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Alphabet balloon project to provide limited internet in Puerto Rico

Experimental communications balloons provided by Alphabet Inc in collaboration with AT&T Inc will allow some of the carrier's customers in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico to send texts and access critical information on the internet, Alphabet said on Friday. Alphabet said the "Project Loon" balloon project would deliver limited internet connectivity to LTE enabled phones in the hardest-hit areas of Puerto Rico. The island's wireless and broadband communications networks were devastated after Hurricane Maria made landfall last month.

Lawyer charged alongside Martin Shkreli goes on trial

Jurors were presented with a stark choice during opening statements Friday in the trial of Evan Greebel, the lawyer charged with conspiracy alongside former drug executive Martin Shkreli: was he Shkreli's "right hand man," or a victim of his deceit? Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler told jurors that Greebel helped Shkreli steal millions of dollars from his drug company, Retrophin Inc, to pay back investors in two failed hedge funds run by Shkreli, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare. "The defendant had become Martin Shkreli's right hand man," Kessler said.

Oil barge explosion off Texas kills one, fire now out

The barge was carrying some 133,000 barrels of crude oil to a refinery in Corpus Christi when the explosion occurred at 4:30 a.m., they said. The dead person had not yet been identified and the fire was allowed to burn itself out before being extinguished, said Rick Adams, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Port Aransas. Six of the eight crew members were rescued and did not suffer any serious injuries, Adams added.

Three charged in shooting after white nationalist's Florida speech

No one was injured in the shooting incident, which occurred on Thursday near the campus in Gainesville where hundreds of people protested Richard Spencer's speech amid a heavy police presence and a preemptive state of emergency declaration by the governor. Gainesville police said Tyler Tenbrink, 28, and William and Colton Fears, 30 and 28, respectively, stopped their car near the campus to argue with a group of protesters.

EPA abandons changes to U.S. biofuel program after lawmaker pressure

By Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has backed off a series of proposed changes to the nation's biofuels policy after a massive backlash from corn-state lawmakers worried the moves would undercut ethanol demand, according to a letter from the agency to lawmakers seen by Reuters. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in the letter dated Oct. 19 that the agency will keep renewable fuel volume mandates for next year at or above proposed levels, reversing a previous move to open the door to cuts. The move marks a big win for the biofuels industry and lawmakers from corn-states like Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, while dealing a blow to merchant refiners like PBF Energy Inc and Valero Energy Corp who hoped the administration of President Donald Trump would help provide regulatory relief.

U.S. judge wrestles with issue of Indonesian immigrants

A U.S. judge wrestled on Friday with how much longer she can delay a Trump administration move to deport 47 Indonesian Christians who fled deadly violence in that country two decades ago and have been living illegally in New Hampshire under an informal deal with immigration officials. The group had long been allowed to live openly in the state, under an arrangement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that required them to turn in their passports and appear for regular check-ins. Chief U.S. District Judge Patti Saris wondered at a hearing in Boston federal court why only one of the immigrants had a written record of the deal.

Pharmacist's 'deadly' choices sparked U.S. meningitis outbreak: prosecutors

By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal prosecutor told jurors on Friday that a Massachusetts pharmacist gambled with patients' lives by making drugs in unsafe ways that led to a deadly 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, but a defense lawyer said he was no murderer. Glenn Chin, a former supervisory pharmacist at New England Compounding Center, made drugs in filthy conditions, producing mold-tainted steroids in the process, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Strachan told a federal jury in Boston in her closing argument. "Make no mistake, Glenn Chin is not sitting in this court room because he was negligent or careless," Strachan said.

Merck to cut 1,800 U.S. sales jobs, add 960 in chronic care

(Reuters) - Drugmaker Merck & Co Inc , moving to a new sales team structure in the United States, plans to cut 1,800 sales positions, while adding 960 jobs to a new chronic care sales force, the company said on Friday.

Tech companies to lobby for immigrant 'Dreamers' to remain in U.S.

