Owensboro

American Express to pay $96 million over discriminatory card terms

American Express will end up paying $96 million to credit card customers in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories for charging higher interest rates and engaging in other discriminatory practices, federal regulators said on Wednesday. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that more than 200,000 consumers at two of the company's banking subsidiaries had been harmed by the practices, which also included stricter credit cutoffs and less debt forgiveness than offered to customers in U.S. states. American Express said in a statement the discrepancy was discovered in an internal review and reported to the CFPB in 2013.

Cuba 'incidents' caused brain injury, nerve damage to diplomats: CBS News

A doctor who evaluated American and Canadian diplomats working in Cuba diagnosed them with conditions as serious as mild traumatic brain injury and damage to the central nervous system, CBS News said on Wednesday, citing medical records it reviewed. The diplomats had complained of symptoms including hearing loss, nausea, headaches and balance disorders after what were described as "incidents" that began affecting them in Havana beginning in late 2016, CBS News said. Officials are investigating whether the diplomats were targets of some form of sonic attack directed at their homes, CBS reported, citing a source familiar with the incidents.

SAC's Martoma fails to overturn U.S. insider trading conviction

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the insider trading conviction of Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors LP, after the U.S. Supreme Court made such cases easier to pursue. In a 2-1 vote, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan found "overwhelming" evidence that a Michigan doctor received financial benefits from providing confidential information to Martoma about a 2008 Alzheimer's drug trial.

Confederate General Lee doppelganger pulled from college broadcast

White nationalists rallied earlier this month against a proposal to take down a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, and clashed with counterprotesters. The decision to remove announcer Robert Lee, which sparked anger on social media, was made for safety reasons, ESPN spokeswoman Keri Potts said. "When the protests in Charlottesville were happening, we raised with him the notion of switching games," ESPN spokesman Chris LaPlaca said.

Trump voices mild optimism about ties with North Korea

PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday about a possible improvement in relations with North Korea after months of mounting tension over its weapons programs. "I respect the fact that he is starting to respect us," Trump said of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "And maybe - probably not, but maybe - something positive can come about," he said at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Eric Walsh; Editing by Paul Tait)

First lady thanks Chelsea Clinton for defending Barron Trump

Chelsea Clinton criticized the Daily Caller, a conservative news website, for publishing an article by its entertainment reporter criticizing the clothes of 11-year-old Barron Trump. The article drew widespread scorn, notably from Chelsea Clinton, whose appearance was often picked over by news outlets while she was a child growing up in the White House and her father, Bill Clinton, was president in the 1990s. "It's high time the media & everyone leave Barron Trump alone & let him have the private childhood he deserves," Clinton wrote on Twitter on Monday, referring to the article.

Army drill sergeants at Fort Benning, Ga. suspended in sex assault probe

A number of U.S. Army drill sergeants at Fort Benning, Georgia, have been temporarily suspended from their duties following allegations of sexual misconduct with trainees, the Army base said on Wednesday. Investigators looking into an initial sexual assault allegation by a female trainee against a drill sergeant at the fort uncovered other incidents of alleged sexual misconduct, prompting a wider investigation, the base said in a statement. A spokesman declined to say how many drill sergeants had been suspended as part of the investigation, but the statement indicated it was more than one.

Cheap oil undercuts U.S. rail, bus service: study

Cheap gasoline is squeezing U.S. bus companies and the Amtrak passenger rail system that bet more consumers would embrace alternatives to driving for trips shorter than 400 miles, a study by researchers at DePaul University concluded. The study, released Tuesday, found nine metropolitan areas in the United States with populations above 700,000 now have no Amtrak passenger rail service or express bus service.

Clinton, in book, says Trump's debate stalking made her skin crawl

By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says in her new book that Donald Trump made her skin crawl by stalking her around the stage in a campaign debate and she wonders if she should have told him to "back up, you creep." In audio excerpts of the book "What Happened" aired on Wednesday on MSNBC, Clinton described her 2016 campaign as "joyful, humbling, infuriating and just plain baffling" and acknowledged she failed her millions of supporters by losing to Trump in the November election. In the excerpts, Clinton described the Oct. 9 debate in St. Louis in which Trump followed her closely about the stage, lurking behind her as she fielded questions from a live television audience. The debate came two days after an audiotape emerged in which Trump was heard bragging about groping women.

Connecticut governor eyes economic investments amid fiscal crisis

By Hilary Russ HARTFORD (Reuters) - Connecticut, one of the wealthiest states in the nation, also has some of the highest debt levels and its capital city of Hartford is facing potential bankruptcy. Now, the state faces a fiscal crisis. Governor Dannel Malloy, a second-term Democrat who is not seeking reelection, discussed with Reuters tough decisions he has wrestled with to address a fiscal calamity decades in the making.

