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Mueller's Russia report outlines episodes of possible Trump obstruction

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his inquiry into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election detailed a series of actions by President Donald Trump to impede the probe, raising questions about whether he committed the crime of obstruction of justice. The release on Thursday of the 448-page report that disclosed the findings of a 22-month investigation represented a watershed moment in Trump's tumultuous presidency. Mueller did not make a conclusion on whether Trump, whose presidency has been overshadowed by the Russia investigation, had committed obstruction of justice but did not exonerate him either.

Senate leader calls for raising minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21

McConnell said https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C7912202-0742-4404-8775-8836F261DDEF the bill would be introduced in May. Shares of Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, which owns a 35 percent stake in e-cigarette maker Juul, fell 3 percent on the news. Philip Morris International and U.S-listed shares of British American Tobacco were also trading lower.

New York City defends measles vaccination order in court

New York City's Department of Health defended its mandatory measles vaccination order in a state court on Thursday after a group of anonymous Brooklyn parents sued, arguing that the order was unconstitutional. The outbreak has infected 329 people so far, most of them children from Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn. The order, which was extended this week, requires unvaccinated people living in certain affected Brooklyn neighborhoods to get the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine if they cannot otherwise demonstrate immunity to measles, or face a $1,000 fine.

In campaign against gun violence, Columbine students aim to shock with final photos

“In the event that I die from gun violence, please publicize the photo of my death,” the pledge reads. The group's website, http://www.mylastshot.org, says the public should not be shielded from the gruesome scenes of mass shootings. A Florida teenager who authorities said was armed, dangerous and "infatuated" with the Columbine massacre became the latest victim of the Columbine tragedy on Wednesday.

Barr says Mueller probe did not establish Trump coordination with Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find that President Donald Trump or members of his campaign worked with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr told a news conference. (Reporting By Amanda Becker, Ginger Gibson and Karen Freifeld)

Barr says Mueller did not uncover evidence Trump obstructed Russia probe

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not uncover evidence that President Donald Trump obstructed the probe of whether he or members of his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. "The deputy attorney general and I concluded that the evidence developed by the special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense," Barr said during a media conference.

Man caught walking into New York cathedral with full gasoline cans, lighters: police

The incident occurred two days after a massive fire severely damaged the eight-century-old Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, causing global shock and sorrow. In New York, the man entered the Roman Catholic cathedral in midtown Manhattan just before 8 p.m. (0000 GMT) and was confronted by a security guard, according to a New York City Police Department (NYPD) official.

Ban the bunny: California aims to end post-Easter parade of unwanted rabbits

Californians can eat chocolate bunnies and snuggle plush Peter Cottontail dolls to their heart's content this Easter. The legislation, which took effect in January, prohibits retail shops from selling commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. Legislatures in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are considering similar bills.

Florida judge blocks release of video in Patriots owner prostitution case

Prosecutors said earlier in the day in court filings that they would release the recordings, which were captured by police using hidden cameras, in response to public records requests under Florida's expansive open government laws. Lawyers for Kraft, who has apologized for his actions at the Orchids of Asia Spa but pleaded not guilty to the charges, on Friday asked the judge handling Kraft's case to suppress the videotaped evidence of their client, saying it amounted to "basically pornography." A hearing on that matter is scheduled for next week.

Creditor group seeks to wrest probing power from Puerto Rico board

A group of public labor unions and other creditors on Wednesday asked a judge to grant it power to pursue probes into individuals who contributed to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis because the U.S. commonwealth's federally created financial oversight board has failed to do so. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which includes Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, as well as suppliers and contractors to the Puerto Rican government, said the board recently informed the committee it will not pursue claims against advisers, underwriters and public officials involved in debt sales by the island prior to its May 2017 bankruptcy filing. "The oversight board has alternated between slow-walking a proper investigation into potential causes of action relating to Puerto Rico’s debt issuances, actively obstructing the committee’s own efforts to investigate the debtors’ prior conduct and indebtedness, and simply allowing causes of action to lapse by failing to anticipate and meet statutory deadlines," the motion stated.

