REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 18
REUTERS AMERICA MORNING NEWS PLAN FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 18
LATEST AND PLANNED U.S. NEWS COVERAGE (ALL TIMES ET)
Top stories as of 9:45 a.m. on Thursday.
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BREAKING
U.S. jobless claims fall more than expected as labor market firms
WASHINGTON - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, reinforcing views of labor market strength that could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates soon (USA-ECONOMY/ (WRAPUP 1, GRAPHIC), moved at 9:08 a.m., 609 words)
Bomb attacks kill seven, wound 224 in southeast Turkey
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - Two bomb attacks blamed on Kurdish militants killed seven members of the security forces and wounded 224 people in southeast Turkey on Thursday, officials and security sources said, in a renewed escalation of violence across the region. (TURKEY-BLAST/ (UPDATE 4, TV, PIX), moved at 8:34 a.m., 506 words, will be led)
OLYMPICS
Brazil police pull U.S. swimmers from flight amid robbery probe
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian police stop two U.S. Olympic swimmers from boarding a flight home to question them about how they and two team mates were robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, after a judge raised doubts over their accounts. (OLYMPICS-RIO/LOCHTE (UPDATE 8, PIX, TV), moved at 6 a.m., 900 words, will be led)
Team Britain athlete seen victim of theft in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO/LONDON - A British Olympic team athlete was involved in an incident of theft in Rio de Janeiro while returning to their accommodation, the British Olympic Association said on Thursday. The Guardian newspaper reported a team member had been held up at gunpoint while returning from a night out and the incident had occurred early on Tuesday. (OLYMPICS-RIO/BRITAIN-ROBBERY (UPDATE 1), moved at 5 a.m., 325 words)
U.S. men's basketball team answers critics with blowout win over Argentina
RIO DE JANEIRO - The United States reaffirmed their status as gold medal favorites on Wednesday with a devastating 105-78 defeat of Argentina to storm into the semi-finals of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. (OLYMPICS-RIO-BASKETBALL/USA (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved at 9:24 p.m., 466 words) See also: Spain, U.S. set for a sizzling semi-final in men's basketball (OLYMPICS-RIO-BASKETBALL/ (WRAPUP 1, PIX), moved at midnight, 473 words) and LeBron envies Team USA at Rio Games (OLYMPICS-RIO-BASKETBALL/LEBRON (PIX), moved at 10:50 p.m., 240 words)
Former slave to run for South Sudan in Olympic marathon
LONDON - South Sudanese Olympic athlete Guor Marial may not be a hot medal tip for Sunday's marathon, but the former slave's road to Rio is one of the most astonishing stories of the games. (OLYMPICS-RIO/SOUTHSUDAN-MARATHON (FEATURE, PIX), moved at 2 a.m., by Emma Batha, 785 words)
Most cities too hot to host the summer Olympics by 2085 - study
BERKELEY, Calif. - In 70 years, most cities in the Northern Hemisphere will be unfit to host the summer Olympics due to rising temperatures associated with climate change, according to a medical journal's findings published this week. (OLYMPICS-CLMATE CHANGE/ (PIX, TV), moved, 380 words)
In middle age, Rio's golden oldies teach youth a lesson
RIO DE JANEIRO - A group of athletes in Rio has found the secret to enhanced performance and it has nothing to do with doping. It's called aging - a process by which athletes grow wiser, more focused and go on to win medals and hearts at the Olympics. "For so long we have been told that we're finished at a certain age," said American cyclist Kristin Armstrong, who at 42 became the oldest woman to win Olympic cycling gold in the road individual time trial. "Athletes are showing that this is not true." (OLYMPICS-RIO/AGE (PIX), moved at 7 a.m., by Mary Milliken, 746 words)
Petrobras may fund Paralympics as government aid ban lifted
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's state oil company Petrobras may buy marketing rights for the cash-strapped Paralympic Games set for September, a source involved in the negotiations says. (OLYMPICS-RIO/FUNDING (UPDATE 1), moved at 12:26 a.m., 390 words)
TOP STORIES
Portion of major highway reopens as California wildfire rages
LOS ANGELES - A portion of a major highway connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas has been reopened, as a wildfire that forced the evacuation of some 80,000 Southern California residents continues to rage virtually unchecked. (CALIFORNIA-FIRE/ (TV, PIX), moved, 260 words, will be led through the day)
Louisiana assesses flood damage as residents return to soaked homes
