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Accused Russian agent Butina poised to plead guilty: U.S. court papers

A former Russian agent accused of trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence U.S. policy toward Russia is expected to plead guilty this week following a deal between her lawyers and U.S. prosecutors, according to court filings on Monday. Exactly how the deal will be structured for defendant Maria Butina and whether or not Butina may agree to cooperate with prosecutors was not immediately clear. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington scheduled a hearing for Dec. 12.

U.S. top court, Kavanaugh spurn Planned Parenthood defunding case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals by Louisiana and Kansas seeking to end their public funding to women's healthcare and abortion provider Planned Parenthood through the Medicaid program, with President Donald Trump's appointee Brett Kavanaugh among the justices who rebuffed the states. The justices left intact lower court rulings that prevented Louisiana and Kansas from stripping government healthcare funding from local Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Heavy snow kills one, snarls travel, in U.S. southeast

School districts across North and South Carolina and Virginia canceled classes for the day and emergency officials warned that heavy snow and icy roads were slowing their responses to reports, such as those of hundreds of stranded motorists. The storm dropped its heaviest snow in the appropriately named Whitetop, Virginia, tucked in the Appalachian Mountains along the western end of the Virginia-North Carolina border, the U.S. National Weather Service said. Whitetop received 2 feet (60 cm) of snow, while Greensboro, North Carolina, had 16 inches (41 cm) and Durham, North Carolina, got 14 inches (36 cm).

Winter storm knocks out power to 380,000 in U.S. Southeast

Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads as snow, sleet, and freezing rain were expected to continue through Sunday night and into Monday morning, the National Weather Service said. The agency reported between four and 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) of snow in some areas and warned about continuing snowfalls which could bring as much as a foot and a half (46 cm) from western and northern North Carolina to southwest Virginia. More than 380,000 customers were without power in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia on Sunday afternoon, Poweroutage.us reported.

U.S. appeals court will not restore Trump asylum order

A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a defeat on Friday when it refused to allow his order barring asylum for immigrants who enter the country illegally to take effect, while a court challenge proceeds. Trump cited an overwhelmed immigration system for his recent proclamation that officials will only process asylum claims for migrants who present themselves at an official entry point. Civil rights groups sued, arguing that Trump's Nov. 9 order violated administrative and immigration law.

Many U.S.-bound caravan migrants disperse as asylum process stalls

Others hopped the border fence, often directly into the hands of immigration authorities on the U.S. side, while still others dug in at temporary lodgings in Tijuana for the long process of seeking asylum from a reluctant U.S. government. As rain poured down on a former music venue in Tijuana that holds a diminished crowd of 2,500 migrants, Jessica, 18, grabbed her feverish 1-year-old daughter and took her inside to a friend while she figured out what to do with her broken tent. It's not like they say it is." Other migrants face the same dilemma.

Mueller: ex-Trump campaign chairman Manafort lied to investigators about funds, contacts

U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to federal investigators about a payment and contacts with Trump administration officials, the U.S. special counsel investigating whether Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia said in a court filing on Friday. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office submitted the filing to a U.S. District Court judge in Washington who had asked for more details on Mueller's allegations last month that Manafort had breached a plea agreement by lying.

White nationalist convicted of murdering protester in Charlottesville, Virginia

A white nationalist who drove his car into a crowd protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year, killing one of the counterdemonstrators, was found guilty on Friday of first-degree murder and nine other counts. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before convicting James Fields, 21, of all charges stemming from the deadly attack that occurred after police had declared an unlawful assembly and cleared a city park of white supremacists gathered for the "Unite the Right" rally. Defense attorneys never disputed that Fields was behind the wheel of the Dodge Charger that sent bodies flying when it crashed into a crowd on Aug. 12, 2017, killing counterprotester Heather Heyer, 32 and injuring 19 others.

