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☆ New York to ban animal sales at pet stores in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hochul, a Democrat, said banning pet stores from selling pets will help protect animal welfare and clamp down on abusive, wholesale breeders. New York will join a small group of other states, including California, Illinois and Maryland, that have instituted similar bans on such sales. The law leaves the door open for pet stores to work with animal shelters to encourage adoptions, including rental space. Animal welfare groups celebrated the bill's signing, while some pet businesses voiced concerns that it would damage legitimate operators in the industry. The number of pet stores in the state, which has been on the decline, stands around 80, the report said.

☆ South Carolina lawyer accused of killing family indicted for tax evasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Murdaugh, 54, the scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty, is accused of willful attempt to evade state taxes on millions of dollars in income between 2011 and 2019. The new charges are in addition to dozens of state charges, including embezzlement and murder, brought by a Colleton County grand jury. Murdaugh is accused of fraudulently making nearly $7 million, which was left off on annual tax filings with the state, according to the indictment. He is suspected of skipping out on more than $486,800 in payments owed to South Carolina. He faces two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection with the murders.

[1/2] Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a vaccine mobilization event at TCF center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. July 12, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca CookDec 15 (Reuters) - Three men convicted of playing supporting roles in a foiled plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan in 2020 were sentenced to multiple years in prison on Thursday, as two of the conspiracy's ringleaders await sentencing before the end of the month. During the two-hour hearing, the men - dressed in orange prison jumpsuits - sat with their attorneys with their hands shackled to their waists. The group planned to break into Whitmer's vacation home, kidnap her and take her at gunpoint to stand "trial" on treason charges, prosecutors said. In August, two alleged militia members accused of conspiring to trigger a "second American revolution" in the kidnapping plot were found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy charges.

☆ 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.

☆ Buffalo supermarket shooter seeks plea deal to avoid death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lawyers for Payton Gendron, 19, moved to seek a plea agreement at a court hearing on Friday, less than two weeks after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and domestic terrorism. An avowed white supremacist, he faces 27 federal hate crimes and firearms offenses related to the racist massacre at a Tops Friendly Markets store. Authorities said he targeted the supermarket because it was in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. Gendron, who is from Conklin, New York, faces life in prison without parole on those counts. Gendron, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, is set to be sentenced for state charges in February.

[1/2] Demonstrators protest the killing of Patrick Lyoya, an unarmed Black man who was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids Police officer during a traffic stop on April 4, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., April 16, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File PhotoDec 7 (Reuters) - The family of an African refugee who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has filed a civil lawsuit against the city and a former police officer charged with murdering him. The suit was filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Western Michigan, according to online records, on behalf of the family of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The attorneys will detail the lawsuit against Schurr and Grand Rapids, a city of less than 200,000 residents in western Michigan, at a news conference later on Wednesday. The attempted arrest unfolded after the officer stopped Lyoya over suspicions involving his license plate.

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken in a statement said those designated as countries of particular concern - which also include North Korea and Myanmar - engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. The United States has expressed grave concerns about human rights in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, which is home to 10 million Uyghurs. The other countries designated as countries of particular concern were Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the president – who assigns the function to the secretary of State – to designate as countries of particular concern states that are deemed to violate religious freedom on a systematic and ongoing basis.

☆ Vehicle plows into Boston-area Apple store, killing at least one person
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Emergency services personnel attend the scene after a vehicle crashed into an Apple store in Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S. November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Brian SnyderNov 21 (Reuters) - A sports utility vehicle crashed into an Apple retail store near Boston on Monday morning, killing one person and sending at least 16 others to the hospital, authorities and local media said. Aerial footage of the scene from Boston TV station WCVB-TV showed a gaping hole in a storefront window at an outdoor mall in Hingham, about 15 miles south of downtown Boston. The black SUV came to rest at the back of the store and the driver had to be extricated from the vehicle, the station reported. "You'd have to really be picking up speed to end up in the storage area at the back side of the Apple store," Frank O'Brien, who was visiting the Derby Street Shops shopping center, told The Patriot Ledger newspaper.

☆ Snowstorm batters western New York, restricting travel ahead of busy Thanksgiving holiday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

New York Governor Kathy Hochul called in the National Guard, deploying about 70 members to help with snow removal in the hardest-hit parts of Erie County. According to the National Weather Service, conditions could persist through Monday morning. [1/5] Stranded cars are seen on the street during a snowstorm as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo, New York, U.S., November 19, 2022. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a tweet that two residents died of apparent heart attacks while shoveling snow. The U.S. National Weather Service forecasts lake-effect snow will dump up to 14 inches in the counties of Chautaqua and Cattaraugus Saturday night through Sunday.

