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Republicans tweak Obamacare repeal bill, support tepid

By Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican senators struggled to gather more support for a last-ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare on Monday despite revising funding provisions of their bill to make it more attractive to a handful of undecided lawmakers. The outcome remained in doubt with several senators in the party voicing concerns in recent days about the legislation to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. In hopes of finding more backing, Republican senators leading the effort released a changed version of their bill that included a table showing some states where senators have been undecided, such as Alaska and Maine, would get more money.

U.S. appeals court allows part of Texas law to punish sanctuary cities

A U.S. appeals court on Monday issued a mixed decision on a Texas law to punish "sanctuary cities" by allowing a few parts of the law to take effect but blocking major parts of it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit allowed the part of the Texas law that called on localities to abide by detainer requests from federal authorities to hold people in local jails to allow for checks of suspected U.S. immigration law violations. The appeals court has yet to render a full decision on the law.

Hundreds leave danger zone near crumbling Puerto Rico dam

By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Most people living near a crumbling dam in storm-battered Puerto Rico have been moved to safety, Governor Ricardo Rossello said on Monday, as he urged the U.S. Congress to fund an aid package to avert a humanitarian crisis after Hurricane Maria. Much of the Caribbean island, a U.S. territory with a population of 3.4 million, is still without electricity five days after Maria struck with ferocious winds and torrential rains, the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico for nearly a century.

Ex-U.S. Rep. Weiner sentenced to 21 months in teen 'sexting' case

By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl, setting off a scandal that played a role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Weiner, 53, started to cry as soon as the sentence was announced by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. "I was a very sick man for a very long time, but I'm also responsible for the damage I have done," Weiner said in court before he was sentenced.

Travelers swamp Puerto Rico's main airport; dam on verge of collapse

By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hundreds of stranded travelers filled the sweltering halls of San Juan International Airport on Monday anxious to know when they could leave and reconnect with families after Hurricane Maria devastated power and communications across the island. Fearful of checking out of hotels in case they could not get on the few flights available, worried passengers waited in long lines at Puerto Rico's main airport, struggling to get through to loved ones and airlines alike. "Everything is hearsay at the moment because there is no communication," said 31-year-old Rene Kessler, a medical student from Baltimore, Maryland, preparing to spend the night in the airport ahead of what he hoped would be a flight back to the United States.

Trump slaps travel restrictions on North Korea, Venezuela in sweeping new ban

President Donald Trump on Sunday slapped new travel restrictions on citizens from North Korea, Venezuela and Chad, expanding to eight the list of countries covered by his original travel bans that have been derided by critics and challenged in court. Restrictions on citizens from Sudan were lifted. The measures help fulfill a campaign promise Trump made to tighten U.S. immigration procedures and align with his "America First" foreign policy vision.

Supreme Court has option to duck travel ban ruling

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration's announcement on Sunday that it is issuing new travel restrictions on people entering the United States from eight countries could lead to an upcoming Supreme Court case on its previous more controversial ban ending in a whimper rather than a bang. The Trump administration on Sunday night asked the high court to considering hearing new briefing on the case before the oral argument to address "the effects of the proclamation on the issues currently pending before the court in these cases." Now the nine-justice court could skip deciding the case altogether, legal experts said. The March 6 order under Supreme Court review banned travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and limited refugee admissions.

NFL rallies around protesting players denounced by Trump

SOMERSET, N.J.,/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NFL teams staged a show of solidarity with protesting players before Sunday's games by kneeling, linking arms or staying off the field during the U.S. national anthem, defying President Donald Trump's call for owners to fire those who refuse to stand. Along the sidelines of National Football League games across the country and in London, coaches, support staff and even some owners joined team members in a silent response to Trump's weekend denunciation of players who kneel during the anthem as unpatriotic. In a gesture initiated last season by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, several NFL players have routinely "taken one knee" during the playing of the anthem.

Masked gunman kills woman, wounds several others at Nashville church

The suspect, identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, walked into Nashville's Burnette Chapel Church of Christ wearing a ski mask and opened fire shortly after 11 a.m., spokesman Don Aaron of the Metropolitan Nashville Police told reporters. As the church usher grappled with the suspect, he was struck in the head with the gunman's weapon before the suspect fired and wounded himself, police said. Although injured, the usher, 22-year-old Robert Engle, then retrieved a gun from his vehicle, re-entered the sanctuary and held the suspect at bay until police arrived.