Americans wish for luck in $700-million Powerball lottery jackpot

The odds against wining are astronomical, but millions of Americans will be hoping for some life-altering luck on Wednesday night when winning numbers are drawn for the second-highest jackpot in the history of the Powerball lottery. A winning ticket could bring the holder an estimated $700 million windfall, a prize topped only by a January 2016 $1.56 billion Powerball jackpot, the world's largest lottery reward ever. Anna Domoto, spokeswoman for the Multi-State Lottery Association, said that even more tickets are expected to be sold in the four-day period leading up to Wednesday night's drawing.

U.S. Navy relieves Seventh Fleet commander in wake of collisions in Asia

WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Wednesday said it had removed Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin after a series of collisions involving its warships in Asia as the search goes on for 10 sailors missing since the latest mishap. Aucoin's removal comes after a pre-dawn collision between a guided-missile destroyer and a merchant vessel east of Singapore and Malaysia on Monday, the fourth major incident in the U.S. Pacific Fleet this year. "Admiral Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, today relieved the commander of Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," the U.S. Navy said in a press release.

Trump hints at pardon for former Arizona Sheriff Arpaio

U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Tuesday that he would issue a pardon for Joe Arpaio, a controversial former sheriff convicted last month of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case. Trump, who had already held out the possibility of a pardon for Arpaio, decided against announcing it at a major rally in Arizona on Tuesday night but suggested that he would step in at some point. Arpaio, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, was the sheriff of Maricopa County in Phoenix before he lost a re-election bid in 2016.

Police use pepper spray to disperse protesters at Trump's Phoenix rally

Police fired pepper spray to disperse protesters outside a rally by U.S. President Donald Trump in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday after being pelted with rocks and bottles, police said. Police have not given an estimate of the number of protesters, but Arizona media said there were several thousand. Police did not say whether the pepper spray was used on pro- or anti-Trump protesters, or both.

Trump unshackled: President defends Charlottesville response at raucous rally

By Jeff Mason and Keith Coffman PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump revved up supporters on Tuesday with a defense of his response to a white supremacist-organized rally in Virginia and a promise to shut down the U.S. government if necessary to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Under fire for saying "both sides" were to blame for the violence between white supremacists and left-wing counter protesters in Virginia on Aug. 12, Trump accused television networks of ignoring his calls for unity in the aftermath. "I didn't say I love you because you're black, or I love you because you're white," Trump said.

Charlottesville to cover Confederate statues after chaotic meeting

City councilors in Charlottesville, Virginia, voted unanimously on Tuesday to cover two statues of Confederate war heroes in black fabric after ejecting spectators from a chaotic council meeting as residents demanded answers over how a recent white nationalist rally turned deadly. It was the first council meeting since the Aug. 12 rally, when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters and killed a 32-year-old woman. Many at the meeting shouted at the councilors and Mayor Mike Signer, forcing them at one point to leave the chamber.

U.S. Navy to relieve commander after collisions in Asia: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy will in the coming hours relieve the three-star admiral who commands its seventh fleet following a series of collisions in Asia, a U.S. official told Reuters late on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Navy to relieve admiral of command after collisions: WSJ

The U.S. Navy plans to remove from duty the commander of the fleet that has suffered four recent collisions in Asia and the deaths of a number of sailors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials. Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, will be relieved of command on Wednesday in connection with four collisions since January, including two involving fatalities, two U.S. officials said, according to the Journal. It said Navy officials declined to comment.

Bundy followers found not guilty at Nevada trial: newspaper

Scott Drexler, Ricky Lovelien, Eric Parker and Steven Stewart - committed crimes including conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, extortion and weapons law violations when they traveled to Nevada with firearms to participate in a plan to halt a cattle roundup. The uprising at Bundy's ranch near Bunkerville, Nevada, 75 miles (120 km) northeast of Las Vegas, grew out of a dispute in which federal agents seized Bundy's cattle over his refusal to pay fees required for grazing his livestock on government land.

After solar eclipse, Americans' eyes seem mostly none the worse

One man showed up at a New York City hospital on Tuesday with a damaged retina after acting on the mistaken belief he could safely stare at an eclipse through a hole punched in a garbage bag. "I'm sort of amazed so far that we haven't examined anybody who has damage," Dr. M. Edward Wilson said by telephone from the Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute in Charleston. It was a similar story at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, New York City's Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon: not a blurry eye in sight.

Missouri governor halts execution to examine questions over DNA

By Chris Kenning CHICAGO (Reuters) - Missouri Governor Eric Greitens halted the execution of a man scheduled to be put to death on Tuesday for killing a woman during a burglary after his attorneys argued that recent DNA evidence showed he is innocent. Greitens issued the stay of execution for Marcellus Williams, 48, just over four hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection in a Bonne Terre state prison for the stabbing death of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle during an August 1998 robbery at her home. Greitens said in a statement he would appoint a Board of Inquiry to examine the new DNA evidence and recommend whether he should commute Williams' death sentence.

Family of Chinese scholar missing in Illinois asks Trump for help

(Reuters) - Family members of a Chinese scholar presumed kidnapped in Illinois asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to provide additional resources to help find her.