GONZALES, La. - Record floods have been blamed for at least 13 deaths and damage to about 40,000 homes. Authorities have only begun assessing the devastation. Ron Allen, 66, set out electric fans at his rental property in southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday, hoping to dry floors that had been swamped by nearly a foot of water. "This has never happened before,' he said. (USA-WEATHER/ (PIX, TV), moved at 8 p.m., 442 words, will be led through the day)
India air pollution death rate seen out-pacing China
BEIJING - The increase in people dying in India from air pollution will outpace the rate of such deaths in China, as India drags its heels over environmental rules while opening more coal mines, the head of a U.S. research group said on Thursday. (CHINA-COAL/INDIA (PIX), moved at 8:44 a.m., 400 words)
Australia, Hanoi at odds over 50th anniversary of Vietnam War battle
SYDNEY - An Australian ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a Vietnam War battle has soured into a diplomatic spat after the Vietnamese government restricted access to the site at Long Tan. (VIETNAM-ANNIVERSARY/AUSTRALIA (UPDATE 1, TV), moved at 6 a.m., 383 words)
WASHINGTON
Russia launches third day of Syria strikes from Iran
MOSCOW - Russian bombers launched a third day of air strikes against militants in Syria from an Iranian air base, the Russian defense ministry said on Thursday. The ministry said Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 fighter bombers struck Islamic State targets in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zor. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/RUSSIA-IRAN, moved at 7:46 a.m., 90 words)
For elite North Korean defector, a job and bodyguards await in South
SEOUL - Thae Yong Ho, the most senior North Korean diplomat to flee to the South, is likely to have round-the-clock protection and make a comfortable living at a think-tank run by Seoul's intelligence service, say elite defectors who followed a similar path. (NORTHKOREA-DEFECTOR/ (TV, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved at 9:27 a.m., 811 words)
CAMPAIGN
Trump hires 'street fighter' in new shakeup of White House campaign
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump overhauled his presidential campaign team on Wednesday for the second time in less than two months, hiring the aggressive leader of conservative news website Breitbart to bolster his combative image and try to reverse poor opinion poll numbers. (USA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 9, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 8 p.m., 986 words)
Clinton Foundation hires cyber security firm after suspected hacking
WASHINGTON - Bill and Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation hired the security firm FireEye to examine its data systems after seeing indications they might have been hacked, according to two sources familiar with the matter. (USA-CYBER/DEMOCRATS (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved at 9:16 p.m., 576 words)
FBI documents on Clinton viewed in secure areas of the U.S. Capitol
(USA-ELECTION/CLINTON-DOCUMENTS (UPDATE 2), moved at 10:32 p.m., 504 words)
OTHER U.S. NEWS
Former NFL star Darren Sharper due to be sentenced after sex assault plea
NEW ORLEANS - Former NFL star Darren Sharper, accused of drugging and raping women in four states, could spend up to 20 years in prison under a plea deal accepted by a federal judge in New Orleans in March. The sentencing is set for Aug. 18. (USA-NFL/SHARPER (PIX), expect after 10:30 a.m. hearing, 400 words)
OLYMPICS HIGHLIGHTS
'Black girl magic' gives U.S. hurdles sweep
RIO DE JANEIRO - Like many black American women, Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin have faced a good few hurdles of the metaphorical kind in their lives. On Wednesday at the Rio Olympics, though, they successfully traversed 10 very physical barriers - 33 inches of polycarbonate and metal - to give the United States gold, silver and bronze in the 100 meter hurdles. (OLYMPICS-RIO-ATHLETICS-W-HURDLES100/SISTERHOOD (PIX), moved at 1:43 a.m., 466 words)
American Tianna Bartoletta lands long jump gold
RIO DE JANEIRO - Tianna Bartoletta shrugged off 100 meter disappointment to land the women's long jump gold medal on Wednesday, edging out defending Olympic champion and United States team mate Brittney Reese with a personal best leap. (OLYMPICS-RIO-ATHLETICS-W-LONGJUMP/ (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved at 12:54 a.m., 510 words)
U.S. men make semis in volleyball seeking revenge
(OLYMPICS-RIO-VOLLEYBALL-M/ (UPDATE 3, PIX), moved at 11:52 p.m., 465 words)
German women thrash Brazil to take gold in beach volleyball
(OLYMPICS-RIO-BVOLLEYBALL-W/ (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved at 1:22 a.m., 400 words)
Jamaican 'warrior' Elaine Thompson wins sprint double