Senate opposition to Obamacare repeal bill grows

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A proposal by U.S. Republicans to repeal and replace the Obamacare health insurance program suffered serious new setbacks within the party on Sunday, when Senator Ted Cruz expressed his opposition and Senator Susan Collins dug in with strong criticisms of the legislation. Phil Novack, a spokesman for Cruz, confirmed that the Republican senator said at an event in Texas: "Right now, they don't have my vote, and I don't think they have (Senator) Mike Lee's vote, either." Aides to Lee, a conservative Republican and close ally of Cruz, were not immediately available for comment. Politico reported that Cruz complained that the latest Obamacare repeal bill did not address his concerns about bringing down the costs of healthcare.

Trump clashes with sports world over player protests, invitation

By Barbara Goldberg and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and the sports world engaged in an intensifying spat on Saturday after he called for National Football League owners to fire players who protest during the U.S. national anthem and disinvited a National Basketball Association star from a White House visit. Responding to Trump's attacks on football players who protested during the national anthem, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Saturday that Trump's statements revealed “unfortunate lack of respect” for the NFL and its players.

Trump pressures U.S. senators to back Republican healthcare bill

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Senator John McCain for dealing a possibly fatal blow to the latest Republican attempt to dismantle Obamacare. According to a new independent analysis, the bill awaiting a Senate vote could lead to 21 million fewer Americans having health insurance. McCain, an Arizona Republican who is being treated for brain cancer and cast a crucial "no" vote to defeat a similar bill in July, said on Friday that he could not "in good conscience" vote for the proposal authored by Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham.

U.S. army probes fake evacuation orders sent to U.S. military, families in South Korea

The U.S. military said on Saturday it has opened an investigation into fake mobile phone alerts and social media messages advising U.S. military personnel and their families to evacuate the Korean Peninsula. The phony messages, which were spread on Thursday, came at a sensitive time, with tensions high after North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3. The test and a series of missile launches have triggered a war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

Protests could derail St. Louis' bid for second Amazon hub: sources

By Brendan O'Brien ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Protests in St. Louis over the acquittal of a white former policeman who killed a black man could impede the city's bid to attract Amazon.com's second headquarters, academics and business executives said. Marked by scuffles, teargas and property damage, the protests have been unfolding as the city, which has a history of social unrest, is vying for the lucrative Amazon deal. "There is no good timing for something like this and it will have an impact," said Didi Caldwell, founding principal with Global Location Strategies in South Carolina, which helps companies choose locations for new businesses and expansion.

Hurricane Maria skirts Turks and Caicos as Puerto Rico endures fresh flooding

By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hurricane Maria, the second major storm to ravage the Caribbean in a month, skirted past the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday, leaving devastation in its wake that included fresh flooding on Puerto Rico two days after pummeling the U.S. island territory. Maria, which ranked as the most powerful hurricane to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, has killed at least six people there and claimed 19 lives on several other Caribbean islands, according to government officials and local news media accounts. Roughly 70,000 people live in the area downstream from the earthen dam that was under evacuation, the island's governor, Ricardo Rossello, said in a late-afternoon news conference.

Corporate donations for Harvey, Irma disaster relief near $225 million

Corporate donations for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief funds totaled nearly $225 million by Friday and pledges continued to be made, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation said. Automakers and energy companies, some of them affected by the most powerful storm to hit Texas' Gulf Coast in 50 years, are among the prominent corporate donors. Texas, the biggest oil-producing state, was pummeled by Harvey when it made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane and proceeded to dump more than 50 inches of rain on the Houston region.

Hurricane Maria skirts Turks and Caicos as Puerto Rico endures fresh flooding

By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hurricane Maria, the second major hurricane to wreak havoc in the Caribbean this month, skirted by the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday and was blamed for fresh flooding on Puerto Rico two days after ravaging the U.S. island territory. The storm, which ranked as the most powerful hurricane to strike Puerto Rico in 90 years, has killed at least 25 people there and on other Caribbean islands, according to government officials and local news media accounts. U.S. weather forecasters and Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello warned that a dam on the rain-swollen Guajataca River in northwestern Puerto Rico was failing, causing flash flooding in the area.

St. Louis sued for misconduct toward protesters of white officer's acquittal

The civil rights lawsuit was filed in U.S. district court in St. Louis by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. It names Maleeha Ahmad, Alison Dreith and "a class of similarly situated individuals" as plaintiffs.

