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Talks to end Los Angeles teachers' strike make progress: union, mayor

Negotiations to end a strike by teachers in Los Angeles made progress on Monday, but educators will not return to work until Wednesday at the earliest even if contract talks produce a deal because union members must ratify it before halting their walkout. The United Teachers Los Angeles union said in a statement that the two sides "are making progress" in the negotiations, aimed at settling a labor dispute that has disrupted classes for some 500,000 students in America's second-largest school district. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose office has been mediating the talks, said "tremendous progress" had been achieved.

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris jumps into 2020 White House race

Harris, 54, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, enters the race with the potential advantage of being the Democratic candidate who looks most like the party's increasingly diverse base of young, female and minority voters. "This is a moment in time that I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are," Harris said on ABC's "Good Morning America" in announcing her candidacy. Harris, who made history in 2016 as the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate from California, timed her announcement for the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.

Deep freeze grips eastern United States, 12-year-old dies in Chicago

Temperatures fell to single-digits Fahrenheit (about -20 C) from New York City to Boston and through northern New England and froze melting snow late on Sunday and early Monday, said Marc Chenard at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. "Boston will be just 3 degrees (Fahrenheit) this morning, with wind chills of minus 12 or more," he said. "New York City and D.C. will be in that same range, maybe hitting the teens later today.

TSA absences rise as shutdown continues

The Transportation Security Administration said Monday that unscheduled absences among the more than 50,000 U.S. airport security officers rose to 10 percent on Sunday as the government shutdown continues. The agency said that, despite the absences, nearly all 1.78 million passengers screened Sunday faced normal security waits of 30 minutes or less. The agency said many employees, who are not being paid because of the shutdown, are not reporting to work because of financial hardships.

A T. rex and a shark as neighbors? Yes, eons ago in South Dakota

The huge meat-eating dinosaur did not meet its demise in a shark attack in some sort of "Jaws" meets "Jurassic Park" monster mash. The skeleton of Sue, the largest, most complete and best-preserved T. rex ever unearthed, is displayed at the Field Museum in Chicago, which kept the leftover rock for years in underground storage. If Galagadon ever interacted with Sue, it may have been when the thirsty dinosaur came to the river for a gulp of water.

Student in Trump hat denies mocking Native American activist in videotaped encounter

Nick Sandmann, a student from the private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in northern Kentucky, is seen in the video standing face to face with the Indian activist, Nathan Phillips, staring at him with a smile, while Phillips sings and plays a drum. The students, many wearing baseball caps emblazoned with President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, were in the nation's capital the same day for an anti-abortion rally. According to Sandmann, his group was waiting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for their bus back to Kentucky when four African American protesters nearby began shouting racially charged insults at them.

Flash freeze of melting snowstorm seen icing over U.S. Northeast

Plunging temperatures after a wet winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the U.S. Northeast were expected to flash freeze much of the region on Sunday and make travel dicey during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. "Any water that remains on the road will freeze into a sheet of ice and make conditions quite hazardous," said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS). Sub-zero temperatures tied to gusting winds prompted the NWS to issue wind chill advisories and warnings for more than 10 states, from North Dakota and other parts of the central United States to East Coast metropolitan centers including Washington, New York and Boston.

Trump says no amnesty for 'Dreamers,' signals support in broader deal

In a morning Twitter storm, Trump also said he would not seek the removal of millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States, while bashing House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for turning down an offer he made on Saturday, including for Dreamers, the undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. "No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer. It is a 3-year extension of DACA.

Talks seeking to end Los Angeles teachers strike enter fourth day

Bargaining teams for striking Los Angeles teachers and the second-largest U.S. school district were back behind closed doors on Sunday as negotiations to end a walkout disrupting classes for some 500,000 students stretched into a fourth day. More than 30,000 teachers walked off the job last Monday in their first strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District in three decades, demanding higher pay, smaller class sizes and the hiring of more support staff. District Superintendent Austin Beutner has insisted he shares many of the teachers' goals but contends the district lacks the budget to meet union demands fully without securing additional funds from the state level.

Bitter cold cancels some U.S. lunar eclipse festivities

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Many lunar eclipse festivities were canceled due to a flash freeze across the central and northeastern U.S. states on Sunday, with icy roadways rather than cloudy skies blamed by astronomers for spoiling the party. Star gazers from Los Angeles to New York had planned to gather at parks and observatories to keep their eyes on the sky for the total eclipse, known as a super blood wolf moon, expected to appear at 11:41 p.m. EST (0441 GMT). Days earlier, it seemed the biggest threat to the cosmic fun was cloudy skies but it turned out a wet, wide-ranging snowstorm followed by a deep freeze on Sunday made driving and outdoor activities too hazardous.

