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Insurance claims for latest California wildfires top $9 billion

Insurance claims from the recent spate of California wildfires, including one ranked as the most deadly and destructive in state history, have topped $9 billion and are expected to grow, the state insurance commissioner reported on Wednesday. The Camp Fire, which erupted on Nov. 8 and quickly incinerated most of the Sierra foothills town of Paradise, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, has accounted for the bulk of the claims, just over $7 billion of the total.

Opioid maker Insys paid kickbacks to physician assistant, jury hears

The testimony came at the start of the trial in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, of Christopher Clough, a physician assistant who prosecutors say accepted nearly $50,000 from Insys in exchange for prescribing its powerful opioid pain drug, Subsys. The trial could provide a glimpse into some of the evidence prosecutors will use in next month's trial of six former Insys executives and managers, including John Kapoor, a onetime billionaire who was the company's founder and chairman. Prosecutors say they conspired to pay kickbacks to doctors and others like Clough by paying them fees to participate in "sham" speaker programs ostensibly meant to educate medical professionals about the drug.

U.S. probe cites 'ineffective' safeguard in Husky oil refinery blast

An "ineffective" safeguard failed to prevent an explosive mixing of air and fuel at a Husky Energy refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, leading to a blast and fire in the plant's gasoline-producing unit in April, a U.S. industrial safety group said on Wednesday. Air seeped through a hole in a valve within a fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said, causing an April 26 explosion that led to a massive fire and a 24-hour-long evacuation of residents living within miles of the plant. The board said 36 people sought medical treatment after the blast, including 11 working at the refinery.

Chicago mayor pushes bond sale, constitutional change to aid pensions

Mayor Rahm Emanuel laid out a multi-pronged plan on Wednesday to tackle Chicago's huge pension burden, urging the city council to approve the issuance of $10 billion of bonds to boost funding for the city's four retirement systems. Emanuel, who leaves office in May after declining to run for a third term as mayor, also called for changing the Illinois Constitution and earmarking new revenue from a possible casino and legalized marijuana for pensions. "Issuing these bonds and depositing the proceeds directly into our pension funds would immediately increase the health of our pension funds to levels not seen in at least a decade before asking more of Chicago's hard-pressed taxpayers," the mayor said in a speech to the city council.

United Airlines to add international routes from San Francisco

The airline also plans to start a second daily flight between San Francisco and Seoul as well as new year-round nonstop flights between the U.S. city and Auckland, Tahiti and Amsterdam in 2019. "This route expansion solidifies United's position at San Francisco as the gateway airline serving destinations across the Pacific, the continental United States, as well as to Europe and beyond," Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz said.

Ex-N.Y. state university official gets prison for bid rigging

The former president of the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Tuesday for helping to rig the bidding process for a billion-dollar, state-funded development project. Alain Kaloyeros was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan, who also ordered him to pay a $100,000 fine, according to a spokesman for federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Kaloyeros had been found guilty of fraud and conspiracy by a jury in June following a three-week trial.

Trump administration asks top court to restore asylum order

The U.S. Justice Department asked the court to lift a temporary restraining order against the asylum rules issued by San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar. Trump has taken a hard line toward legal and illegal immigration since taking office last year. Citing what he called an overwhelmed immigration system, Trump issued a proclamation on Nov. 9 that authorities process asylum claims only for migrants crossing the southern U.S. border at an official port of entry.

Cosby's lawyers cite grounds for appealing sexual assault conviction

The 81-year-old performer, best known for his role as the lovable family man and physician on the hit television sitcom "The Cosby Show," was found guilty by a Pennsylvania jury in April of drugging and sexually assaulting a onetime friend in 2004. It marked the first such criminal conviction of a celebrity accused of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement that has brought down dozens of powerful, privileged men in American media, politics and business since the autumn of 2017. In September, the trial judge, Steven O'Neill, designated Cosby a "sexually violent predator" under Pennsylvania law, requiring the entertainer to register as a sex offender for life, and sentenced him to a term of three to 10 years in prison.

Texas executes man convicted of 1993 murder

Alvin Braziel, 43, was pronounced dead at 7:19 p.m. local time, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Asked by the warden if he had any last words before he was put to death, Braziel expressed thanks to "all those overseas, Italy and France, for their support for death row prisoners. Braziel was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 for attacking Douglas and Lora White at gunpoint while they were on a walk along a jogging trail at Eastfield College, a Dallas-area community college, on Sept. 21, 1993, according to court documents.

PG&E says cause of Camp Fire not yet determined despite probe

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) released a new report on Tuesday into a massive California wildfire that ignited near one of its damaged towers, offering new details of the incident but stopping short of accepting blame. The Camp Fire broke out on the morning of Nov. 8 near the Northern California mountain community of Paradise, sweeping through the town and killing 86 people in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history. The Butte County Sheriff's Office announced late on Tuesday that a man who was severely burned while trying to put out the fire that engulfed his car had died from his injuries.

No evidence for Trump claim on 'terrorists': government sources

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that U.S. authorities had "caught 10 terrorists," citing it as a reason for why the United States should build a wall on its Mexican border, but four government sources said there was no recent evidence of terrorism suspects being caught along the border. Three national security officials agreed with that view, saying they knew of no recent border-related arrests. In a contentious White House meeting on Tuesday with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Trump demanded $5 billion in taxpayer funding for his wall, threatening a federal shutdown if he did not get the money.

