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National Guard to help search for remains from California's deadliest wildfire

National Guard troops were due to arrive on Wednesday to help search for more victims in the charred, ash-strewn ruins where the northern California town of Paradise stood, before it was erased in the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in state history. The Guard contingent, about 100 military police trained to look for and identify human remains, will reinforce the coroner-led recovery teams, cadaver dogs and forensic anthropologists already scouring the ghostly landscape of a fire that has killed at least 48 people. The grim, painstaking search is concentrated in what little is left of Paradise, a Sierra foothills town in Butte County, California, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, that was overrun by flames and largely incinerated last Thursday.

U.S. safety board to hold hearing on fatal Southwest engine explosion

Dallas-based Southwest has been under intense scrutiny in the months since an engine on a flight headed from New York to Dallas blew apart, shattering a plane window, flinging shrapnel and killing passenger Jennifer Riordan, one of 149 people aboard. The episode, which has raised concerns about the safety of similar engines, was the first fatality on a U.S. commercial passenger airline since 2009. The all-day hearing in Washington will focus on the fan blade design and development history of the engine type that failed, a CFM56-7B made by CFM International, a transatlantic joint-venture between General Electric Co and France's Safran SA, the NTSB said.

Teams 'look for skulls' in ashes of California's deadliest wildfire

The intensified effort to locate victims came on the sixth day of a blaze that incinerated over 7,000 homes and other buildings, including most of the town of Paradise in the Sierra foothills of rural Butte County about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco. County Sheriff Kory Honea said 228 people were listed as missing, and his office also was conducting "well-being checks" on nearly 1,300 individuals whose loved ones had reported concern for their whereabouts. By Tuesday, the killer blaze dubbed the Camp Fire had blackened 125,000 acres (50,500 hectares) of drought-parched scrub and brush, up 8,000 acres from the night before, but crews had carved containment lines around nearly a third of the fire's expanding perimeter.

El Chapo is a scapegoat for drug lord who bribed Mexico's president: lawyer

"He's blamed for being the leader while the real leaders are living freely and openly in Mexico," attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said on the first day of Guzman's trial for drug smuggling in Brooklyn federal court, which is expected to last up to four months. Mayo Zambada did." Lichtman also said that Zambada had been left free because he "bribes the entire government of Mexico including up to the very top, the current president of Mexico," Enrique Pena Nieto. Pena Nieto's spokesman said of the accusation: "That is false." Lichtman's statement came after Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels laid out the U.S. government's case, describing how prosecutors would prove that Guzman rose from a low-level marijuana trafficker in the 1970s to lead the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.

House Democrats to probe Trump impact on FBI, Justice: lawmaker

Representative Jerrold Nadler, now the panel's top Democrat, gave acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and FBI Director Christopher Wray until Dec. 31 to respond to more than 100 letters House Democrats have already sent concerning Trump's behavior toward U.S. law enforcement, including verbal attacks on senior officials. "I write with growing concern over President Trump's repeated attacks on the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI," Nadler told Whitaker and Wray in the Nov. 13 letter that was made public.

Motorists drove 0.8 percent fewer miles on U.S. roads in September: DOT

Motorists drove 0.8 percent fewer miles on U.S. roads and highways in September versus last year, according to figures released on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Travel for the month is estimated to be 260.6 billion vehicle miles, DOT says, down from 262.6 billion miles last year. Motorists increased miles traveled on U.S. roads and highways for the sixth consecutive year in 2017, according to DOT.

U.S. judge to hold hearing on CNN White House lawsuit

In its lawsuit filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, the cable news network said the White House violated the First Amendment right to free speech as well as the due process clause of the Constitution providing fair treatment through judicial process. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, dismissed the action as "just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit." U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to respond to the lawsuit by 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) on Wednesday and he set a hearing for 3:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) that day on the request for a restraining order. Kelly, a former lawyer for the Senate Judiciary Committee, was nominated to the bench by Trump last year.