(OLYMPICS-RIO-ATHLETICS-W-200M/ (UPDATE 3, PIX), moved at 12:33 p.m., 387 words)
Another Chinese sweep in table tennis complete with men's team win
(OLYMPICS-RIO-TABLETENNIS-M-TEAM/ (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved at 11:36 p.m., 445 words)
MIDDLE EAST
Syrian planes bomb Kurdish-held city
BEIRUT - Syrian government warplanes bombed Kurdish-held areas of the northeastern city of Hasaka on Thursday for the first time in the five-year-old civil war, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and a monitoring group said. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-HASAKA (UPDATE 2), moved at 8:30 a.m., 336 words)
Turkey seizes assets as post-coup crackdown turns to business
ISTANBUL - Turkish police issue 187 arrest warrants and raid some 200 homes and workplaces as their investigation into last month's failed military coup shift towards the business community, media report. (TURKEY-SECURITY/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 8:28 a.m., 690 words)
UN Syria envoy bemoans lack of aid deliveries, seeks Aleppo truce
GENEVA - United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura says no aid convoys have reached besieged areas of Syria for the past month and he has abruptly suspended a humanitarian task force for the day out as a signal to major powers. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-UN (UPDATE 1, TV), moved at 7:40 a.m., 380 words)
Qatar Airways plane makes emergency landing in Istanbul after possible bird strike
(QATAR-AIRPLANE/TURKEY (UPDATE 2), moving shortly, 90 words)
WORLD
South Sudan opposition leader has left country to escape govt forces - spokesman
JUBA - South Sudan's former vice president and opposition leader Riek Machar has left the country to escape government forces who are pursuing him since he withdrew from the capital during fierce fighting over a month ago, his spokesman says. (SOUTHSUDAN-SECURITY/ (UPDATE 2), moved, 345 words)
Syrian refugees in discarded holiday homes dream of anything but Greece
MYRSINI, Greece - A small house close to the beach in western Greece is replete with a small rose garden, flowers in a vase, a thatched roof and a kennel, all created by its newly arrived refugee occupants. (EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GREECE-VILLAGE (PIX), moved, 800 words) See also: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/SERBIA-BORDER, moved, 305 words
Australian state leader offers to house stranded asylum seekers
SYDNEY - The premier of Western Australia state, a member of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal Party, offers to accept refugees from Australian-funded offshore detention centers amid a growing scandal about conditions for the 1,350 people held in the camps. (AUSTRALIA-ASYLUM/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved, 575 words)
Myanmar's Suu Kyi meets China PM, due to sign deals on hospitals, bridge
BEIJING/YANGON - China and Myanmar are set to sign deals to build a strategic bridge near their border and two hospitals in the Southeast Asian country, a Myanmar official says, as leader Aung San Suu Kyi met government leaders in Beijing. (CHINA-MYANMAR/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 7:11 a.m., 440 words)
South African opposition takes charge in Mandela Bay as ANC unseated
(SAFRICA-ELECTION/ (PIX), moved at 9 a.m., 354 words)
SPECIAL REPORT
Enslaved in Libya: One woman's extraordinary escape from Islamic State
-- Islamic State fighters in Libya have abducted at least 540 refugees in six separate ambushes over the past 18 months. This is one woman's story (EUROPE-MIGRANTS/SLAVES (SPECIAL REPORT, MAP, PIX), moved, 4,200 words)
HEALTH AND SCIENCE
Britain seeks to fight the fat with soft drinks sugar levy
LONDON - Britain launch a strategy aimed at curbing childhood obesity by taxing companies which sell sugar-laced soft drinks and investing that money in programs to encourage physical activity and balanced diets for school children. (BRITAIN-OBESITY/TAX (UPDATE 1), moved, 485 words)
Calcium supplements tied to higher dementia risk for some women
-- Some older women who take calcium supplements commonly recommended to ward off age-related bone damage may face an increased risk of developing dementia, a small study suggests. (HEALTH-WOMEN/CALCIUM-DEMENTIA, moved, 618 words)
Most antipsychotic drugs not tied to birth defects
-- Pregnant women on antipsychotic drugs can continue taking most of those medications without worrying the pills will increase the risk of their newborns having birth defects, a new study suggests. (HEALTH-PREGNACNY-ANTIPYCHOTICS, moved, 520 words)
More evidence ties insurance coverage to cancer survival