Storm Maria pitches Puerto Rico barrio into sunken 'Venice'

By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut CATANO, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Wading through highways swamped by turbid waters that sloshed over scattered, sunken belongings, residents of this Puerto Rican barrio flooded by Hurricane Maria have begun emerging from their shattered homes. Lying southwest of the capital San Juan, the Juana Matos neighborhood in Catano municipality took a huge hit from Maria after the storm slammed winds of up to 155 mph (249 kmh) into Puerto Rico early on Wednesday, destroying or damaging an estimated 80 percent of housing in the working-class barrio. The storm, the second Category 5 hurricane to batter the Caribbean this month, claimed at least 32 lives across the region, including 15 in Puerto Rico, and shut down power and communications across the island of 3.4 million people.

Doomsday sale: U.S. survivalists stock up as disasters roil the planet

Sales of freeze-dried food, gas masks and other survival equipment have spiked in recent weeks as so-called "preppers" get ready to ride out any disaster, whether natural or man-made. People buried in rubble after earthquakes rattled Mexico.

California mass killer sentenced to life in prison for hair salon attack

A California man was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the worst mass killing in Orange County history, the 2011 shooting deaths of eight people at a hair salon where his ex-wife worked. Scott Dekraai, a 47-year-old former tugboat worker, was spared the death penalty in August when a judge ruled that serious misconduct by Orange County prosecutors had violated his rights to a fair trial. “The gates of Hell flew open and you emerged as the face of evil in this community” Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals told Dekraai before pronouncing the sentence, according to the Orange County Register newspaper.

Former mobster Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano released from prison

Gravano, 72, was freed from federal custody on Monday after completing his sentence for running a drug ring, his New York-based lawyer Thomas Farinella said by phone. Farinella declined to say which facility released his client or where Gravano would live. "Right now, he's just enjoying the fact that he's free after 17 and a half years," Farinella said, adding he was spending time with family.

U.S. mainland Puerto Ricans anguished, unable to reach loved ones

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deserie Rivera is having difficulty sleeping at night, unable to get through to Puerto Rico to find out if her mother is safe after Hurricane Maria struck. Rivera, a 34-year-old waitress at a Puerto Rican restaurant in the southern Florida city of Sunrise, says that she knows that she is not alone.

Trump administration drops guidance on college sex-crime probes

The Trump administration on Friday reversed Obama-era guidelines on how colleges should handle sexual assault allegations that it said treated the accused unfairly. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the guidelines established under former Democratic President Barack Obama, under the Title IX U.S. education equality rules, led to too many students being falsely charged, and that schools were scared of being accused of ignoring accusations. The Education Department is issuing new "interim guidance" to help schools combat sexual misconduct while treating all students fairly, DeVos said in a statement.

NFL vows 'vigorous' fight against Aaron Hernandez CTE lawsuit

The National Football League on Friday vowed to vigorously fight a lawsuit filed on behalf of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez's family that claimed his severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy led to his suicide. Hernandez, 27, hung himself in April in a Massachusetts jail where he was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of an acquaintance. The lawyer who secured his that acquittal, Jose Baez, on Thursday sued the league on behalf of Hernandez's 4-year-old daughter and fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, saying a severe case of the brain disease CTE that Hernandez developed as a player contributed to his death.

Hurricane-ravaged U.S. cities hit by rising cleanup costs

By Rod Nickel HOUSTON (Reuters) - Communities in Texas and Florida, each swamped by a hurricane within two weeks of one another, are rewriting debris removal contracts and paying millions of dollars more to lure trucks, as subcontractors say costs have jumped. The willingness of communities to renegotiate such contracts in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida shows the limits of pre-planning for events as unpredictable as back-to-back hurricanes. Higher fees, however, may not be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), even after these huge storms brought intense public pressure to clear millions of cubic yards of rubbish from streets and damaged furnishings from flooded homes and businesses.

Accused mobster tied to Boston art heist to undergo psychiatric test

An octogenerian alleged mobster who police believe may be able to help solve the largest art heist in U.S. history will undergo a psychiatric evaluation before being sentenced on gun charges, a federal court judge in Connecticut ruled on Friday. The decision came after Robert Gentile, 81, appeared in court earlier this month for sentencing on charges he pleaded guilty to in April, but claimed to have no memory of entering a plea or of the events involved. "The defendant's counsel has become increasingly concerned about the defendant's ability to understand the charges against him and assist in his defense," defense attorney Ryan McGuigan wrote in a motion asking for the competency hearing.