Wisconsin governor says he wants to renegotiate Foxconn contract

Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who took office in January, inherited a deal to give Foxconn around $4 billion in tax breaks and other incentives that was championed by Scott Walker, Evers' Republican predecessor. Announced at a White House ceremony in 2017, Foxconn's 20-million-square-foot campus marked the largest greenfield investment by a foreign-based company in U.S. history and was praised by President Donald Trump as proof of his ability to revive American manufacturing. Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple Inc, has pledged to eventually create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, but said earlier this year it had slowed its pace of hiring.

'I wanna be dead': Teen obsessed with Columbine posted dark thoughts online

The Florida teenager whose purported fascination with the 1999 Columbine school massacre sparked a massive hunt for her this week appears to have kept an online journal peppered with violent imagery and awash in despair, anger and suicidal thoughts. An online journal written by someone who identified herself as "Sol Pais" - the teenager who authorities said was found dead on Wednesday - included entries that alluded to "plans" that would lead to the author's death, though they did not describe specific threats against others. Pais, 18, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday, authorities said, days after she traveled to Denver from her home in Florida and bought a shotgun ahead of Saturday's 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado.

Young woman obsessed with Columbine found dead after frantic manhunt

The body of Sol Pais, a student from Surfside, Florida, was found by authorities about 40 miles (64 km) west of Columbine High School, at about 10:30 a.m. local time, said Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the Denver office of the FBI. Pais was found alone in a wooded area of Clear Creek County and appeared to have shot herself with the pump-action shotgun she had purchased after arriving in Colorado from Miami earlier this week, Phillips said at a news conference hours later.

Florida judge blocks release of video in Patriots owner prostitution case

Prosecutors said earlier in the day in court filings that they would release the recordings, which were captured by police using hidden cameras, in response to public records requests under Florida's expansive open government laws. Lawyers for Kraft, who has apologized for his actions at the Orchids of Asia Spa but pleaded not guilty to the charges, on Friday asked the judge handling Kraft's case to suppress the videotaped evidence of their client, saying it amounted to "basically pornography." A hearing on that matter is scheduled for next week.

Creditor group seeks to wrest probing power from Puerto Rico board

A group of public labor unions and other creditors on Wednesday asked a judge to grant it power to pursue probes into individuals who contributed to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis because the U.S. commonwealth's federally created financial oversight board has failed to do so. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which includes Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, as well as suppliers and contractors to the Puerto Rican government, said the board recently informed the committee it will not pursue claims against advisers, underwriters and public officials involved in debt sales by the island prior to its May 2017 bankruptcy filing. "The oversight board has alternated between slow-walking a proper investigation into potential causes of action relating to Puerto Rico’s debt issuances, actively obstructing the committee’s own efforts to investigate the debtors’ prior conduct and indebtedness, and simply allowing causes of action to lapse by failing to anticipate and meet statutory deadlines," the motion stated.

Dozens of doctors in Appalachia charged in opioid fraud bust

Sixty people, including 31 doctors, were accused of illegally prescribing opioid drugs in exchange for cash and sexual favors in the rural, mountainous region stretching from Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Alabama and Louisiana. “The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement.

U.S. advances review of Musk's Baltimore-Washington tunnel project

Musk's Boring Co has proposed a privately funded 35.3-mile "loop project" that would include twin underground tunnels transporting passengers at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The company says passengers would be able to travel from downtown Washington to Baltimore in as little as 15 minutes. Musk, who also leads electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc and rocket company SpaceX, is seeking to revolutionize transportation by digging tunnels, including one that would connect downtown Chicago and the city's main airport.

Twenty years after Columbine, mass shooting survivors help others heal

Michelle Wheeler, 38, escaped the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, when two students killed 12 students and a teacher, thrusting the horror of school shootings into the American consciousness. Chad Williams, 19, was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student killed 17 students and staff members, including one of Williams’ best friends, on Feb. 14, 2018. The conversation with Wheeler made him feel less alone, Williams said.

