Evansville

Seven charged in U.S. insider trading ring

U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced insider trading charges accusing seven people of generating more than $5 million of profit based on tips from a Bank of America Corp employee about dozens of pending corporate transactions. Daniel Rivas, who was the alleged tipper and later worked at Royal Bank of Canada , and James Moodhe, the father of Rivas' girlfriend, both pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

Baltimore removes four Confederate statues after Virginia rally

The statues, including one of General Robert E. Lee and another of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, were taken off their bases in Wyman Park Dell, beside the Baltimore Museum of Art, and carried away on a flatbed truck. City Councilman Brandon Scott had called for immediate action following the "domestic terrorism" carried out on Saturday by white supremacists in Charlottesville. In Los Angeles on Wednesday, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to remove a monument that since 1925 honored Confederate veterans.

Carmakers win brief reprieve from lawsuits over faulty Takata air bags

The decision gives the Japanese auto supplier breathing room to work through its bankruptcy reorganization. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon in Wilmington, Delaware, granted a 90-day halt on lawsuits brought by Hawaii, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as individuals. Takata argued for a six-month freeze on hundreds of lawsuits so management could complete a $1.6 billion sale of its viable operations, crucial to its reorganization, and replace air bag inflators that are subject to the biggest recall in automotive history.

Black banker sues Goldman Sachs for racial discrimination

Rebecca Allen in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan said Goldman's virtually all-white senior leadership team favors white bankers for promotions and lucrative accounts, so they earn more than black coworkers. "Simply put, Goldman Sachs does virtually nothing to hire, promote or develop black talent, instead focusing its efforts on retaining and promoting white employees to positions of leadership," Allen said in the complaint. Goldman in a statement said the claims were meritless.

U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed a federal judge's ruling forbidding Arkansas from carrying through with Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson's directive to suspend Medicaid reimbursements to a Planned Parenthood affiliate.

Virginia rally victim's message 'magnified,' mother tells memorial

With tears and defiant tributes, hundreds of purple-clad people packed an historic Charlottesville theater to remember the 32-year-old woman killed when a suspected white nationalist crashed his car into anti-racist demonstrators. Heather Heyer, a paralegal whom colleagues said was devoted to social justice, was killed after clashes on Saturday between white nationalists attending a "Unite the Right" gathering and counter-protesters. You just magnified her," Heyer's mother Susan Bro said to long and loud applause from those gathered at the city's 1930s era Paramount Theater.

U.N. experts condemn racist violence in U.S., urge investigations

United Nations human rights experts called on U.S. political leaders "at all levels" on Wednesday to combat rising racist violence and xenophobia and urged prosecution of perpetrators of hate crimes. U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that both left- and right-wing extremists had become violent during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia, reigniting a political firestorm over race relations in the United States and his own leadership of a national crisis. "We are outraged by the violence in Charlottesville and the racial hatred displayed by right-wing extremists, white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups," the independent U.N. experts said in a joint statement issued in Geneva.

German politicians accuse Trump of trivializing Nazi violence

By Michael Nienaber and Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior German politicians on Wednesday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of trivializing violence by white supremacists in Virginia and called for a clear rejection of their ideology. Governments could only win the fight against hatred, racism and anti-Semitism by rejecting such ideology and the willingness to use violence, said Martin Schulz, the center-left candidate for chancellor, adding that this applies to Germany and the United States. "The trivialization of Nazi violence by the confused utterances of Donald Trump is highly dangerous," said Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD).

Army helicopter with five aboard crashes off Hawaii: U.S. Coast Guard

(Reuters) - Rescue teams searched for a downed Army Black Hawk helicopter with five crew members aboard that was last reported off the west coast of Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Coast Guard Hercules and Army Black Hawk aircrews spotted debris near Kaena Point, Oahu at 11:28 p.m. local time after staff at Wheeler Army Airfield said they had lost contact with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews, the Coast Guard said. Rescue crews searched for five missing people who were training between Kaena Point and Dillingham Airfield, also on Oahu, when communications were lost. ...