U.S. anti-Semitic hate crimes spiked 37 percent in 2017: FBI

The release of the data comes just weeks after a gunman burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shot dead 11 worshippers while shouting "All Jews must die." According to the FBI's annual Hate Crime Statistics report, there were a total of 7,175 hate crime incidents reported last year by law enforcement agencies, up from 6,121 incidents in 2016. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said in a statement that hate crimes were "despicable violations" of America's values. "I am particularly troubled by the increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes," Whitaker said.

Man convicted on terrorism charge in 2017 Michigan airport stabbing

A jury in Flint, Michigan, found Amor Ftouhi guilty on charges of committing an act of violence at an international airport, interference with airport security and committing an act of terrorism, the court said.

Iowa senator says expect fewer biofuel waivers from Wheeler's EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may issue fewer biofuel waivers to small refineries under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler than it did under its previous leadership, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on Tuesday. "I sense that Wheeler has a feeling that (former Administrator Scott Pruitt) was very liberal on his issuing of waivers," Grassley told a conference call.

U.S. top court to review Virginia voting districts in race case

The high court will hear an appeal by the Republican-led state House of Delegates of a June ruling by a federal three-judge panel that said the 11 state House districts in question all violated the rights of black voters to equal protection under the law under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. Democrats have accused Republicans in Virginia and other states of crafting such legislative maps in a way that crams black and other minority voters into certain districts in order to reduce their overall sway in the state. The justices said the lower court had not sufficiently analyzed the consideration of race by the Republican legislators in the process of drawing Virginia's electoral map.

U.S. court orders Georgia to continue review of governor's race

Georgia voters will wait until at least Friday for the final word on who will be their next governor after a U.S. federal judge ordered state election officials to review provisional ballots cast in last week's election. In an order late on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Totenberg urged county election officials to conduct a "good faith" or "independent" review of ballots cast by voters on a provisional basis in the race between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican and former Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Colorado voters reject tougher rules on oil and gas drilling

The measure was defeated in an election that saw oil companies pour millions of dollars into efforts to combat the proposal and was one of several ballot initiatives that sought to curb fossil fuels use. Shares in producers active in the state gained ground on Wednesday, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp , which rose 5.7 percent, and Noble Energy Inc , which climbed 4.2 percent. It garnered 43 percent of votes, according to final data from the Colorado Secretary of State's office.

U.S. plans new limits on heavy-duty truck emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will announce plans to propose new rules to significantly decrease emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxide from diesel-powered heavy-duty trucks, an agency official said. Industry groups and state environmental officials have urged the EPA to set new nationwide rules as the state of California has been moving forward with plans to set new state emissions limits. California also wants nationwide rules, in part because more than half of all trucks delivering goods in the state are registered in other states.

Trump seeks end of Florida recount; Democrats win Arizona Senate seat

TAMPA, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Florida election officials to end a recount and declare his fellow Republicans the winners of disputed races in last week's elections, while Democrats picked up a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema declared victory and Republican opponent Martha McSally conceded after multiple media outlets called the closely contested Arizona race for the Democrat. Sinema will succeed Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic, who did not seek-election.

Fewer foreign students coming to United States for second year in row: survey

The number of international students entering U.S. colleges and universities has fallen for the second year in a row, a nonprofit group said on Tuesday, amid efforts by the Trump administration to tighten restrictions on foreigners studying in the United States. Visa and immigration policy changes by the Trump administration have deterred some international students from enrolling, college administrators and immigration analysts said. A strong dollar has made U.S. college tuition relatively more expensive, Canadian and European universities are competing fiercely for the same students and headlines about mass shootings also may have deterred some students, said Allan Goodman, president of IIE.