Companies warn Trump: Census citizenship question could be costly

Corporate executives, lobbyists and representatives from major industry groups like the Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers have raised the issue in meetings with government officials, according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the matter. Some meetings date back to 2017, when the administration was first mulling adding the question. Industry officials continue to seek assurances from the Census Bureau and the Commerce Department that the question's impact on the quality of Census data will be minimized, according to the sources, who described the meetings on condition of anonymity.

Trump attorney general's ruling expands indefinite detention for asylum seekers

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday struck down a decision that had allowed some asylum seekers to ask for bond in front of an immigration judge, in a ruling that expands indefinite detention for some migrants who must wait months or years for their cases to be heard. The first immigration court ruling from President Donald Trump's newly appointed Attorney General William Barr is in keeping with the administration's moves to clamp down on the asylum process as tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans cross into the United States asking for refuge. U.S. immigration courts are overseen by the Justice Department and the Attorney General can rule in cases to set legal precedent.

Columbine principal, haunted by 20-year-old massacre, still recites victims' names

Each morning for the last two decades, Frank DeAngelis has recited aloud the names of the 13 people killed at Columbine High School, where he served as principal during the 1999 massacre that marked a modern era of mass school shootings. On April 20, 1999, two heavily armed Columbine students stormed the school in suburban Denver, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. At the time, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

FBI seeks woman 'infatuated with Columbine' in Colorado schools threat

"We consider her a credible threat to the community,"said Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Denver office, Dean Phillips, at a news briefing. Earlier Tuesday, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued a warning, calling the woman they identified as Sol Pais, 18 of Florida, as "extremely dangerous." Phillips said the local FBI were notified by the FBI's Miami office that Pais made verbal threats and had traveled to Colorado.

States say half of wetlands would lose protection under EPA proposal

The attorneys general issued a joint statement on Monday critical of the EPA's proposal to narrow the scope 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. Current EPA officials, several Republican-leaning states and farmers said the Obama-era WOTUS rule was too generous in defining what constituted a navigable waterway, often saying small puddles would be subject to regulations.

Columbine and other Colorado schools placed under security alert

Officers were "investigating what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools," the sheriff's department said on Twitter, adding that students were safe and additional deputies were dispatched to the schools. "Last night, Sol Pais traveled to Colorado & made threats. The Sheriff's office spokesman, Deputy Mike Taplin, said the anniversary of the Columbine mass shooting was not a "direct" factor in the security alert.

Minnesota student sues China's JD.com CEO Liu with allegation of rape

The lawsuit in Hennepin County court seeks undisclosed damages and names Richard Liu and JD.com as defendants. It also identifies the student for the first time as Liu Jingyao, a Chinese woman who is not related to the JD.com executive. "Defendant Liu was physically larger in size and significantly stronger than the plaintiff and used his superior size and strength to subdue and rape her," the court document said.

Man accused of tossing boy off Mall of America balcony ordered held without bond

In his first court appearance since Friday's incident, when he allegedly dropped the boy nearly 40 feet (12 meters), Emmanuel Aranda was charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder, Hennepin County Attorney's office spokesman Chuck Laszewski said. Prosecutors had asked for bail to be set at $2 million, but Hennepin Country District Court Judge Jeannice Reding reserved her decision on the request, ordering Aranda held in lieu of $2 million bond until a May 14 hearing, Laszewski said. Aranda, 24, who lives in Minneapolis, did not enter a plea, Laszewski added.

Voting underway in Indonesia, world's biggest one-day election

President Joko Widodo, a furniture businessman who entered politics 14 years ago as a small-city mayor, is seeking re-election against former general Prabowo Subianto, whom he narrowly defeated in the last election, in 2014. Papuans in six regional legislative elections will use a traditional "noken" system, where a village chief collects votes from residents and casts one collective vote on their behalf. Around 100 worshippers, mostly supporters of Prabowo dressed in white, gathered at a central Jakarta mosque for prayers at dawn before casting their votes when polls open at 7 a.m. local time (0000 GMT).