Mountain lion that crossed freeways died after California wildfire

A Southern California mountain lion that crossed freeways dozens of times, evading potentially deadly traffic, has died after burning its paws during a wildfire, officials said on Friday. The 4-year-old mountain lion, which biologists had tracked with a GPS collar and had named P-64, was roaming in the Simi Hills, northwest of Los Angeles, when the fire broke out nearby, Jeff Sikich, a biologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, said in a statement. It apparently crossed an area burned by the Woolsey Fire, which erupted on Nov. 8 and scorched 97,000 acres (39,000 hectares) before being fully contained nearly two weeks later.

Many U.S.-bound caravan migrants disperse as asylum process stalls

Thousands of Central American migrants spent weeks traveling north through Mexico in caravans, walking and hitching rides when possible, only for many to give up hope and turn back when they met resistance at the U.S. border. Others hopped the border fence, often directly into the hands of immigration authorities on the U.S. side, while still others dug in at temporary lodgings in Tijuana for the long process of seeking asylum from a reluctant U.S. government. As rain poured down on a former music venue in Tijuana that holds a diminished crowd of 2,500 migrants, Jessica, 18, grabbed her feverish 1-year-old daughter and took her inside to a friend while she figured out what to do with her broken tent.

Trump administration set to relax Obama-era water protections: report

The Trump administration is set to reduce the number of federally regulated waterways protected under the U.S. Clean Water Act in a bid to help the energy and agriculture industries, according to a media report on Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency will propose altering the definition of what qualifies as "Waters of the United States" under the regulation to remove streams that flow only after rain and wetlands unconnected to larger waterways, news outlet E&E reported, citing a document. The change could open the door to additional pollution in some water bodies from industries including oil drilling, mining, and agriculture by removing them from federal oversight.

NY judge orders rapper Cardi B to stay away from victims in brawl

A New York judge on Friday ordered rapper Cardi B to have no contact with two bartenders she allegedly attacked in a strip-club brawl, but allowed her to remain free after she skipped a court appearance earlier in the week. Queens Criminal Court Judge Scott Dunn allowed the hip-hop star, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, to remain free without bail, a spokeswoman from the Queens District Attorney's Office said. Cardi B, 26, is charged with reckless endangerment, harassment and assault for allegedly throwing bottles and chairs in the Angels NYC strip club in the New York City borough of Queens after getting into an argument with two of the club's bartenders early on the morning of Aug. 29, according to police.

U.S. Air Force missed four chances to stop Texas shooter buying guns

Because the Air Force failed to submit Devin Kelley's fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the former airman was able to clear background checks to buy the guns he used to kill 26 people at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. A Reuters investigation last year found that the Air Force missed multiple chances to submit Kelly's fingerprints into the FBI's criminal databases after the November 2017 attack. Kelley, who was 26, was shot by a bystander as he fled and was found dead soon after, having shot himself in the head.

U.S. prosecutor drops appeal to extend Turkish banker's sentence: Anadolu

Halkbank shares rose nearly 4 percent after the report as market participants saw the move as further indication of an improvement in diplomatic ties between Washington and Ankara. A U.S. court sentenced Hakan Atilla, an executive from Halkbank, to 32 months in prison in May for helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions in a case that has strained already tense ties between NATO allies Ankara and Washington. Halkbank, which denies any wrongdoing, has since faced potential U.S. fines in relation to the case, which Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has condemned as a political attack against his government.

Trump, without evidence, says Arizona 'bracing' for surge of immigrants

U.S. President Donald Trump said without evidence on Thursday Arizona "is bracing for a massive surge" of immigrants along part of the border that has no protective fence, reiterating his call for Democrats to back funding for his proposed border wall. "Arizona, together with our Military and Border Patrol, is bracing for a massive surge at a NON-WALLED area.

NY police give all clear after CNN bomb threat

CNN's broadcast offices in New York City were evacuated by police on Thursday night for more than an hour after a caller said there were five bombs hidden in the Time Warner Center Building, disrupting the broadcaster's schedule, police said. All vehicle and pedestrian traffic had been blocked by police, said New York Police Detective Hubert Reyes. The call came in after 10 p.m., and the news network briefly switched to pretaped programing, before cutting to live shots of newscasters, employees and onlookers standing behind police barricades outside the building.

