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Dec 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider how strictly to interpret the landmark Title IX civil rights law's protections for gender equality in college sports in a lawsuit challenging Michigan State University's elimination of its women's swimming and diving team. The high court rejected the university's appeal of a lower-court ruling in favor of former members of the team who say MSU violated Title IX by not providing enough opportunities for women athletes to participate in sports. At issue is how to determine whether a school has met a key benchmark in assessing if it provides equal opportunities to participate under Title IX, the 50-year-old law credited with expanding access to sports for female student-athletes. He said no court had ever held a gap of less than 2% violated the law. In a petition to the Supreme Court, MSU argued the 6th Circuit's approach was "unworkable" and conflicted with how every other federal appeals court that had examined the issued had approached Title IX.

☆ Virginia capital removes last public Confederate monument
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 12 (Reuters) - A Black-owned construction business on Monday dismantled and removed the last public Confederate statue on display in Richmond, Virginia, the city that served as the capital of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. Richmond began removing a dozen Confederate monuments in 2020 as part of a reckoning with the U.S. South's legacy of slavery. Hill, the last Confederate monument owned by the city, is removed from its plinth in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. December 12, 2022. Hill's remains will be reinterred at a grave site in his birthplace in Culpeper, Virginia, the Times-Dispatch reported. The statue will eventually go to the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, according to media reports.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Mexico's financial system has a resilient and solid position, the country's central bank said on Wednesday during the launch of its financial stability report, adding that certain vulnerabilities and risks seen during the pandemic have eased. Banxico, as Bank of Mexico is known, said "commercial banks have capital and liquidity levels well above regulatory minimums" in its biannual report. However, Banxico underscored that Mexico is facing a "more complex and uncertain environment" characterized by high inflation, deteriorating growth prospects, and tight global financial conditions. Banxico also warned of the possibility of a greater tightening of global financial conditions, lower-than-expected global economic growth, a further weakening of aggregate demand, and further downgrades to Mexico and state oil company Pemex's credit ratings as risks to financial stability. Reporting by Isabel Woodford and Anthony Esposito, Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Georgia runoff: Warnock and Walker neck and neck as results come in
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With 72% of the estimated vote tallied, Warnock led Walker by 50.4% to 49.6%, according to Edison Research. The race was the most expensive of the 2022 U.S. midterm election season, with more than $400 million spent. [1/10] Reverend Raphael Warnock, Democratic Senator for Georgia, delivers remarks during a visit at a campaign office during the midterm Senate runoff elections in Norcross, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia, on Tuesday. This is the third Senate runoff in two years in the state - and the second for Warnock, who first won the seat in a runoff in January 2021.

☆ Democratic Senator Warnock faces challenge by Trump-backed Walker in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

ATLANTA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Polls closed on Tuesday in a hard-fought runoff election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican former football star Herschel Walker that will determine whether Democrats can expand their razor-thin Senate majority. With 10% of the estimated vote tallied, Warnock led Walker by 65% to 35%, according to Edison Research. [1/6] Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia, on Tuesday. "I feel that Herschel Walker is unsuitable for the job, to say the least," he said.

☆ White House slams Congress for move to rescind military's vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that scrapping the requirement that U.S. troops get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a mistake, as lawmakers moved closer to requiring the Pentagon to rescind its vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military leaders have strongly backed the vaccine mandate as necessary to safeguard the health and readiness of the U.S. armed forces. "We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House this month, and be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. Austin said on Monday that the military has no data to back up claims by top Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hurting recruiting.

☆ After final Trump-backed midterm loss, Senate Republicans bemoan weak nominees
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"You have to have candidates that appeal to the general public," Republican Senator Mike Rounds told reporters. Trump's party succeeded in winning a House majority, but by a smaller margin than it had expected. "Candidates matter, and I think we've lost two or three or four races we didn't have to lose this year," Republican Senator Roy Blunt told reporters. "We just need to be able to be aggressive," said Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis. The former football star had support on the campaign trail from prominent Senate Republicans including Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and Rick Scott, who chairs the Senate Republican campaign arm.

☆ Polls close as Senator Warnock seeks to hold off Walker in Georgia runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

ATLANTA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Polls closed on Tuesday in a hard-fought runoff election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican former football star Herschel Walker that will determine whether Democrats can expand their razor-thin Senate majority. [1/6] Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia, on Tuesday. This is the third Senate runoff in two years in the state - and the second for Warnock, who first won the seat in a runoff in January 2021. While Biden did not campaign for Warnock, former President Barack Obama rallied for him in Atlanta last week.