☆ Western New York eyes weekend deluge of lake-effect snow
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Lindsay Dedario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A view of a truck with plow on the street during a snowstorm as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo, New York, U.S., November 18, 2022. The squalls could persist through Sunday, creating sporadic bursts of intense snowfall along narrow bands that could amount to 4-1/2 feet (1.4 meters) of snow in some locations. Buffalo is New York state's second most populous city with some 278,000 residentsNearly 6,500 customers were without power in the Buffalo area as of Friday morning, according to Poweroutage.us. Although the winter season does not officially begin for another five weeks, the National Weather Service posted winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories and lake-effect snow warnings across all western New York areas downwind of the Great Lakes. While the storm was not expected to break weather records, weather service meteorologist Liz Jurkowski said it could rank in the top five snow accumulations over the last 20 years.

[1/2] Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is pictured during his meeting with South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, November 17, 2022. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSNov 17 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has determined that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has legal immunity from a lawsuit filed against him over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing on Thursday. The prince has denied ordering Khashoggi's killing but acknowledged later that it took place "under my watch." Biden, who fist-bumped the crown prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues, had told Prince Mohammed that he considered him responsible for Khashoggi's killing. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers he needed to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

☆ Texas town approves plans for new building to replace school shooting site
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Tyler Clifford | Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Uvalde school board in Texas has approved plans to replace Robb Elementary School months after the town decided to demolish the building where a teenaged gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in May. The school district did not immediately respond to a request for further details. Board members also agreed to install an interim leader of the school district's police department. In the past, he worked with Patterson at another Texas school district. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said the response was "an abject failure," adding that officers at the scene lacked sufficient training.

A White House statement accused House Republicans of planning to go after Biden "with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories." Hunter Biden never held a position in the White House or on his father's campaign. The House Republicans' probe will begin to unfold next year, as the U.S. political calendar heads toward the 2024 presidential election, in which Biden said he currently intends to seek re-election. More than a dozen House Republicans appeared alongside Comer at a Wednesday press conference, many of them staunch allies of Trump, who announced his own 2024 White House run on Tuesday. The looming House Oversight investigation of Biden will coincide with a House Judiciary Committee probe into allegations of political influence at the Justice Department under Biden.

The attorney, Terrence Connors, said the defendant, Peyton Gendron, would enter a guilty plea on Monday to all 25 counts against him in a state indictment at a 2 p.m. hearing in Erie County Court in Buffalo. He initially pleaded not guilty to all counts in June. The guilty plea would mean that the case against Gendron, who is from Conklin, New York, will not go to trial. He could face life in prison or the death penalty on the state charges. Gendron also faces 27 federal hate crime and firearms charges, to which he pleaded not guilty to in January.

Companies Us Justice Department FollowNov 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a probe into whether Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the city's police department discriminate against people who have mental health disabilities in the provision of behavioral care services. The ADA requires state and local governments to provide people with disabilities equal access to programs and services. In addition, the department will look into how Oklahoma City responds to emergency calls that involve a mental health crisis and if city police follow ADA standards on the scene of such calls. "We will evaluate whether the state of Oklahoma’s failure to provide community-based services for people with behavioral health disabilities in Oklahoma County results in unnecessary institutionalization and unnecessary police contact," Clarke said. The investigation came after a discrimination complaint was filed with the agency, according to a senior Justice Department official.

☆ U.S. says Iran likely responsible for drone attack on tanker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday said an attack on the commercial tanker MV Pacific Zircon off the coast of Oman was most likely conducted by Iran with a drone. "Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran likely conducted this attack using a UAV," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement, referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone. Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday set the date for the arguments. The department has asked the 11th Circuit to reverse Cannon's appointment of Dearie, who is a U.S. district judge. Trump's attorneys sued two weeks after the search and sought the appointment of a special master to independently review the records. Trump last week asked the 11th Circuit to keep Dearie's review in place.

☆ Trump failed to comply with Jan 6 committee subpoena, panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump has failed to comply with a subpoena issued by the congressional committee investigating his supporters' attack on the U.S. Capitol last year, the panel said on Monday. The Jan. 6 select committee announced on Oct. 21 that it had sent a subpoena to Trump requiring documents be submitted by Nov. 4 and for him to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about Nov. 14. But the panel said then that it wanted the documents the next week and that the Nov. 14 deadline remained in place. Trump filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to avoid being compelled to testify or provide any documentation to the congressional panel. The panel has not said how it will proceed if Trump disregards the subpoena request.

