emerged last summer... More »
LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (Reuters) – Investigators sifted through the charred remains of Lac-Megantic’s historic downtown early Wednesday morning, as they searched for clues into what could turn out to be North America’s worst railway disaster since 1989. Police s... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Stockton, California’s city council voted on Tuesday night to put a measure increasing the city’s sales tax on the November ballot to raise revenue to help the city exit from bankruptcy and to increase spending on public safety. The v... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Granting citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States could boost state and local government coffers by about $2 billion annually, said a liberal-leaning think tank study released on Wednesday. The findings come... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of murdering three babies during late-term abortions pleaded guilty on Tuesday to selling prescription drugs out of his clinic, federal prosecutors said. Kermit Gosnell, 72, was sentenced in May to ... More »
(Reuters) – Foreign gamblers cannot be taxed on every winning bet they make in U.S. casinos when they end up losing money overall, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, rejecting current Internal Revenue Service policy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Di... More »
ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (Reuters) – Police investigating a murder allegedly committed by former National Football League player Aaron Hernandez found a spent shell casing in a car he rented that had been fired from the same pistol as five empty shells found n... More »
(Reuters) – Activists will focus efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in four U.S. states this year and next, hoping to capitalize on political momentum following Supreme Court victories for gay rights, the Freedom to Marry advocacy group said on Tuesday. The... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois adopted a law on Tuesday allowing residents to carry concealed guns, becoming the last state in the nation to permit some form of possession of guns in public. The Illinois action was a significant political victory for the gun rig... More »
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Thousands of supporters and opponents of abortion rights converged on the Texas Capitol on Monday for hours of protests as the state House of Representatives prepares to debate the proposed abortion restrictions on Tuesday. The state ... More »
MILFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) – A national trade association for the firearms industry filed a lawsuit against Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and others on Monday, seeking to reverse a tough gun-control law passed in the wake of the deadly shooting at San... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will describe on Monday his second-term plan for “smarter government” by using technology and data to deliver services faster and save taxpayers money, the White House said. Obama will meet privately with his cabin... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Can’t take the heat? Fitness experts say one way for outdoor exercisers who dread the long, hot summer days of steamy runs and breathless aerobics during a heat wave is to embrace it. “It takes most healthy people 10 to 14 days to fully ac... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Eliot Spitzer is re-entering politics to run for New York City comptroller, five years after resigning as New York governor in a prostitution scandal. “I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness. I’m asking for it,” Spitzer, 54, told the New Yo... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Days after delaying health insurance requirements for employers, the Obama administration has decided to roll back requirements for new state online insurance marketplaces to verify the income and health coverage status of people who app... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An airplane entirely powered by the sun touched down in New York City late on Saturday, completing the final leg of an epic journey across the United States that began over two months ago. The Solar Impulse, its four propellers driven by e... More »
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed into law on Friday new abortion restrictions that opponents said could lead to the closing of two of the state’s four abortion clinics. Opponents of the law, which goes into effect Monday, July 8, fi... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A test of the only U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Friday, the third consecutive failure involving the interceptor system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said. “Program officials will conduct an ... More »
(Reuters) – A sinkhole swallowed a car as it was traveling down a street in Toledo, Ohio, and the 60-year-old driver climbed out of the hole using a ladder supplied by rescue workers, a fire department spokesman said Thursday. A water main break or heavy rains... More »
(Reuters) – The Obama administration’s decision to delay a key provision of the healthcare law, by giving employers an extra year to offer insurance coverage, is not expected to significantly impact 2014 hiring since many big businees were prepared for the cha... More »
MOSCOW/LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia said President Evo Morales’ plane was diverted on a flight from Russia and forced to land in Austria over suspicions that Edward Snowden might be on board, as several countries spurned the former U.S. spy agency contractor’s a... More »
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A Texas House committee voted to move forward with a proposal to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and toughen standards for clinics, after at least 2,000 people sought to testify for and against the measure at an eight-h... More »
(Reuters) – New York’s top prosecutor is investigating some of the state’s largest employers over their use of ATM-style cards to pay their hourly employees, the New York Times reported. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters seeking informat... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration said on Tuesday it would not require employers to provide health insurance for their workers until 2015, delaying a key provision of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law by a year, to beyond the next el... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois governor Pat Quinn on Tuesday vetoed parts of a gun bill that would have allowed people to carry more than one gun, carry guns into some places that serve alcohol, and carry a partly exposed gun. Flanked by parents of gun violence ... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – Security will be tighter than ever in several U.S. cities during Independence Day celebrations this week, which will see some of the largest public gatherings in the country since the deadly Boston Marathon bombings in April. Security offici... More »
LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden broke his silence on Monday for the first time since fleeing to Moscow over a week ago, blasting the Obama administration and saying he remained free to make new disclosures about U.S. ... More »
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Thousands of opponents of a Texas proposal to tighten abortion restrictions rallied outside the statehouse on Monday, giving a hero’s welcome to Democratic state Senator Wendy Davis, whose 11-hour speech stalled the measure last week.... More »
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama played down a controversy over whether Washington had spied on its European allies, saying on Monday intelligence services around the world — including in the EU — seek additional insight beyond regular med... More »
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania- (Reuters) – Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a nearly $28.4 billion budget for fiscal 2014, which starts on Monday, but lawmakers declined to take action Sunday on a controversial public pension bill until fall. The inaction o... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.S. government is not waging a “war on coal” but rather expects it to still play a significant role, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said on Sunday, rejecting criticism of President Barack Obama’s climate change plan. Obama tried las... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled House of Representatives will bow to political pressure and pass the immigration bill approved by the Democratic-led Senate by the end of the year, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer predicted on Sunday. Schumer... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Opponents of gay marriage filed a long-shot petition on Saturday with the Supreme Court asking the justices to immediately halt same-sex weddings taking place in California since Friday, when an appeals court lifted a 5-year-old ban on ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – About 550,000 people in Oregon do not have health insurance, and Aaron Karjala is confident the state’s new online insurance exchange will be able to accommodate them when enrollment under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform begins ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Opponents of gay marriage petitioned the Supreme Court on Saturday to immediately reinstate a 5-year-old ban on same-sex matrimony in California, saying a federal appeals court had acted prematurely in removing the prohibition on gay nu... More »
PRETORIA (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Saturday urged the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and pass a bill by August to reform the U.S. immigration system. Speaking during a press conference in South Africa, Obama said there wa... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Child rights advocates tried to convince a U.S. judge on Friday that a Facebook (FB.O ) legal settlement did not go far enough to keep content created by minors out of the hands of advertisers. Five plaintiffs filed a proposed class a... More »
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Just because they’re both emblems of American pride doesn’t mean fireworks and bald eagles should share the same skyline. The floating launch pad for next week’s July Fourth fireworks display in suburban Seattle is being moved from its usua... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese factory workers on Thursday released their U.S. boss, held captive for a week, after a compensation dispute was resolved, a company official and union representative said. Chip Starnes, president of Specialty Medical Supplies, in th... More »