☆ Trump-backed Walker challenges U.S. Senator Warnock in Georgia runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/6] Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia, on Tuesday. At a diner in Marietta, Walker deflected questions about his character, which Warnock has made a centerpiece of his campaign. "Right now I put my character up against Raphael Warnock any day," Walker said on Tuesday. This is the third Senate runoff in two years in the divided state - and the second for Warnock, who first won the seat in a runoff in January 2021.

Incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday that the long-awaited legislation ought to clear the House in coming days. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate last week, was designed as a backstop to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. He attributed the shift partly to the fact that such marriages had ceased to be unusual in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized them. "The sky didn't fall because same-sex marriage began happening," said Raushenbush, who is in a same-sex marriage himself. The amendment's support from various religious groups that are theologically opposed to same-sex marriage reflects the fact that attitudes have changed, said Tim Schultz, the president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, which advocates for religious liberty.

☆ Warnock-Walker runoff in Georgia key to Democrats in U.S. Senate, 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/6] Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. On a wider scale, a Warnock victory could solidify Georgia as more of a battleground for Democrats in presidential elections. Turnout was steady, with wait times averaging one minute across the state, said Gabe Sterling, a state election official. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia, on Tuesday. This is the third Senate runoff in two years in the divided state - and the second for Warnock, who first won the seat in a runoff in January 2021.

☆ Georgia Senate runoff pits Democrat Warnock against Trump-backed Walker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 6, 2022. "We had historic turnout during the early vote voting period. The truth is my opponent could still win this election," Warnock told a crowd in Norcross, Georgia on Tuesday. Guri Ben-Hashal, 60, who works in real estate, said his vote for Warnock was actually a vote against Walker. This is the third Senate runoff in two years in the closely divided state - and the second for Warnock, who first won the seat in a runoff in January 2021.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Passage of a bill protecting federal recognition of same-sex marriages that has the support of both LGBT advocates and religious groups, has been delayed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate last week, was designed as a backstop to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. The bill, which was spearheaded by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, gained the backing of several national religious groups. "The sky didn't fall because same-sex marriage began happening," said Raushenbush, who is in a same-sex marriage himself. Other religious groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, strongly opposed the legislation even after the religious freedom protections were added.

☆ Peru's Castillo says opponents trying to 'blow up' democracy with impeachment trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Pedro Castillo came out fighting on Tuesday ahead of an impeachment trial in Congress, accusing his opponents of trying to "blow up" democracy in the copper-rich South American nation. Peru's congress summoned Castillo last week to respond to accusations of "moral incapacity" to govern, which will precede a congressional vote on whether to oust him. "They intend to blow up democracy and disregard our people's right to choose," Castillo said in a ceremony celebrating the creation of the national police. Congress is also accusing Castillo of incompetence to govern after appointing five cabinets and at least 80 ministers since taking office. The motion to start impeachment required less votes and passed last week with week 73 votes, most from mostly right-wing parties.

☆ Factbox: When it comes to spending big on elections, few can challenge America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While readily-comparable numbers aren't available across nations, India's spending in 2019 was at least in the neighborhood of the estimated $8 billion spent on U.S. federal elections in 2016, the year Republican Donald Trump won the White House. In the United States, campaigning often begins more than a year before election day and regulators put no limits on spending by campaigns. FRANCEFrance also places strict limits on spending. During France's presidential elections in 2022, all 12 candidates combined spent just over 83 million euros, or about $88 million, according to the French government. President Emmanuel Macron spent the most, with his campaign spending 16.7 million euros.

Its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty and testified for the prosecution. The Trump Organization has pleaded not guilty. Its lawyers have argued that an outside accountant from Mazars USA who prepared tax returns for the company, Donald Bender, should have caught Weisselberg's fraud and blown the whistle. Bender "turned a blind eye to Allen Weisselberg's wrongdoing," defense lawyer Susan Necheles said in her closing argument on Thursday. Mazars cut ties with the Trump Organization earlier this year.

The G7 and Australia said in a statement the price cap would take effect on Dec. 5 or very soon thereafter. "The Price Cap Coalition may also consider further action to ensure the effectiveness of the price cap," the statement read. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap. Because the most important shipping and insurance firms are based in G7 countries, the price cap would make it very difficult for Moscow to sell its oil for a higher price. The initial G7 proposal last week was for a price cap of $65-$70 per barrel with no adjustment mechanism.