Top U.S. general urges Google to work with military

The top U.S. general said on Thursday that it was "inexplicable" that technology giants like Alphabet Inc's Google did not want to work with the Pentagon even as they seek out business with China, where companies have less freedom than in the United States. "We are the good guys and it's inexplicable to me that we would make compromises in order to advance our business interests in China where we know that freedoms are restrained, where we know that China will take intellectual property from companies," Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during an event. A Google spokeswoman for China issues did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Mudslide risk in Southern California wildfire zones prompts evacuation of thousands

Heavy rains and the threat of mudslides in Southern California forced the closure of a key coastal highway near Malibu on Thursday and prompted authorities to order evacuations of almost 3,000 residents from hillside areas scarred by recent wildfires. The same Pacific storm also brought snow to the region's high country, leading to the temporary closure of a stretch of Interstate 5 called the Grapevine, a major truck route that traverses a mountain pass north of Los Angeles, officials said. The storm, which led the National Weather Service to issue flash-flood warnings for parts of Southern California, heightened concerns about the long-term risk of mudslides and debris flows around communities where wildfires have stripped foothills and canyon slopes of vegetation.

California utility probing possibility wires involved in wildfire

Southern California Edison, in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, said it had not found evidence of an energized wire on the ground in the area where the Woolsey Fire was believed to have started on Nov. 8. The cause of the fire may not be determined until additional information is available, Edison said. The Woolsey Fire burned 97,000 acres near the Malibu coast, destroying 1,500 structures and causing three deaths, according to state fire officials.

Body of former President George H.W. Bush brought to Texas burial site

Bush's casket traveled by train from Houston to College Station, Texas, and then carried to the gravesite behind his library by a military honor guard, in a ceremony overseen by his son and former President George W. Bush. Bush, the 41st U.S. president, died last week in Texas at 94.

Closing arguments end in Virginia murder trial of white nationalist

Prosecutors in the murder trial of a white nationalist said on Thursday the defendant was motivated by hatred when he drove his car into crowd of counterprotesters last year, while the defense argued that he was fearfully reacting to a violent environment. Asking a Virginia jury to find James Fields guilty of murder and nine other charges, prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony said the 21-year-old defendant had no reason to be fearful, and that he came to the rally from Ohio intending to harm others. "At the end of the day, it comes down to his intent,” Antony said, summing up her case in the Charlottesville Circuit Courtroom after jurors had heard a week of testimony.

U.S. Coast Guard chief optimistic about icebreaker ship funding

The United States may soon get funding for a new heavy icebreaker ship, the head of the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, as global warming spurs the race to stake out the Arctic, which is rich in oil, gas, and minerals. The United States has two operational icebreakers - a heavy one, the Polar Star, which is more than 42 years old and has outlived its life expectancy by a dozen years, and a medium one, the Healy cutter. By comparison, Russia has about 40 to 50 icebreakers, purpose-built vessels that can rescue other ships, supply bases, and reach oil spills in harsh polar conditions.

CDC says nine more people added to E.coli infection investigation

Nineteen people have been hospitalized, including two people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, the agency said. Evidence collected from the United States and Canada indicates that romaine lettuce harvested from the central coastal growing regions of northern and central California is a likely source of the outbreak, the agency added. The agency also said it continues to advise against the consumption, and sale of romaine lettuce harvested from these regions.

F-35 formally enters operational testing

The testing is expected to be completed in the late summer of 2019 and the data will be used by the U.S. government to inform its "Milestone C" decision, leading to formal entry into full-rate production at the end of next year, the Defense Department said in a statement. All tests will be conducted at U.S. Military testing ranges and installations, it said. "The start of formal operational testing is a milestone more than 18 years in the making," F-35 program head Vice Adm. Mat Winter said.

In bipartisan test, Senate grapples with criminal justice overhaul

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate scrambled on Thursday to save an effort to overhaul America's prison policies and criminal sentencing standards, seen as a bipartisan win just weeks ago, but now up against a major obstacle. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who controls the chamber's agenda, has not brought up the legislation for a vote, even though it is backed by President Donald Trump and perhaps more than 70 senators, depending on who is counting. High political stakes ride on the outcome, which some lawmakers see as a test of Congress' ability to pass any kind of bipartisan policy reform, even with White House support.

