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☆ J&J subsidiary files for bankruptcy to advance $8 billion talc settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

J&J’s Red River Talc unit made its filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. J&J faces lawsuits from more than 62,000 claimants who alleged that its baby powder and other talc products were contaminated with asbestos and caused ovarian and other cancers. After being rebuffed twice by federal courts, New Brunswick New Jersey-based J&J is attempting again to end the litigation in a so-called “Texas two-step” bankruptcy. J&J said the Red River unit filed the bankruptcy case after it received support of about 83% of current claimants for the proposed bankruptcy plan. The goal is to use the proceeding to force all plaintiffs into one settlement, without requiring J&J itself to file for bankruptcy.

Persons: Reuters —, Johnson, J, Dietrich Knauth, Leigh Jones, Will Dunham, Sandra Maler, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Reuters, Johnson, Bankruptcy, Southern, Southern District of, Supreme, Purdue Locations: U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Texas, New Brunswick New Jersey, Texas, Bengaluru

A branch of First Republic Bank is seen after Jamie Dimon's JPMorgan Chase & Co emerged as the winner of a weekend auction of the bank in San Franciso, California, U.S. May 1, 2023. First Republic failed on May 1, 2023, after a series of Federal Reserve interest rate increases caused large losses in its investment portfolio and led many depositors to move their money elsewhere. In their complaint filed last December, the former First Republic employees alleged that the FDIC had on May 18, 2023, wrongfully stopped making payments under their deferred compensation plan. First Republic failed less than two months after the failures of two other lenders, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The case is Harrington et al v FDIC, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

Persons: Jamie Dimon's, Hyun Joo Jin, District Judge Haywood Gilliam, Gilliam, Harrington, Jonathan Stempel, Will Dunham Organizations: First Republic Bank, Jamie Dimon's JPMorgan Chase, REUTERS, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Bank, U.S, District, Federal, First, JPMorgan, Republic, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, FDIC, Court, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: San Franciso , California, U.S, California, San Francisco, Oakland , California, Northern District, Northern District of California, New York

The ruling came on the final day of the Supreme Court's term that began in October. At issue in the case was whether Corner Post was too late when it brought its legal challenge. A group of small business associations had filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to maintain a strict statute of limitations that begins at the time a regulation is finalized. The Supreme Court in 2015 left in place a lower court's ruling backing the regulation. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Traynor's decision, setting up the Supreme Court appeal.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Charles Koch's, Joe Biden's, Dodd, Frank Wall, Daniel Traynor, Traynor's, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, Mastercard, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Federal, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Federal Reserve, of Governors, District, Circuit, Fed, Thomson Locations: North Dakota, Watford City, Corner, St, Louis

☆ Chile President Says Wildfires Death Toll Jumps to 64, Likely to Rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - At least 64 people have died from forest fires raging in Chile - an increase of 13 in the past day, President Gabriel Boric said on Sunday, adding that the death toll is likely to increase further. "We know that figure is going to grow, it's going to grow significantly," Boric said in a televised speech to the nation. (Reporting by Diego Ore in Mexico City; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Will Dunham)

Persons: Gabriel Boric, Boric, Diego Ore, Drazen Jorgic, Will Dunham Organizations: Reuters, Diego Locations: Chile, Mexico City

☆ Republican Candidate Trump Says U.S. Needs to Impose Tariffs on China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs on China again if he is elected in November and they could exceed 60 percent. "I mean, look, the stock market almost crashed when it was announced that I won the Iowa primary (sic) in a record. Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods in 2018 and 2019 amid a bitter trade war between the world's two largest economies. Trump dismissed the notion that he would start another trade war with China. "It's not a trade war.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Xi, Doina Chiacu, Will Dunham, Chizu Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Fox News, Iowa, New Hampshire, New, Democratic Locations: China, Iowa, New Hampshire, U.S