Giuliani says Trump pursued Moscow tower throughout '16, raising questions

U.S. President Donald Trump pursued a business deal to erect a tower bearing his name in Moscow throughout 2016, his attorney said on Sunday, raising new questions for congressional investigators looking into possible ties between the president and Russia. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said he may have continued to pursue the project and had discussions about it with his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, until as late as October or November 2016, when Trump was closing in on his election victory against Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Moscow deal ultimately did not materialize but Giuliani's remarks suggest that Trump's discussions about the project with Cohen may have dragged on months longer than had been publicly known.

Students in Trump hats mock Native American; school apologizes

The students from private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in northern Kentucky were in Washington for an anti-abortion rally on Friday when they were filmed surrounding Nathan Phillips and mocking the Native American's singing and drumming. Fellow students, many in clothing bearing President Donald Trump's "MAGA" slogan, cheered him on and chanted, "build that wall, build that wall," Phillips said.

On road to 2020, New York's Gillibrand touts liberal cred in Iowa

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made her maiden voyage to the critical primary state of Iowa over the weekend, laying out her case that she is the best Democrat to challenge President Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election in 2020. Gillibrand, from New York, joins a small field of Democratic contenders that is expected to expand by over a dozen more, all vying for the party's nomination and the right to challenge Trump, if he is the Republican's 2020 nominee. Criticized in the past by party left-wingers as too moderate, Gillibrand repeatedly emphasized her support for a "Medicare for all" proposal to create a national health care system.

Talks to end Los Angeles teachers strike enter third day

Negotiators for 30,000 striking Los Angeles teachers and America's second-largest school district returned to the bargaining table on Saturday for a third day of contract talks mediated by the mayor, as educators took a weekend break from picket lines. Teachers staging the first strike against the Los Angeles Unified District in 30 years were pressing demands for higher pay, smaller class sizes and expanded support staff. School district Superintendent Austin Beutner said on Friday he was determined to clinch a deal in time for teachers to return to the job on Tuesday, avoiding a second week of disrupted classes for nearly 500,000 students.

Winter storm to hit U.S. northeast with up to two feet of snow

The Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings or advisories for a swath of the eastern United States that is home to 100 million people, said meteorologist Rich Otto of the U.S. Weather Prediction Center.

Women protest in hundreds of U.S. cities for third straight year

Women's March, a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march, again hosted its main event in Washington, with hundreds of "sister" marches in other cities. "There is definitely huge, huge focus on the 2020 elections," said March On's Natalie Sanchez, an organizer of the 2017 Boston Women's March who is also with March Forward Massachusetts, which organized Saturday's march there. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who launched her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination this week, addressed the women's march in Des Moines, Iowa, the state that holds the first nominating contest and acts as a proving ground for White House hopefuls.

Trump travels to Delaware base to honor four Americans killed in Syria

Trump, locked in a battle with congressional Democrats that has led to a nearly month-long partial government shutdown, announced his trip via a pre-dawn tweet, saying he was going "to be with the families of 4 very special people who lost their lives in service to our Country!" Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House prior to departure that he planned to meet the families, a duty which he said "might be the toughest thing I have to do as president." He was greeted by military staff at Dover Air Force Base after a short flight from Joint Base Andrews, but did not speak to reporters before entering his motorcade. Flanked by military officials, Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan filed up a ramp leading onto a military transport aircraft, where a prayer was given to honor the memory of Scott Wirtz, a civilian Department of Defense employee from St. Louis.

Lack of school nurses puts Los Angeles students at risk, striking teachers say

The episode, which followed years of tight budgets that left little money for medical staff, highlights the potential impact of a lack of nurses throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of the key reasons Escobedo and her colleagues are on strike. In L.A., as in many districts across the United States, the school nurse is the first and sometimes only point of entry for many families into a complicated and expensive health-care system. Like most schools in the more than 1,200-campus district, Lockwood Elementary, where Escobedo teaches, has a nurse just once a week.

Winter storm disturbs travel as it rolls toward U.S. Midwest, Northeast

A major winter storm was expected to clobber a large swath of the northern United States with heavy snow, gusty winds and frigid temperatures making travel difficult and dangerous starting on Friday and through the weekend, forecasters said. The storm system will dump 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow in the Plains and Midwest on Friday night and Saturday and as it moves east at least a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in several advisories. The system was expected to also bring freezing rain, wind gusts of 35 miles (56 km) per hour and quickly dropping temperatures that will to dip into the teens and even below zero Fahrenheit in several areas, the service said.