Nearly two dozen major companies in technology and other industries are planning to launch a coalition to demand legislation that would allow young, illegal immigrants a path to permanent residency, according to documents seen by Reuters. The Coalition for the American Dream intends to ask Congress to pass bipartisan legislation this year that would allow these immigrants, often referred to as "Dreamers," to continue working in the United States, the documents said. Alphabet Inc's Google, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Intel Corp, Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], IBM Corp, Marriott International Inc and other top U.S. companies are listed as members, one of the documents shows.

Notable municipal bankruptcy lawyer talks shop to Hartford taxpayers

The lawyer who took Detroit, Michigan, through the largest Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history brought his message to a new crowd on Thursday: residents of Hartford, Connecticut's cash-strapped capital city. Kevyn Orr, a partner the law firm Jones Day, and a panel of experts tried to fend off residents' fears about whether city service might be cut (no), taxes might rise (maybe) or people might later get priced out of homes (it is complicated) if the city files for a court debt restructuring.

Trump launches petition against NFL players' anthem protests

U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up the pressure on the National Football League over protests by its players during the national anthem by launching a petition and asking his supporters to show their patriotism by backing it. The move came after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week rejected Trump's calls to punish players who kneel for the anthem to protest racism. Trump has said the protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful of military veterans.

Alabama executes man convicted of murdering police officer

Alabama on Thursday executed a man convicted of killing a police officer in 1997 by shooting him multiple times in his patrol car, prison officials said. Torrey McNabb, 40, was pronounced dead at 9:38 p.m. (0238 GMT) at the Hollman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

'Underwear bomber' sues U.S. Justice Department over rights

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab received multiple life sentences after the attempted attack on the Amsterdam to Detroit flight, which he called part of his "religious duty" as a Muslim to wage jihad against the United States. In a lawsuit filed in a Colorado federal court, he said authorities in the federal maximum security prison where he is being held were violating his constitutional rights by not allowing him to communicate with the outside world or practice his religion as a Muslim, court documents showed. Abdulmutallab, 30, was being held in long-term solitary confinement, the lawsuit said.

Short on staff: Nursing crisis strains U.S. hospitals

By Jilian Mincer MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Reuters) - A shortage of nurses at U.S. hospitals hit West Virginia's Charleston Area Medical Center at the worst possible time. It faces a $40 million deficit this year as it struggles with fewer privately insured patients, cuts in government reimbursement and higher labor costs to attract a shrinking pool of nurses. To keep its operations intact, Charleston Medical is spending this year $12 million on visiting or "travel" nurses, twice as much as three years ago.

Obama blasts 'politics of division' on return to campaign trail

Without mentioning Republican President Donald Trump by name, Obama told campaign rallies in New Jersey and Virginia that voters could send a powerful message about the type of politics they want by backing Democrats in Nov. 7 elections in the two states. At a later stop in Richmond, Virginia, Obama said modern politics increasingly did not reflect basic American values of inclusiveness and were driving people away from the process.

Protesters to white nationalist speaker at University of Florida: 'Go home Nazis'

Protesters shouted "Go home Nazis" as a white nationalist gave a speech on Thursday at the University of Florida, where hundreds of police set up barricades and separated supporters and demonstrators to guard against violence. Richard Spencer's event at the university in Gainesville, which prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency to prepare for possible conflict, came about two months after rallies by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to a deadly clash with counter-protesters. The violence on Aug. 12 added fuel to a national debate on race, and Republican President Donald Trump came under fire for blaming both sides for the melee.

White House says rollback of Obamacare must be part of short-term fix

By Richard Cowan and Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior White House aide said on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump would demand steps toward repealing Obamacare in any healthcare legislation, comments that cast doubt on the prospects for a short-term bill to shore up insurance markets. Marc Short, the White House's top liaison to Congress, said on CNN that Obamacare's mandates and taxes would have to be rolled back and consumers be allowed to more heavily invest in health-savings accounts for Trump to sign off on any congressional deal.

Obama urges New Jersey voters to reject 'politics of division'

Former President Barack Obama, back on the campaign trail on Thursday for the first time since he left the White House, urged voters in New Jersey to reject the "politics of division" by supporting Democrats in next month's state elections. Without mentioning Republican President Donald Trump by name, Obama said New Jersey could send a powerful signal about the type of politics it wants by voting for Democrat Phil Murphy in the Nov. 7 governor race.