☆ Gaza Humanitarian Issues Will Be a Top Blinken Priority, White House's Sullivan Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Humanitarian issues in Gaza will be a top priority for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his current trip to the region, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. Blinken was en route to the Middle East in a trip that will include stops in Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the West Bank this week. A top priority for Blinken on this trip will be to get humanitarian help for Gaza Palestinians who are in dire straits after months of military response from Israel to the deadly Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas. The United States believes it is vital to secure a deal to release the remaining hostages Hamas took during its attack, including American hostages, and an accompanying humanitarian pause, Sullivan said. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images"This is in the national security interest of the United States.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Blinken, Sullivan, Doina Chiacu, Louise Heavens, Will Dunham Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, House, West Bank, CBS Locations: Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, States, United States

☆ South Carolina Primary Tests Biden Support With Black Voters
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Jarrett Renshaw and Liliana SalgadoCOLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election bid goes before voters for the first time on Saturday, when Democrats hold their inaugural 2024 primary in South Carolina. Harris said on Friday in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Some South Carolina voters said Biden's re-election bid left something to be desired. South Carolina plays host to the next major Republican presidential nominating battle as well, on Feb. 24. In a recent speech to state Democrats, Phillips said he expects 95% of the state will go for Biden in the primary.

Persons: Trevor Hunnicutt, Jarrett Renshaw, Liliana Salgado COLUMBIA, Joe Biden's, Biden, Kamala Harris, Harris, Donald Trump, Biden's, Martin Orr, Trump, Biden reordered, Joe Biden, Kirk Randazzo, Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, Phillips, Liliana Salgado, Heather Timmons, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S ., Democratic, Reuters, Republican, South, South Carolina voters, Trump, South Carolina, University of South, Democrats, U.S, Biden Locations: South Carolina, U.S, Orangeburg , South Carolina, Carolina, McConnells , South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, South, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina's, In New Hampshire, Washington

☆ Trump Civil Fraud Verdict Now Expected by Mid-February
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Jack QueenNEW YORK (Reuters) -A ruling in the New York state attorney general's $370 million civil fraud case against former U.S. president Donald Trump will not come until early to-mid February, a court spokesperson said Thursday. Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the case a political vendetta by James, an elected Democrat. Engoron previously ruled in September that Trump had engaged in fraud and ordered his business empire be partially dissolved. Closing arguments were delivered in the case on Jan. 11, with Engoron saying on that day he had hoped to issue a ruling by Jan. 31. On the day of closing arguments, Trump lashed out at the judge in the courtroom, telling him, "You have your own agenda.

Persons: Jack Queen, general's, Donald Trump, Arthur Engoron, Joe Biden, Letitia James, Trump, James, Jan, Christopher Kise, Will Dunham Organizations: Jack Queen NEW, U.S, Democratic, New York, Trump Locations: New York, New, Engoron

☆ Atomic Scientists Keep 'Doomsday Clock' as Close to Midnight as Ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Atomic scientists on Tuesday kept their "Doomsday Clock" set as close to midnight as ever before, citing Russia's actions on nuclear weapons amid its invasion of Ukraine, nuclear-armed Israel's Gaza war and worsening climate change as factors driving the risk of global catastrophe. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, as they did last year, set the clock at 90 seconds to midnight - the theoretical point of annihilation. Scientists set the clock based on "existential" risks to Earth and its people: nuclear threat, climate change, and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence and new biotechnology. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by scientists including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The clock was first unveiled during the Cold War tensions that followed World War Two.

Persons: Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Rachel Bronson, Bronson, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Karaganov, Albert Einstein, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Atomic Scientists, Reuters, Hamas Locations: Ukraine, Chicago, Russia, United States, Belarus, Russian, Europe, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza

☆ Eleven Prison Guards Held Hostage by Inmates in Ecuador Freed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Alexandra ValenciaQUITO (Reuters) -Eleven prison staff members who had been held by inmates at the Esmeraldas prison in Ecuador were freed on Saturday, police said. They were among 158 guards and 20 administrative staffers taken hostage since Monday in at least seven prisons amid a sharp increase in violence in the South American country. Eight other prison staff had been freed before Saturday, officials said. Ecuador is grappling with a security crisis that worsened this week with the on-air storming of a TV station, the hostage-taking of dozens of prison staff by inmates and the kidnapping of police officers. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, writing by Cassandra Garrison;Editing by Alistair Bell and Will Dunham)

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Daniel Noboa's, Cassandra Garrison, Alistair Bell, Will Dunham Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO Locations: Ecuador

☆ Oldest mosquito fossil comes with a bloodsucking surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Dany Azar/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. To their surprise, the male mosquitoes possessed elongated piercing-sucking mouthparts seen now only in females. Some flying insects - tsetse flies, for instance - have hematophagous males. "In all hematophagous insects, we believe that hematophagy was a shift from plant liquid sucking to bloodsucking," Azar said. The researchers said while these are the oldest fossils, mosquitoes probably originated millions of years earlier.