-- In two new studies, U.S. cancer patients who are uninsured or have government-sponsored Medicaid insurance for the poor tend to be diagnosed later, receive less optimal treatment and survive for a shorter time than people with private health insurance. (HEALTH-CANCER/DISPARITIES-INSURANCE, moved, 680 words)
ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE
Young "School of Rock" star surprises audiences with Hendrix tribute
NEW YORK - A young star of Broadway musical "School of Rock" surprised audiences with an extra performance after the show's curtain call on Wednesday night, with a guitar tribute to Jimi Hendrix. (BROADWAY/FILE-SCHOOLOFROCK (TV), moved at 6:45 a.m., 98 words)
Vietnam bans Pokemon Go from government, defense sites
HANOI - Vietnam has banned players of the game Pokemon Go from the offices of its government and ruling Communist Party, besides defense locations, as thousands of its citizens get swept up in the frenzy to capture virtual cartoon characters. (NINTENDO-POKEMON/VIETNAM (PIX), moved at 9 a.m., 310 words)
'Baar Baar Dekho' spins Bollywood twist on time and love
NEW YORK - It is not easy fusing a cocktail of genres including music, comedy and time travel into a movie, but the leading stars of new Bollywood film "Baar Baar Dekho" hope to convey a multi-faceted love story. (FILM-BAARBAARDEKHO/BOLLYWOOD (PIX, TV), moved, 354 words)
'Love Story' director Arthur Hiller dies at 92
(PEOPLE-ARTHURHILLER/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved, by Will Dunham, 860 words)
Presumed Oscar front-runner 'Birth of a Nation' runs into problems
(FILM-BIRTHOFANATION/PARKER (TV), moved, 511 words)
Participant Media Shutting Down Its Pivot TV Channel
(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-TV/NEWS), moved, 700 words)
PERSONAL FINANCE
Social Security texting snafu underscores customer service woes
CHICAGO - Now is the summer of our discontent with Social Security's customer service - and fall and winter could be worse. The Social Security Administration stumbled this month when it added a mandatory extra layer of website log-on security requiring customers to receive a code via text message. But the agency's customer service problems go much further than just text messages. (COLUMN-MILLER/SOCIALSECURITY (PERSONAL FINANCE), moved at 7 a.m., by Mark Miller, 860 words)
BUSINESS AND MARKETS
Wal-Mart profit beats expectations, shares rise
-- Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, reports a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as sales at its established U.S. stores rose for the eighth consecutive quarter, sending its shares up more than 3 percent (WALMART-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved at 8:44 a.m., by Nandita Bose, 360 words, will be led)
Citi CEO seen asking for more patience as targets still elusive
NEW YORK - Earlier this year, an analyst asked Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat what he would do if activist investors tried to shake things up after what seems like eons of underperformance. Corbat's response? He would take the new shareholders down to the U.S. Federal Reserve so they could see the limitations he faces. (CITIGROUP-STRATEGY/CEO (PIX), moved at 7 a.m., by David Henry, 864 words)
China's Greenland, Ping An, Agile to invest $1 billion in U.S. biotech site
HONG KONG - China's state-backed developer Greenland Holdings said on Thursday it would jointly invest more than $1 billion in a biotech industrial park in south San Francisco with smaller peer Agile Group, Ping An Trust and Poly Sino Capital. (GREENLAND HLDNG-M&A/, moved at 3 a.m., 216 words)
As technology shifts more layoffs loom at tech companies
NEW YORK - Cisco Systems Inc's announcement on Wednesday that it plans to lay off 5,500 employees is unlikely to be the last round of Silicon Valley pink slips as hardware companies struggle to keep up with rapid technology shifts, analysts and recruiters said. (TECH-LAYOFFS/, moved, 520 words)
Tech industry's legal shield is feeling the heat
SAN FRANCISCO - When San Francisco passed an ordinance this year imposing fines on home rental companies for listings by hosts not registered with the city, Airbnb sued, saying the measure runs afoul of Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act. (TECH-COURT/ (PIX), moved at 6 a.m., 1,034 words)
NY Fed, Bangladesh central bank to resume normal money transfers
-- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Bangladesh's central bank have agreed to withdraw additional payment security measures put in place after one of the world's biggest cyber heists, the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh Bank's account at the Fed, two sources said. (CYBER-HEIST/BANGLADESH, moved at 5:30 a.m., 566 words)
British shoppers defy Brexit shock as spending jumps in July
(BRITAIN-EU/ECONOMY (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, 530 words)
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