Trump's EPA proposes looser carbon limits on new coal plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's acting administrator, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, announced the proposal. It would allow new coal plants to emit up to 1,900 pounds (862 kg) of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of electricity, up from 1,400 pounds now. The move to revive the ailing coal industry, whose share in the U.S. energy mix has been in decline, caused an uproar among environmental groups, who said it ignored dire warnings from the world's scientists about climate change.

U.S. Supreme Court appears wary of expanding 'double jeopardy'

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Thursday expressed skepticism about putting limits on criminal charges being brought against people for the same offenses by both federal and state prosecutors in a case involving an Alabama man charged with illegally possessing a gun. Depending on how the court rules, the case could have implications for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and any coordination between Moscow and Republican Donald Trump's campaign. A ruling against the government could limit the ability of states to bring charges against anyone charged by Mueller whom Trump might pardon.

Houston residents, by the thousands, mourn President George H.W. Bush

Thousands of Houstonians turned up on Thursday to pay their respects to late President George H.W. Bush, a U.S. Northeast transplant who had made Texas his home, laying flowers at makeshift memorials and lining up to catch a glimpse of his funeral motorcade. Bush ran energy businesses from Houston, and in 1966, was elected to U.S. Congress as a Republican. Bush once handed a pair of presidential cufflinks to clothing store owner Michael Wiesenthal, whose shop Bush frequented.

U.S. military air crash off Japan coast kills one Marine, five missing

Japanese and American officials said they had so far found two of the seven Marines who had been aboard the aircraft, an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules. "One of the recovered Marines is in fair condition and the other has been declared deceased by competent medical personnel," a U.S. Marine Corps statement said. The deadly crash is the latest in a string of U.S. military aviation accidents around the world in recent years, which have prompted hearings and criticism in Congress over aircraft safety.

U.S. proposes looser protections for a bird, to boost drilling, mining

The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday proposed easing Obama-era protections for a bird, the greater sage grouse, to boost oil drilling and mining across Western states, a win for energy companies but a setback for conservationists. The proposal, announced by the department's Bureau of Land Management, fits within the Trump administration's broader plan to increase energy production on federal lands by rolling back environmental regulation.

Walgreens to link up with FedEx on next-day drug delivery as Amazon nears

Walgreens Boots Alliance said on Thursday it would partner with FedEx Corp to launch a next-day delivery service for prescription drugs nationwide, giving it a leg up as Amazon threatens to shake-up the sector. In the race to make inroads in the on-demand drug delivery space, Walgreens' move could potentially put it head-to-head with Amazon.com Inc, which earlier this year said it would buy online pharmacy PillPack. Amazon's entry in the market would rattle traditional drug retailers and could potentially disrupt major players the U.S. drug supply chain.

Five Marines missing after two U.S. aircraft collide, crash into sea off Japan

Japan's defense ministry said its maritime forces had so far found two of the seven Marines who were aboard the aircraft - an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules - at the time of the incident. One was in a stable condition at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, while the second had been found about 10 hours after the collision and brought aboard a Japanese military vessel, the ministry said. Search-and-rescue efforts for the remaining five continued, Japan's highest-ranking military officer said.

USA Gymnastics, reeling from abuse claims, files for bankruptcy

The organization's chairwoman, Kathryn Carson, cited the lawsuits in the decision to seek protection from creditors in federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis. "Our organization is a financially solid going concern but for the hundred lawsuits that we do have out there," Carson said on a conference call with reporters. Nassar was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in two different trials in Michigan last February after more than 350 women testified about abuse at his hands, including Olympic champions Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber.

Parts of ravaged Paradise open for first time since California wildfire

PARADISE, Calif. (Reuters) - Thousands of Paradise residents who fled a monster blaze a month ago were allowed on Wednesday to return to some neighborhoods in the Northern California city nearly obliterated by one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history.