Persons: Dany Azar, Handout, " Azar, Azar, André Nel, hematophagy, Nel, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Chinese Academy of Sciences ' Nanjing Institute of Geology, Lebanese University, National Museum of, World Health Organization, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Hammana, Paris

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. Such a ruling also could frustrate policies favored by some Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, for a tax on the net worth - meaning all assets and not just income - of the super-rich. Alito defended the court in articles in the Wall Street Journal's opinion section. The Moores sued the U.S. government in 2019 challenging the mandatory repatriation tax. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the case, noting that under Supreme Court precedent the "realization of income is not a constitutional requirement."

Persons: Samuel A, Alito Jr, Evelyn Hockstein, Samuel Alito, Charles, Kathleen Moore, Donald Trump, Moores, Elizabeth Warren, Alito, Alito's recusal, David Rivkin Jr, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Democratic, Moores, Street, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Redmond , Washington, Republican, Constitution's, Bangalore, India, San Francisco

At issue is whether U.S. bankruptcy law allows Purdue's restructuring to include legal protections for the members of the Sackler family, who have not filed for personal bankruptcy. Members of the Sackler family have denied wrongdoing but expressed regret that OxyContin "unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis." They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." The administration told the Supreme Court that Purdue's settlement is an abuse of bankruptcy protections meant for debtors in "financial distress," not people like the Sacklers. The administration has also alleged that the Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to its opioid settlement.

Persons: painkiller, George Frey, Joe Biden's, Sackler, Biden, OxyContin, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma L.D, REUTERS, Rights, Purdue Pharma, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Manhattan

☆ What to Watch at COP28 on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI (Reuters) - Monday is finance day at COP28, which means more funding is likely to be announced for the climate cause. If that sounds familiar, that is because world leaders and the private sector have spent much of the first few days of this year's U.N. climate summit talking about boosting finance for climate action and disaster support. Central to the summit's outcome is how countries will word a final agreement on the future of fossil fuels, and dividing lines are becoming clear. Away from the main COP28 venue, Saudi Arabia will host a side event called Saudi Green Initiative to promote its clean energy plans. The COP28 site could also experience more small, pop-up protests, as activists see the U.N.-led event as a rare chance to rally in the United Arab Emirates, where public protests are banned.

Persons: William James, Will Dunham Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Green Initiative, United Arab Locations: DUBAI, COP28, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks during an interview with Reuters at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfliky Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Climate advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Sunday slammed the UAE - host of the COP28 climate summit - saying its position as overseer of international negotiations on global warming this year was an abuse of public trust. "They are abusing the public's trust by naming the CEO of one of the largest and least responsible oil companies in the world as head of the COP," Gore said. That data came from a coalition he co-founded called Climate TRACE, which uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to track carbon emissions of specific companies, Gore said. "The current state of the technology for carbon capture and direct air capture is a research project," Gore said.

Persons: Al Gore, Amr Alfliky, Sultan al, Jaber, Gore, Darren Woods, There's, Valerie Volcovici, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Reuters, United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Democratic Party's, Exxon Mobil, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, UAE

☆ Al Gore Slams COP28 Climate Summit Host UAE, Says Its Emissions Soared
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Valerie VolcoviciDUBAI (Reuters) - Climate advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Sunday slammed the UAE - host of the COP28 climate summit - saying its position as overseer of international negotiations on global warming this year was an abuse of public trust. "They are abusing the public's trust by naming the CEO of one of the largest and least responsible oil companies in the world as head of the COP," Gore said. That data came from a coalition he co-founded called Climate TRACE, which uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to track carbon emissions of specific companies, Gore said. Gore urged delegates to agree to language in the final text issued at the summit to phase out fossil fuels, without caveats or mentions of carbon capture technology. "The current state of the technology for carbon capture and direct air capture is a research project," Gore said.