Protests expected at Trump's Phoenix rally, senators will not attend

Arizona's two U.S. senators, who have both clashed with President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, were expected to skip his campaign rally on Tuesday night in Phoenix, where large protests are planned. In his first such event since causing an uproar last week with remarks about a white nationalist demonstration in Virginia, Trump was expected to make remarks at the rally but not use the event to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, had asked Trump to postpone Tuesday's event scheduled for 7 p.m. MST (0200 GMT on Wednesday).

Treasury secretary's wife apologizes for Instagram sniping

The flap erupted after Mnuchin's wife, Scottish-born actress Louise Linton, posted a photo of herself emerging from the aircraft wearing a white outfit and sunglasses, using the hashtags "#tomford," "#hermesscarf" and "#valentino," according to images of the Monday evening post on social media. In her initially vitriolic response to the "deplorable" criticism, Linton had lashed out about how much she and her husband contribute to the economy and pay in taxes.

Trump not to pardon former Sheriff Arpaio during Arizona trip: White House

President Donald Trump will not issue a pardon on Tuesday for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio during his trip to Arizona, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. Trump had held out the possibility of a pardon for Arpaio, a former sheriff of Maricopa County in Phoenix and an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration.

Los Angeles seeks to join lawsuit over U.S. sanctuary policies

The city of Los Angeles on Tuesday sought to join a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice over federal restrictions on some law enforcement grants to so-called sanctuary cities, according to a court filing. The state of California and city of San Francisco earlier this month filed legal challenges that accused the administration of President Donald Trump of improperly trying to force local jurisdictions to enforce national immigration law by imposing funding conditions. In proposed legal claims filed in Northern California federal court, attorneys for Los Angeles called the Justice Department's proposals "unconstitutional on their face." A judge would have to approve Los Angeles' request to intervene in the existing San Francisco lawsuit.

Charlottesville to cover Confederate statues after chaotic meeting

It was the first council meeting since the Aug. 12 rally, when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters and killed a 32-year-old woman. Many at the meeting shouted at the councilors and Mayor Mike Signer, forcing them at one point to leave the chamber. Videos posted on social media showed some in the crowd yelling "shame" and "shut it down" and calling for Signer's resignation.

After solar eclipse, Americans' eyes seem mostly none the worse

One man showed up at a New York City hospital on Tuesday with a damaged retina after acting on the mistaken belief he could safely stare at an eclipse through a hole punched in a garbage bag. "I'm sort of amazed so far that we haven't examined anybody who has damage," Dr. M. Edward Wilson said by telephone from the Medical University of South Carolina's Storm Eye Institute in Charleston. It was a similar story at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, New York City's Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon: not a blurry eye in sight.

U.S. appeals court rules for TSA screener who had run-in with flier

A federal appeals court in Philadelphia threw out a First Amendment claim by an architect, Roger Vanderklok, who said he was arrested in retaliation for asking to file a complaint against an ill-tempered Transportation Security Administration supervisor. "We, of course, do not suggest that TSA screeners should act with disdain for passenger rights or that they can escape all the consequences of their bad behavior," Circuit Judge Kent Jordan wrote for a three-judge panel. "Ultimately, the role of the TSA in securing public safety is so significant that we ought not create a damages remedy in this context," Jordan added.

Pennsylvania judge delays Cosby sex assault retrial till March

Comedian Bill Cosby's retrial on charges of sexually assaulting a former administrator at his alma mater in 2004 at his Philadelphia-area home will be postponed from November to March of next year, a judge said on Tuesday. Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill said the move will give Cosby's new defense team enough time to prepare for the trial. Cosby's first trial ended in a mistrial in June after more than 50 hours of jury deliberation failed to yield an unanimous verdict on whether he drugged and assaulted Andrea Constand, who got to know Cosby while working for the women's basketball team at Temple University.

Verizon launches cheaper unlimited plan to compete with rivals

By Anjali Athavaley NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc said on Tuesday that it was introducing a cheaper unlimited mobile data plan with some limits as it tries to lure customers away from rival wireless carriers. "While entry-level pricing appears more competitive, the changes more likely reflect the impact current plans are having on Verizon's network," Mike McCormack, an analyst at Jefferies, said in a note. "The move also follows a trend of differentiating unlimited plans to manage congestion and monetize the network." Verizon has been competing for customers with smaller rivals T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp in a saturated U.S. market for wireless service as most consumers already have cell phones.

Manhattan high-end condo prices rise with strong demand: report

The unit, at 432 Park Avenue, billed as the tallest residential tower in the Americas, was one of three at the Midtown East building that were in the top-five most expensive condominium sales in Manhattan, an analysis by CityRealty said. The analysis examined sale prices and what was paid per square foot in an index the realty company has created to gauge investment performance for what it considers the top 100 condominium buildings in Manhattan.

Bergdahl to have U.S. Army desertion case heard by judge, not jury

(Reuters) - U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, charged with desertion and endangerment of U.S. troops for leaving his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009, has chosen to have a judge hear the case instead of a military jury, according to a court filing.