Striking Los Angeles teachers rally near City Hall as talks resume

Tens of thousands of striking Los Angeles teachers were joined by parents and students in a rally near City Hall on Friday, as contract talks mediated by the mayor resumed behind closed doors after a marathon negotiating session the day before. Some 30,000 teachers walked off the job on Monday in their first strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 30 years, demanding higher pay, smaller classes and more support staff. LAUSD officials have argued that the teachers' demands would place too great a strain on the district's budget if they were fully met.

Ex-Chicago policeman sentenced to nearly seven years in black teen's death

After a jury convicted Van Dyke, 40, of second-degree murder last fall, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced him to 81 months in prison and said he would have to serve at least two years before he was eligible for parole. Van Dyke could have received up to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder and up to 30 years for each of 16 counts of aggravated battery - one count for each shot he fired at 17-year-old McDonald, who was carrying a knife. During sentencing, Van Dyke sat expressionless, unshaven and wearing a yellow-orange jail uniform.

Mueller's office disputes Buzzfeed story on Michael Cohen

U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office issued a statement late on Friday taking issue with a report in Buzzfeed that President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen said Trump told him to lie to Congress. “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller office, said in the statement.

Judge sentences ex-Chicago policeman to nearly seven years jail

A judge on Friday sentenced white former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke to nearly seven years in prison after a landmark verdict last fall found him guilty of murder in the 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced Van Dyke to 81 months in prison and said he would have to serve at least two years before he was eligible for parole. Van Dyke, 40, appearing unshaven and wearing a yellow-orange jail uniform in court, faced up to 20 years in prison for his second-degree murder conviction and up to 30 years for each of 16 counts of aggravated battery - one count for each shot he fired at McDonald, who was carrying a knife.

Striking Los Angeles teachers rally near City Hall as talks resume

Tens of thousands of striking Los Angeles teachers rallied near City Hall on Friday, joined by parents and students as contract talks the mayor called "productive" resumed behind closed doors after a marathon negotiating session the day before. Some 30,000 teachers walked off the job on Monday in their first strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District in 30 years, demanding higher pay, smaller classes and more support staff. "We are willing to go as long as it takes and work as hard as we need to to get a fair contract," union bargaining chair Arlene Inouye told supporters at City Hall, adding that talks were expected to last through the three-day holiday weekend.

Gladys Knight defends decision to sing U.S. anthem at Super Bowl

Singer Gladys Knight has defended her decision to perform the U.S. national anthem after receiving criticism from supporters of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who used the pre-game tradition to protest racial injustice. Knight, a 74-year-old native of Atlanta, where the game will be played, agreed to sing "the Star Spangled Banner." Her decision was blasted on social media by supporters of the "take a knee" stance championed by NFL players who kneel during the anthem to protest racial injustice. U.S. President Donald Trump and other conservatives have called the players unpatriotic.

Winter storm disturbs travel as it rolls toward U.S. Midwest, Northeast

A major winter storm was expected to clobber a large swath of the northern United States with heavy snow, gusty winds and frigid temperatures making travel difficult and dangerous starting on Friday and through the weekend, forecasters said. The storm system will dump 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow in the Plains and Midwest on Friday night and Saturday and as it moves east at least a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in several advisories. The system was expected to also bring freezing rain, wind gusts of 35 miles (56 km) per hour and quickly dropping temperatures that will to dip into the teens and even below zero Fahrenheit in several areas, the service said.

Obama donor imprisoned for $292 million bank fraud seeks early release

An Iranian-American businessman who gave money to Democrats including former President Barack Obama should be released early from his 12-year prison term for a $292 million bank fraud and moved to home confinement, his lawyers said on Friday. Lawyers for Hassan Nemazee, 68, who has spent nearly 8-1/2 years in prison, said he qualified for early release under a prison reform law signed by President Donald Trump last month. Nemazee's lawyers said their client has been a model prisoner, has a job and housing lined up for after his release, and "embodies the very paradigm" of the type of person Congress intended for home confinement.

Trump tells anti-abortion marchers he will support them

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in a prerecorded video to thousands of anti-abortion activists in Washington on Friday for the 46th March for Life, vowing to veto any legislation that "weakens the protection of human life."