Persons: Valerie Volcovici DUBAI, Al Gore, Sultan al, Jaber, Gore, Darren Woods, There's, Valerie Volcovici, Will Dunham Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Sunday, Democratic Party's, Exxon Mobil Locations: UAE, Dubai

☆ Insurer Aspen chooses New York over London for $4 bln IPO - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Aspen Insurance (AHL_pc.N) is targeting its $4 billion initial public offering next year in New York instead of London partly due to management concerns about valuations and more stringent listing requirements in Britain, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Bermuda-based Aspen, owned by private equity group Apollo, is being advised by Goldman Sachs, Citi and Jefferies on an IPO planned for the first half of next year, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Greater liquidity in the United States was also an important factor, it added. An Aspen spokesperson declined to comment on the report. Reporting by Shivani Tanna and Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams and Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Shivani Tanna, Surbhi Misra, Alison Williams, Will Dunham Organizations: Aspen Insurance, Financial Times, Aspen, Citi, Jefferies, London, Thomson Locations: New York, London, Britain, Sunday, Bermuda, United States, Bengaluru

☆ What to watch at COP28 on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A demonstrator holds a placard, during a climate protest coinciding with COP28 being held in Dubai and ahead of the upcoming Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, in Brussels, Belgium, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Monday is finance day at COP28, which means more funding is likely to be announced for the climate cause. Away from the main COP28 venue, Saudi Arabia will host a side event called Saudi Green Initiative to promote its clean energy plans. The COP28 site could also experience more small, pop-up protests, as activists see the U.N.-led event as a rare chance to rally in the United Arab Emirates, where public protests are banned. Reporting by William James; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: COP28, Johanna Geron, William James, Will Dunham Organizations: of, European Union, REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Green Initiative, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Brussels, Belgium, COP28, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

☆ Explainer: How will the Supreme Court reshape US opioid epidemic relief?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The settlement also would shield the Stamford, Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company's wealthy Sackler family owners from lawsuits brought by opioid victims. A U.S. bankruptcy court approved that restructuring plan in 2021. Lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family members accuse them of fueling the opioid epidemic through deceptive marketing of its pain medication. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." The administration also has said Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to the opioid settlement.

Persons: OxyContin, Sackler, Department's, Joshua Silverstein, Silverstein, Joe Biden's, John Kruzel, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, U.S ., District of Columbia, University of Arkansas, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Stamford , Connecticut, United States, U.S, Little, New York

REUTERS/Thaier Al Sudani/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 3 (Reuters) - Brazil will never join the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations as a full member and instead only seeks to participate as an observer, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday. Lula's remarks to reporters at the U.N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai clarified his statements a day earlier that Brazil would "participate" in OPEC+. "Brazil should join OPEC+, it could be an observer," Lula said on Sunday. "Brazil will never be a full member of OPEC, because we don't want to be. Petrobras will continue to do what it needs to do to help Brazil grow, but will expand beyond just oil to all energy, Lula added.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Al Sudani, Lula's, Lula, Jake Spring, Will Dunham Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, OPEC, Petrobras, PETR4, São Paulo, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Brazil, OPEC, Africa, Latin America, Berlin, São

☆ Venezuelans to vote in referendum on disputed territory with Guyana
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro shows his ballot during a referendum over Venezuela's rights to the potentially oil-rich region of Esequiba in Guyana, in Caracas, Venezuela, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria Acquire Licensing RightsCARACAS/GEORGETOWN, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Venezuelans will vote on Sunday in a referendum backed by President Nicolas Maduro's government over a potentially oil-rich territory that is the subject of a long-running border dispute with Guyana. The five-question referendum includes a question rejecting International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction to decide to which country the territory around the Esequibo river belongs. On Friday, the court responded to a request from Guyana to halt the referendum, ordering Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would alter the status quo, without expressly forbidding the vote. The Sunday vote has caused anxiety in Guyana, with the government urging citizens to keep calm.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Nicolas Maduro's, Maduro, Ricardo Sucre, Benigno Alarcon, Andres, Rocio San, Kim Rampersaud, Vivian Sequera, Julia Symmes Cobb, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, of Justice, Central University of Venezuela, Center for Political Studies, Andres Bello Catholic University, Kiana, Thomson Locations: Esequiba, Guyana, Caracas, Venezuela, Rights CARACAS, GEORGETOWN, Sucre, Rocio San Miguel, Georgetown, Brazil