Carpenter erects wooden crosses in honor of shooting rampage victims

Mourners returned on Monday to the scene of a shooting rampage at a bar in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, where a Chicago-area carpenter erected wooden crosses dedicated to each of the 12 victims. Greg Zanis, who has been building crosses to remember shooting victims for more than two decades, said he arrived in Thousand Oaks, 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, early on Sunday morning to meet the families and put up the crosses. A former U.S. Marine combat veteran opened fire last week in the Borderline Bar and Grill bar, which was packed with line-dancing college students, killing 12 people in a mass shooting that stunned Thousand Oaks, a bucolic Southern California community with a reputation for safety.

Northern California officials fear record wildfire death toll could rise

The deadly Camp Fire also ranked as California's most destructive ever in terms of property losses, having incinerated more than 6,700 homes and other buildings in the Sierra foothills of Butte County, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco. Most of the devastation and loss of life was in and around the town of Paradise, where flames reduced most of the buildings to ash and charred rubble on Thursday night, just hours after the blaze erupted. At least 29 fatalities have been confirmed so far, a tally that ranks as the most ever from a single northern California wildfire - surpassing the 25 lives lost in the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm - and ties the all-time statewide record set in 1933 by the Griffith Park blaze in Los Angeles.

Miley Cyrus, Neil Young lose homes in Malibu fire; Gaga visits shelter

"I am one of the lucky ones," Cyrus wrote on Twitter. My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family & friends stand strong." Cyrus is engaged to actor Liam Hemsworth. Lady Gaga and members of the Kardashian family said they were forced to evacuate their homes because of the Woolsey Fire, which authorities said has destroyed more than 370 structures.

U.S. plans new limits on heavy-duty truck emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will announce plans to propose new rules to significantly decrease emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxide from diesel-powered heavy-duty trucks, an agency official said. Industry groups and state environmental officials have urged the EPA to set new nationwide rules as the state of California has been moving forward with plans to set new state emissions limits. California also wants nationwide rules, in part because more than half of all trucks delivering goods in the state are registered in other states.

U.S. bishops delay action on clergy abuse at Vatican's request

The Catholic Church worldwide is reeling from crises involving sexual abuse of minors, deeply damaging confidence in the Church in the United States, Chile, Australia, Ireland and elsewhere. Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said the Congregation for Bishops in Rome had sent a letter asking U.S. bishops to wait until after the Vatican-convened global meeting on sex abuse takes place in February.

City of San Francisco threatens court action over Trump's acting Attorney General

San Francisco's city attorney on Monday questioned the recent appointment of a new acting attorney general, saying in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice that his office may take court action if the DOJ does not provide a legal justification for the designation. President Donald Trump last week named Matthew Whitaker to replace former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was forced out after months of attacks by Trump for recusing himself from an ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

U.S. movie theater chains fear Justice Department review may hit profits

U.S. movie theater chains fear that a Justice Department review of little-known mid-century rules may result in studios getting free rein to force them to show unpopular movies in exchange for getting blockbuster releases, threatening their profits. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1948 ruled against the practice, called "block booking," and others that favored studios, leading the plaintiff, Paramount Pictures, Inc, and its peers to sign consent decrees over the next few years with the Justice Department that banned such deals. The agreements regulating relations between movie studios and theaters, which the industry calls the Paramount consent decrees, were reached in the late 1940s and early 1950s when movie theaters had just one screen, televisions were not universal, and online streaming was decades into the future.

Florida Republican Scott asks that ballots be guarded in Senate race recount

On Saturday, a machine recount began in the race between Scott and incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson in one of the most closely watched swing-state contests in last Tuesday's congressional elections. Each side has accused the other of trying to subvert democracy in an echo of the drama in the 2000 presidential vote recount that unfolded for weeks in Florida.

U.S. marks 100th anniversary of end to WWI with poppies, Bells of Peace

More than 100,000 Americans died in World War One, after the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, driving the nation into a global conflict. Although the United States entered the war in the later stage, many Americans had disagreed with the decision to join allies Britain, France and Russia, some viewing it as an endless fight between old European rivals. The conflict erupted in 1914 after a teenage Bosnian Serb assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife in Sarajevo.