Trump blames 'both sides' for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk

By Amanda Becker and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump inflamed tension after a deadly rally by white nationalists in Virginia by insisting that counter protesters were also to blame, drawing condemnation from some Republican leaders and praise from white supremacists. In a combative news conference, Trump backed off from his Monday statements explicitly denouncing the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists for the violence that erupted at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, and reverted to his weekend contention that "many sides" were to blame. "You had a group on one side that was bad," Trump said on Tuesday.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington defaced with expletive

(Editor's note: Please be advised that paragraph 2 contains language that some readers may find offensive) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. capital was spray painted with expletive graffiti that was discovered on Tuesday, days after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over an American Civil War-era monument. The graffiti appeared to read "fuck law" spray painted in red on a column of the memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the American president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States. The National Park Service said in a statement that it was removing the graffiti from the monument and a Smithsonian Institution directional sign blocks away that was also vandalized with spray paint.

Texas 'bathroom bill' dies in special legislative session

Texas measures criticized as being discriminatory for limiting transgender people's access to bathrooms in schools and public buildings died on Tuesday, as the House adjourned and ended its special legislative session. The measures were blocked by moderate House Republicans. Adoption by Texas, the most populous Republican-dominated state, could have fed momentum in other socially conservative states on the issue, a flashpoint in the U.S. culture wars.

Trump casts blame on both sides for deadly violence in Virginia

By Jeff Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump unabashedly insisted on Tuesday that both left- and right-wing extremists resorted to violence during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia, and that some present were peacefully protesting plans to remove a Confederate monument when the upheaval began. Trump, taking questions from reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, reverted to his initial comments blaming "many sides" for Saturday's violence in Charlottesville, a day after bowing to pressure to explicitly condemn the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.

Neo-Nazi group moves to 'Dark Web' after website goes down

Neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer, which helped organize a gathering in Virginia on Saturday that turned violent, moved to the so-called Dark Web on Tuesday because its registration to use the open internet was revoked. GoDaddy Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google canceled Daily Stormer's Internet registration on Monday, saying the group had violated terms of service, which prohibit clients from using their sites to incite violence. Andrew Anglin, the founder of Daily Stormer, did not respond to requests for comment.

AIG shops $2 billion death benefits portfolio: sources

AIG, the largest commercial insurer in the United States and Canada, is working with investment bankers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc to unload the assets, said the sources, who were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly. Apollo Global Management LLC is looking at buying at least some of the policies, one of the sources said. Parties including Blackstone Group LP have purchased similar life settlements, or "death benefits" from AIG in previous transactions, the people said.

Accused bomber fails to keep notebook mentioning bin Laden out of NY trial

A man accused of setting off bombs in New York City and New Jersey last September has failed to persuade a federal judge to keep a notebook that refers to bombs and former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden out of his upcoming trial. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan ruled at a hearing on Tuesday that the notebook belonging to Ahmad Rahimi, dubbed the "Chelsea Bomber," could be used as evidence of his motive at his scheduled Oct. 2 trial. Berman also allowed prosecutors to introduce records of Rahimi's internet activity and videos of his movements, but barred evidence about a shootout with New Jersey police before his capture, saying it was not relevant to the New York case.

U.S. cities step up removal of Confederate statues, despite Virginia violence

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday joined a growing list of officials seeking to remove statues as a national debate flared anew over whether monuments to the Confederacy are symbols of hate or heritage. Hogan, a Republican, called for taking down a statehouse statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney, who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision affirming slavery.

NY Times must face defamation lawsuit over professor's slavery comments

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived claims by Walter Block, who teaches at Loyola University, over a January 26, 2014, front page article about libertarianism and a potential presidential candidacy of Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who later ran for the White House. "We are disappointed in the court's ruling but remain convinced that our story was accurate," Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for the newspaper, said in an email.

Trump orders faster permitting on infrastructure projects

By Jeff Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to speed approvals of permits for highways, bridges and other major building efforts as part of his proposal to spend $1 trillion to fix aging U.S. infrastructure. The text of Trump's executive order was not immediately available. Earlier, sources said it revoked an Obama-era executive order that required strict building standards for government-funded projects to reduce exposure to increased flooding from sea level rise and other consequences of climate change.

Trump says both left- and right-wing groups to blame in Virginia clashes

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said both sides were to blame in the clashes in Virginia over the weekend, adding that protesters on the political left violently attacked white nationalists rallying against a decision to remove a Confederate statue. Trump had been sharply criticized for his initial comments blaming "many sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, but on Monday had explicitly condemned right-wing racist elements.