☆ Judge rejects Trump immunity claim in federal 2020 election case
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan found no legal basis for concluding that presidents cannot face criminal charges once they are no longer in office. Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 U.S. election, served from 2017 to 2021. Trump's lawyers had argued that the case by Smith "attempts to criminalize core political speech and political advocacy." In addition to the case being pursued by Smith, Trump also faces state criminal charges in Georgia related to his actions seeking to undo his 2020 defeat and two other indictments. His defense team argued that the immunity U.S. presidents have from civil lawsuits should extend to criminal charges.

Persons: Donald Trump, Dave Sanders, Jack Smith, Tanya Chutkan, Joe Biden, Chutkan, Smith, Todd Blanche, Chutkan's, Trump, Andrew Goudsward, Will Dunham, Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Trump Organization, Court, Rights, Trump, Republican, Democratic, U.S . Justice Department, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, United States, Georgia

Asylum-seeking migrants walk in the Rio Grande river between the floating fence and the river bank as they look for an opening on a concertina wire fence to land on the U.S. soil in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - Texas must remove a 1,000-foot-long (305-meter) floating barrier it placed in the Rio Grande river to deter migrants from illegally crossing the border with Mexico, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday in a victory for President Joe Biden's administration. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision declined a request by the Republican-governed state to reverse a federal judge's decision ordering it to move the string of buoys placed in the Rio Grande in July near Eagle Pass, Texas. Judge Don Willett, a Trump appointee, disagreed with his colleagues in the ruling that the portion of the Rio Grande where the buoys were placed was navigable. On Thursday, a federal judge rejected a bid by Texas to block federal immigration authorities from destroying the wire fencing.

Persons: Go Nakamura, Joe Biden's, David Ezra, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Biden, Don Willett, Willett, Donald Trump, Daniel Wiessner, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: REUTERS, Circuit, Appeals, Republican, 5th Circuit, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Texas, Democrat, Trump, U.S . Justice, Thomson Locations: Rio Grande, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Rio, Mexico, New Orleans, Eagle, , Texas, San Antonio, Albany , New York

☆ Georgia Republicans advance new US House map that maintains their edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of the Atlanta skyline includes the Georgia Capitol dome and a "Vote" sign atop the 100 Peachtree building, days ahead of nationally significant U.S. Senate and state governor elections in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2022. In his Oct. 26 opinion, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said that Georgia could not remedy the problem "by eliminating minority opportunity districts elsewhere." The new map would likely allow Republicans to maintain their current 9-5 advantage among the state's 14 U.S. House districts. In a statement, the Republican speaker of the state House, Jon Burns, said the new map "fully complies with the judge's order." McBath's campaign manager, Jake Orvis, said in a statement, "Georgia Republicans have yet again attempted to subvert voters by changing the rules."

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Lucy McBath, Steve Jones, Brian Kemp, Jon Burns, Jake Orvis, Joseph Ax, Will Dunham Organizations: Georgia Capitol, Senate, REUTERS, Georgia Republicans, . House, voters, Republican, Democratic U.S, District, Legislators, McBath, Thomson Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Peachtree, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Black, United States, Georgia's, New York

☆ Astronomers surprised to find planet 'too massive for its star'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] An undated handout image shows an artistic rendering of the mass comparison of the star LHS 3154 and its planet LHS 3154b, and our own Earth and Sun. The mass ratio of this planet with its star is more than 100 times greater than that of Earth and the sun. "We discovered a planet that is too massive for its star," said Penn State astronomer Suvrath Mahadevan, one of the leaders of the study published this week in the journal Science. The planet, called LHS 3154 b, orbits at about 2.3% of Earth's orbital distance from the sun, circling its star every 3.7 days. So a very low mass star should have a disk that is also low mass.

Persons: Suvrath Mahadevan, Guðmundur Stefánsson, Stefánsson, Mahadevan, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: LHS, Penn State University, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Penn State, Princeton University, University of Texas, McDonald, Thomson

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