Democratic leaders in New Hampshire and Iowa quickly responded that they plan to ignore the DNC, follow state law and hold their nominations as planned. A New Hampshire law explicitly sets the state's primary date ahead of any DNC calendar. The changes could ease Biden's path to re-election by reshuffling the calendar to favor states that supported his nomination, in particular South Carolina. Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was struggling until he won South Carolina and went on to gain the party's nomination. "Joe Biden's political career was defined when South Carolina Democrats essentially handed him the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency," said Scala.

Paid sick leave was one of the outstanding issues in the negotiations. Rail workers get zero paid sick days. Paid sick leave is a basic human right. The measure to provide seven paid sick days did not win the required 60-vote supermajority in the Senate and was not endorsed by the White House. Senator Bernie Sanders and others denounced railroad companies for refusing to offer paid sick leave.

"The whole narrative that Donald Trump was blissfully ignorant is just not real," Steinglass told the 12-person jury in a New York state court. Company lawyers objected when Steinglass showed jurors a Trump-initialed memo said it showed the former president "explicitly sanctioning tax fraud." If convicted on tax fraud, falsifying business records and other charges, Trump's company faces up to $1.6 million in fines. Steinglass said Trump approved luxury apartments for Weisselberg and his son, and for chief operating officer Matthew Calamari and his son. "Free cars for you, free cars for your wife, free apartments for you, free apartments for your kids."

"The entire defense strategy here is to promote the notion that Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg," Steinglass told the jury in a New York state court in Manhattan. Steinglass told jurors that Trump executives other than Weisselberg were involved, saying the company's chief operating officer and a former general counsel received Christmas bonuses as if they were independent contractors. If convicted on all nine counts it faces, Trump's company faces up to $1.6 million in fines. 'SMORGASBORD OF BENEFITS'Defense lawyers had told jurors on Thursday that Weisselberg's intent was to benefit himself and not the company. Weisselberg is expected to serve five months in jail after pleading guilty to tax fraud and other charges.

☆ Biden's offer to talk to Putin is a trial balloon to end war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has floated a trial balloon to President Vladimir Putin to determine whether Russia, after months of battlefield losses and stalled gains, is ready to end its invasion of Ukraine. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. Where does he find himself in a position he does not, not only lose face but lose significant power in Russia," Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser in New York in October. Biden, who talks regularly to Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy, has previously been clear he defers to Ukraine's wishes. "There’s no — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," Biden said Nov. 14, when asked about possible negotiations.

☆ Biden trial balloon to Putin on Ukraine appears to quickly pop
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden floated a trial balloon to President Vladimir Putin intended to determine whether Russia, after months of battlefield losses and stalled gains, is ready to end its invasion of Ukraine. Biden and his national security advisers have wondered for months what it would take to entice Putin into a diplomatic off-ramp. Where does he find himself in a position he does not, not only lose face but lose significant power in Russia," Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser in New York in October. Biden, who talks regularly to Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy, has previously been clear he defers to Ukraine's wishes. "There’s no — nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," Biden said Nov. 14, when asked about possible negotiations.

☆ Dutch prosecutors won't appeal in MH17 case, making verdicts final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dutch prosecutors said on Thursday they would not file an appeal regarding the outcome in the trial over the 2014 downing of Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, making the verdicts final although the suspects remain at large. A Dutch court last month convicted three men and sentenced them to life in prison for the shooting-down of the Malaysian airliner as it flew over eastern Ukraine on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. The three convicted were former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian separatist leader. Prosecutors said on Thursday they were satisfied with the "clarity" the case had brought to relatives of the victims about what had happened to MH17. Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Caucus goers wait in the corner for Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at their caucus site in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., February 3, 2020. After Iowa, both Democrats and Republicans hold state primaries that narrow down presidential candidates even further. Their push to change the primary calendar picked up momentum after 2020 when the Democrats' Iowa caucuses were plagued by technical and communication issues that delayed the announcement of a winner. The state has traditionally held the first primary, right after Iowa's caucuses, but some Democrats would like more-diverse Nevada to get that spot. But New Hampshire state law requires its secretary of state to set the primary date seven days before any other, providing state officials a firewall against any efforts to boot them as the first primary state.

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