$11 toothpaste: Immigrants pay big for basics at private ICE lock-ups

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Detained in a California lockup with hundreds of other immigrants seeking asylum, Duglas Cruz faced a choice. Or he could labor in the prison's kitchen to earn money to buy extra food at the commissary. Cruz went to work.

PayPal offers up to $500 credit for U.S. federal employees affected by shutdown

PayPal Holdings Inc said on Friday it will offer $25 million in interest-free credit to its users who work with the U.S. federal government and are impacted by the shutdown. Employees who use PayPal Credit will be able to avail an advance of up to $500 each, without having to pay any interest, and the program will last until the government reopens and employees receive their first paycheck, the company said on its website http://bit.ly/2Cs7xAY. The partial shutdown, which hit the four-week mark on Friday, is the longest in U.S. history.

U.S. names three killed in Syria blast claimed by Islamic State

Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon Kent, 35, identified as being from upstate New York, and Scott Wirtz, a civilian Department of Defense employee from St. Louis, died during the Wednesday attack in Manbij, Syria, the Department of Defense said in a statement. The Pentagon did not identify the fourth person killed, a contractor working for a private company.

On Day 28, no sign of end to U.S. partial government shutdown

The Democratic-led House of Representatives has left town for a three-day weekend, returning late on Tuesday. The Senate was expected to reconvene on Friday, but its exact plans were unsettled. The Republican-controlled Senate, toeing Trump's line on the wall, has not acted on any of several shutdown-ending bills approved in recent days by the House, all lacking wall funding.

Ex-mistress of 'El Chapo' says she was 'traumatized' by tunnel escape

Testifying for the prosecution in federal court in Brooklyn, Lucero Sanchez Lopez, a onetime local lawmaker in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa, also gave an emotional account of her relationship with Guzman, saying she at times feared for her safety. "I didn't want for him to mistrust me because I thought he could also hurt me," Lucero Sanchez Lopez, 29, testified. Sometimes I loved him and sometimes I didn't." She said once, while the two were eating dinner in 2012, Guzman told her that anyone who betrayed him would die.

Ex-mistress of 'El Chapo' says she was 'traumatized' by tunnel escape

Testifying for the prosecution in federal court in Brooklyn, Lucero Sanchez Lopez, a onetime local lawmaker in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa, also gave an emotional account of her relationship with Guzman, saying she at times feared for her safety. "I didn't want for him to mistrust me because I thought he could also hurt me," Lucero Sanchez Lopez, 29, testified. Sometimes I loved him and sometimes I didn't." She said once, while the two were eating dinner in 2012, Guzman told her that anyone who betrayed him would die.

Judge acquits Chicago policemen in conspiracy trial

A judge on Thursday found three Chicago policemen not guilty of conspiring to protect white fellow police officer Jason Van Dyke after he fatally shot a black teenager in 2014 in an incident that helped fuel the "Black Lives Matter" movement. A jury convicted Van Dyke in October of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17. Judge Domenica Stephenson of the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County also found David March, Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney not guilty of official misconduct and obstruction of justice.

Talks resume as Los Angeles teachers' strike enters fourth day

Negotiators for striking Los Angeles teachers and America's second-largest school district returned to the bargaining table on Thursday for the first time since talks collapsed last week, as a walkout by some 30,000 educators entered its fourth day. "They are resolute on reaching an agreement," the union's president, Alex Caputo-Pearl, said at a news conference, referring to the union's bargaining team ahead of Thursday's talks. School District Superintendent Austin Beutner has said the demands, if fully met, would place too great a strain on the district's budget.

Judge blocks Republican-backed Wisconsin early-voting law

The early-voting bill was part of a package of laws that the Republican-controlled legislature passed during a rare all-night lame-duck session in December, which included measures aimed at curbing the powers of incoming Democratic Governor Tony Evers. The effort drew criticism from Democrats that Republicans were effectively ignoring the will of the voters after Evers' victory in November's midterm election ended eight years of total Republican control of the state capitol. The state's largest cities, Milwaukee and Madison, offered six weeks of early voting last year, while smaller municipalities with fewer resources provided shorter windows.

U.S. separated 'thousands' more immigrant children than known: watchdog

The Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the agency had identified many more children in addition to the 2,737 included as part of a class action lawsuit challenging family separations brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last year. The administration of President Donald Trump implemented a 'zero tolerance' policy to criminally prosecute and jail all illegal border crossers even those traveling with their children, leading to a wave of separations last year.