Trump concludes Fed chair interviews, could decide next week: source

President Donald Trump has concluded interviews with the five candidates he is considering to chair the Federal Reserve and could announce a decision as early as next week, a source familiar with the process said on Thursday. Other contenders to lead the U.S. central bank are top Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn, Fed Board Governor Jerome Powell, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Stanford University economics professor John Taylor.

California Dept of Insurance estimates wildfires losses at $1.05 billion

The California Department of Insurance said on Thursday its preliminary estimate for insured wildfire losses was $1.05 billion, based on claims received by the state's eight largest insurers, adding that it expected the numbers to rise. Insurers have received 601 claims for commercial property losses, 4,177 claims for partial residential losses and 3,000 claims for auto losses, said California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones during a media call. Since erupting on Oct. 8 and 9, the blazes in parts of Northern California have blackened more than 245,000 acres, (86,200 hectares) and destroyed an estimated 6,900 structures as of Thursday, including homes, wineries and other commercial buildings.

Trump says he will work with Congress on more aid for Puerto Rico

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will work with the U.S. Congress to approve grants and loans to help rebuild Puerto Rico after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria a month ago. Already mired in debt after years of recession, the U.S. territory faces storm-related damages that some estimates have pegged as high as $95 billion, and has asked the federal government to make exceptions to rules that typically require states and local governments to shoulder part of the cost of recovery. Trump did not give any specifics about how much money the government may give or loan to the cash-strapped territory, home to 3.4 million U.S. citizens.

House committee postpones hearing on Puerto Rico

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, with oversight of Puerto Rico, on Thursday postponed until further notice a hearing on the island's recovery from Hurricane Maria and the role of a federally appointed oversight board. The spokesman for the committee said the hearing that had been planned for Oct. 24 would be rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts with witnesses. Earlier on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would work with Congress to approve grants and loans to help rebuild Puerto Rico after last month's devastating hurricane. ...

In glyphosate review, WHO cancer agency edited out 'non-carcinogenic' findings

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's cancer agency dismissed and edited findings from a draft of its review of the weedkiller glyphosate that were at odds with its final conclusion that the chemical probably causes cancer. Documents seen by Reuters show how a draft of a key section of the International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) assessment of glyphosate - a report that has prompted international disputes and multi-million-dollar lawsuits - underwent significant changes and deletions before the report was finalised and made public. IARC, based in Lyon, France, wields huge influence as a semi-autonomous unit of the WHO, the United Nations health agency.

Trailers could house those displaced by fires in California wine country

By Dan Whitcomb and Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Residents of Northern California's wine country left homeless by the state's deadliest-ever wildfires could be temporarily housed in federal government trailers, officials said on Wednesday, as the death toll from the blazes rose to 42. Since erupting on Oct. 8 and 9, the blazes have blackened more than 245,000 acres, (86,200 hectares) and destroyed an estimated 4,600 homes along with wineries and commercial buildings. Many are returning to find nothing left, forcing them to seek housing in emergency shelters or with family and friends.

Las Vegas hotel guard says he heard drilling, then hail of bullets

Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos, the first person to confront gunman Stephen Paddock, gave "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" his first public account of how he responded to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Contradictory statements from police and the hotel about what time Campos arrived at Paddock's room have raised questions about the police response. Campos himself came under increased scrutiny last week after he skipped out on scheduled television interviews.

Death toll rises to 42 in California wildfires

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The death toll from more than a dozen major wildfires still burning across Northern California's celebrated wine country rose to 42 on Wednesday, after search and rescue teams picking through burned out neighborhoods found another victim. Few details were available on the latest person confirmed to have died in the so-called North Bay fires, already the deadliest in California history. Law enforcement officials said only that the individual had died in the Fountain Grove section of Santa Rosa, a city of about 175,000 people north of San Francisco that has seen nearly 5 percent of its homes destroyed.