☆ Trump defied Jan 6 committee subpoena, panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File PhotoNov 14 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump did not show up for deposition testimony before the congressional committee investigating his supporters' attack on the U.S. Capitol last year, the panel said on Monday. In doing so Trump defied a subpoena issued by the panel in October, Chair Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, and co-Chair Liz Cheney, a Republican, said in a joint statement. Thompson told the New York Times in an interview that he would not rule out seeking contempt of Congress charges against the former president. The subpoena ordered Trump to submit documents to the panel by Nov. 4 and for him to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about Nov. 14.

☆ 'Life is wild!': First Generation Z member elected to U.S. Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Maxwell Frost had just been elected to represent Florida in the U.S. Congress when the 25-year-old received a call that embodied the historical moment. It was U.S. President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat calling with congratulations on being the first person of Generation Z elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives. Identifying as Afro-Latino, Frost's background reflects a generation of Americans that is more racially and ethnically diverse than older age groups. Another Gen Z candidate, Republican Karoline Leavitt, lost her congressional race in New Hampshire. Gen Z voters have come of age in a world reshaped by the global pandemic that disrupted work and school culture, all while stirring economic uncertainty.

☆ Voting machine problems in battleground Arizona seized on by Trump, election deniers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Richer called the malfunctions "disappointing" and correctly predicted that election deniers and conspiracists such as Trump would "exploit" the issue. The state's Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has echoed Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election, also seized on the machine problems, issuing a "voter alert" on her Twitter account. Trump, Lake and other election deniers have been calling for the end of electronic voting machines, Election Day-only voting, and the use of just paper ballots and hand counts, a process that is time-consuming, costly and far less accurate than machine counting. The machine malfunctions fueled distrust among many Republican voters in Arizona that fraud was involved, especially after Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social platform. "Reports are coming in from Arizona that the Voting Machines are not properly working in predominately Republican/Conservative areas," Trump said, adding: "Here we go again?

☆ In final midterm push, Biden warns of threats, Trump hints at another run
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Control of even one chamber would allow Republicans to stymie Democrat Biden's legislative agenda and launch potentially damaging investigations. Biden warned that many Republican candidates are threatening democratic norms by echoing Trump's false claims about a stolen election in 2020. Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker said at a rally in Georgia. Biden spoke in normally safe Democratic territory outside New York City, where Republicans are threatening to make gains. First Lady Jill Biden visited Texas, a Republican-dominated state that has a handful of competitive races.

☆ Kari Lake campaign headquarters reopens in Phoenix after receiving suspicious mail
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PHOENIX, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The campaign headquarters of Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor, reopened on Monday, a day after authorities began investigating a suspicious white powder that was delivered by mail to the Phoenix office over the weekend. Hobbs condemned the suspicious mail that was sent to her opponent's campaign, calling it "incredibly concerning." The Lake campaign and Phoenix police did not immediately respond to a request for more details. Lake was not at the Phoenix office when the mail was received, she said. Neither the FBI statement, nor those from the Phoenix police of fire departments, referred to Lake or her campaign by name.

Nonpartisan forecasts and polls show Republicans are heavy favorites to win control of the House of Representatives, with the Senate a toss-up. In recent weeks momentum has shifted toward the Republicans, Democratic strategists acknowledge, as voters' concerns about inflation and crime have outweighed those about abortion after the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion in June. For Democrats, Sunday's rallies in areas traditionally friendly to the party are a last-minute chance to minimize losses on Tuesday. Florida for years swung from party to party, but has recently trended Republican and is not considered a major battleground this election. Trump's frequent rallies maintain his profile as he weighs launching a third run for the White House after the midterms, according to advisers.

☆ Read the 9-page pitch deck that music-marketing startup Unlimited Playlist used to raise $2 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New startup Ultimate Playlist offers daily cash prizes to users who listen to and rate new songs. Ultimate Playlist, which launches on Monday, is a way for artists to know that they will reach listeners. "One key component of Ultimate Playlist is that it isn't anchored by superstars." "As a songwriter, I like the idea of a listener listening to more than 15 seconds of a song," Smith said. Here's the nine-page pitch deck that the Ultimate Playlist used to raise its first funds.

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