Chicago mayor to leave pension bond decision to successor: source

Chicago will not immediately pursue the issuance of up to $10 billion of pension bonds to buoy its underfunded retirement system, under steps Mayor Rahm Emanuel will outline to the city council on Wednesday, a city hall source said on Tuesday. Instead, Emanuel, who is not seeking a third term in office next year, will work with aldermen to create a structure for the debt, leaving it up to them and the next mayor to decide whether to issue the bonds, the source added. Chicago's unfunded pension liability was $27.6 billion in 2017 with a funded ratio of only 26.5 percent on an actuarial basis.

U.S. weighs China travel warning over Huawei case: sources

Such an advisory from the State Department would warn U.S. nationals of the risk that China could retaliate against them for the detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, according to one of the sources familiar with the situation. Meng, 46, arrested on Dec. 1 in Vancouver, returned to a Canadian court on Tuesday for a bail hearing and is fighting a U.S. extradition request. China has protested her arrest to U.S. and Canadian officials.

Trump administration asks top court to restore asylum order

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to let his order barring asylum for immigrants who enter the United States illegally take effect even as litigation over the matter proceeds.

Ex-N.Y. state university official gets prison for bid rigging

The former president of the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Tuesday for helping to rig the bidding process for a billion-dollar, state-funded development project. Alain Kaloyeros was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan, who also ordered him to pay a $100,000 fine, according to a spokesman for federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Kaloyeros had been found guilty of fraud and conspiracy by a jury in June following a three-week trial.

Senate approves farm bill compromise that avoids food stamp cuts

U.S. lawmakers have reached an agreement on a farm bill that leaves out a proposal to tighten food stamps criteria backed by President Donald Trump, and offers some financial certainty to farmers suffering from the U.S. trade war with China. The bill passed the Senate 87-13. Congressional staffers are expecting the House to vote by Thursday and send the bill to Trump for his signature before Friday.

Conservation groups sue Trump administration over Atlantic oil testing

Environmental groups opposed to offshore drilling sued the federal government on Tuesday to prevent future seismic tests for oil and gas deposits in Atlantic waters off the U.S. East Coast. Seismic testing, which uses air gun blasts, violates federal laws that protect marine mammals, endangered species, and national environmental policy, according the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, against U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Virginia jury wants life sentence for neo-Nazi who killed protester

A Virginia jury on Tuesday sentenced to life in prison a self-described neo-Nazi who killed a woman when he rammed his car into a crowd protesting two days of white supremacist rallies in the college town of Charlottesville. The Charlottesville, Virginia, jury urged a judge to send James Fields, 21, to prison for the rest of his life four days after finding the Ohio man guilty of first-degree murder and nine other crimes for killing Heather Heyer, 32, and injuring 19 people after the "Unite the Right" gathering in August 2017. The event proved a critical moment in the rise of the "alt-right," a loose alignment of fringe groups centered on white nationalism and emboldened by President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory.

Trump administration official defends tear gas use at Mexico border

The firing of tear gas canisters by U.S. border agents toward migrants in Mexico near a border crossing last month followed regulations, a senior Trump administration official said in testimony to Congress on Tuesday. On Nov. 25, U.S. border agents fired tear gas to disperse a group of migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border crossing separating Tijuana from San Diego when some rushed through fencing into the United States. A day after the incident, Mexico's foreign ministry presented a diplomatic note to the U.S. government calling for "a full investigation" into what it described as non-lethal weapons directed toward Mexican territory.

Texas ready to execute man convicted of 1993 murder, assault

Alvin Braziel, 43, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. CST (0000 GMT), the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. Braziel was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001.

Trump administration proposes weakening U.S. waterway protections

The Trump administration proposed on Tuesday reducing federal protections for U.S. waterways, an action sought by ranching and mining interests but one that will likely be held up in the courts amid lawsuits brought by environmentalists. The Environmental Protection Agency proposal would narrow the extent of protections in the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that President Barack Obama's administration expanded in 2015 to cover a wide range of water bodies. President Donald Trump, who has accused Obama of over-reaching on regulations, made rolling back WOTUS one of his top policy priorities.

Number of people believed missing in California wildfire drops to three

The death toll from the so-called Camp Fire, remains at 85, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said. No human remains have been found since early December, but the search will continue, officials said.

U.S. arrests religious leaders, activists at border protest

More than 400 demonstrators, many leaders of churches, mosques, synagogues and indigenous communities, sought a halt to detention and deportation of migrants and for the United States to welcome the caravan that arrived in Tijuana, Mexico in November. Singing and praying, religious leaders moved forward in lines of four to six, some wearing T-shirts reading, "Love Knows No Borders." They were handcuffed and led away by federal agents upon entering a restricted area in front of the fence. "As a Quaker who believes in our shared humanity...We’re calling on the U.S. to respect the rights of migrants," said Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, which has run a week of actions to back migrants.

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

Exactly how the deal will be structured for Butina was not immediately clear. CNN reported on Monday that Butina had already begun to cooperate with prosecutors, citing one source familiar with the matter. A representative for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on the case.

Dylann Roof admirer charged with Ohio bomb plot

Elizabeth Lecron, 23, was accused of purchasing gunpowder and screws that the FBI said she intended to use in an "upscale mass murder" at the bar, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement. Lecron came to the attention of police this year after an associate expressed a desire to conduct an attack. Investigators found a number of social media posts by Lecron glorifying mass murderers, including Roof and the Columbine High School shooters.

Indiana teen to face charges in pregnant classmate's death: prosecutor

The suspect was arrested on Sunday afternoon, hours after the victim's body was located in a dumpster outside South Bend, Indiana, local media reported. The victim, 17-year-old Breana Rouhselang, was reported missing by her family before dawn on Sunday, Lieutenant Alex Arendt of the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit told reporters on Sunday. The prosecutor's office identified the suspect as Aaron Trejo.

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.