Despite losing trial to Taylor Swift, DJ insists he never groped her

The former Colorado radio DJ who lost a court case to Taylor Swift insisted on Tuesday that he "never grabbed" the pop star's bare buttocks while posing for a photo with her four years ago. Swift on Monday was awarded the symbolic $1 in damages that she had sought after a federal jury found that Mueller had groped her. The jury rejected Mueller's claims that members of Swift's management team had gotten him fired from his "dream job" at a local radio station by making false accusations.

House tax chairman confident on reform, others less so

By Susan Heavey and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top tax law writer in the U.S. House of Representatives insisted on Tuesday that tax reform will happen this year, despite concerns among some experts that a tax code overhaul could drag into 2018, or even collapse altogether. President Donald Trump is still seeking his first major legislative achievement and has focused on tax reform. In Congress, as they did for their failed push to dismantle Obamacare, Republicans are ramping up a nationwide publicity campaign in favor of tax law changes without first deciding on exactly what changes they want to make.

End of U.S. payments to health insurers would cause premiums to rise: CBO

By Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health insurance premiums for many customers on the Obamacare individual insurance markets would be 20 percent higher in 2018 if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to stop billions of dollars of payments to health insurers, a nonpartisan congressional office said on Tuesday. The Congressional Budget Office also found that terminating the payments would mean that 5 percent of Americans would live in areas that do not have an insurer in the individual market in 2018. The CBO's assessment echoes concerns raised by insurers over the past several months, who have said that terminating the payments would cause premiums to rise.

Former Miss America launches bid for Illinois attorney general

A former Miss America and Harvard Law School graduate said on Tuesday she would seek the Republican nomination in Illinois' attorney general race next year. Erika Harold is running to unseat Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat who has been in office since 2003 and has indicated she plans to seek reelection. Harold ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Illinois' 13th Congressional District in 2014.

Lawsuit over false online data revived after U.S. top court review

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a California man's lawsuit accusing Spokeo Inc of publishing an online profile about him that was filled with mistakes. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 in favor of Thomas Robins, 15 months after the U.S. Supreme Court asked it to more closely assess whether he suffered the "concrete and particularized" injury needed to justify a lawsuit. Spokeo sells data aggregated from various databases to users including employers and people seeking romantic partners.

Trade groups call on U.S. to investigate CSX rail disruptions

The letter, from the Rail Customer Coalition sent on Monday, is the latest challenge to CSX Chief Executive Hunter Harrison's effort to ramp up productivity at the Jacksonville, Florida-based railroad and fulfill investor expectations for substantially better financial performance. The 44 trade groups, representing chemical and agricultural companies, steel and auto makers, and beer producers and importers, among other companies, told U.S. lawmakers on House and Senate Transportation committees "chronic service failures" could degrade the nation's broader rail network.

Trump blasts CEOs who quit advisory panels as 'grandstanders'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed company executives who have resigned from one of his presidential advisory committees in reaction to his response following weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!" Trump wrote on Twitter after the chief executives of Merck & Co Inc, Under Armour Inc and Intel Corp left his Presidential Manufacturing Council. (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Tim Ahmann)

South Carolina sues OxyContin maker Purdue over opioid marketing

South Carolina sued Purdue Pharma LP on Tuesday, becoming the latest state or local government to accuse the OxyContin maker of deceptive marketing practices that have contributed to a national opioid addiction epidemic. The lawsuit by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, filed in Richland County Court of Common Pleas in Columbia, accuses the company of the unfair and deceptive marketing of opioid painkillers.

Tech companies urge Supreme Court to boost cellphone privacy

By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than a dozen high technology companies and the biggest wireless operator in the United States, Verizon Communications Inc , have called on the U.S. Supreme Court to make it harder for government officials to access individuals' sensitive cellphone data. The companies filed a 44-page brief with the court on Monday night in a high-profile dispute over whether police should have to get a warrant before obtaining data that could reveal a cellphone user's whereabouts. Signed by some of Silicon Valley's biggest names, including Apple , Facebook , Twitter , Snap and Alphabet's Google, the brief said that as individuals' data is increasingly collected through digital devices, greater privacy protections are needed under the law.