Texas judge postpones execution of 'tourniquet killer'

A Texas judge, acting on requests from prosecutors, halted the planned execution on Wednesday of a man known as the "tourniquet killer" for the grisly method used to murder five girls and young women in the Houston area whom he also raped. The order from Harris County Judge Maria Jackson to put a 90-day stay on the execution was issued a few hours before Anthony Shore, 55, was set to be put to death by lethal injection at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT). District attorneys in Harris County, which includes Houston, and neighboring Montgomery County, requested the stay to examine Shore's claim that another death row inmate tried to persuade him to take the blame for a murder for which the other inmate had been convicted.

Gunman kills three at Maryland company, suspected in Delaware shooting

An employee of a Maryland kitchen countertop company fatally shot three co-workers and critically wounded two others on Wednesday and is being sought for a later shooting in nearby Delaware, authorities said. A manhunt was on for the suspected gunman, Radee Prince, 37, who entered Advanced Granite Solutions in Edgewood, Maryland, just before 9 a.m. and fired multiple shots from a handgun, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told reporters. Gahler called the shooting a "targeted attack." Asked about the gunman's possible motive, he said: "We believe he's tied into a relationship here at work." Prince had worked for Advanced Granite Solutions for the past four months and had been scheduled to work on Wednesday, the sheriff said.

Trump and NFL at odds on how to get players to stand for anthem

By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National Football League rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to punish players who kneel for the national anthem to protest racism but said on Wednesday players "should" stand and it hopes the demonstrations will stop. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made clear he will take a more patient approach than the one urged by the president: Rather than using discipline, the league will continue to nurture players' efforts to fight racial disparities in the criminal justice system, believing this would make the urge to protest fade. "We have about six or seven players that are involved in this protest at this point," Goodell told reporters after a two-day meeting with team owners and the players' labor union in New York City, saying he hoped that number would eventually be zero.

ACLU, North Carolina governor reach agreement in transgender bathroom lawsuit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - Transgender people would be allowed to use public restrooms in North Carolina that match their gender identity under a settlement agreement filed on Wednesday that aims to resolve the federal lawsuit over the state's widely criticized bathroom law. The consent decree proposed by Governor Roy Cooper, the American Civil Liberties Union and transgender people who sued the state would remove some of the law's harmful effects, civil rights groups said. The consent decree says that under current state law, transgender people are not prevented from using public facilities that match their gender identity rather than the sex on their birth certificates.

Ford to recall 1.34 million trucks in North America for door latch fix

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it would recall 1.34 million 2015-17 Ford F-150 and 2017 Ford Super Duty trucks in North America to add water shields to side door latches at a cost of $267 million. The No.2 U.S. automaker said the safety recall is due to a frozen door latch or a bent or kinked actuation cable in the affected vehicles, that may result in a door not opening or closing. A Ford spokeswoman, Elizabeth Weigandt, said customers would be notified next month but did not have a timetable for when parts will be available.

Former Penn State coach Sandusky denied new child sex abuse trial

By David DeKok HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday denied a request by former Penn State University football coach Jerry Sandusky for a new trial on charges that he sexually assaulted pre-teen and teenaged boys for 15 years. Sandusky, 73, was convicted in 2012 of exploiting his position in the top-flight football program to sexually assault 10 boys. Centre County Court of Common Pleas visiting Judge John Foradora struck down all Sandusky's claims of sub-par legal work by his trial attorney, Joseph Amendola, and two other lawyers.

Guilty verdict in Boston Islamic State beheading plot

A Boston-area man was found guilty on Wednesday of conspiracy to commit acts of international terrorism and supporting Islamic State for a 2015 plot to attack police and behead a conservative blogger who organized a "Draw Mohammed" contest. David Wright, 28, was found guilty of five criminal charges for planning with his uncle and a friend to behead blogger Pamela Geller. The plot fell apart after Wright's uncle said he wanted to kill law enforcement officers instead and was shot dead by police.

Las Vegas hotel guard says he heard drilling, then hail of bullets

Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos, the first person to confront gunman Stephen Paddock, gave "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" his first public account of how he responded to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Contradictory statements from police and the hotel about what time Campos arrived at Paddock's room have raised questions about the police response. Campos himself came under increased scrutiny last week after he skipped out on scheduled television interviews.