REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 30/WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31

08/30/2016 17:22

REUTERS AMERICA EVENING NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 30/WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31

LATEST AND PLANNED U.S. NEWS COVERAGE (ALL TIMES ET)

TOP STORIES

Tropical systems churn off North Carolina, Florida coasts

TAMPA - As a tropical system whipped up heavy seas off North Carolina's far eastern coast on Tuesday, U.S forecasters warned residents along Florida's Gulf Coast to prepare for another, potentially more menacing system later in the week. (STORM-ATLANTIC/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 3:48 p.m., by Letitia Stein, 357 words)

Islamic State leader in charge of foreign attacks killed in Syria

BEIRUT/WASHINGTON - The Islamic State group announced on Tuesday that one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, responsible for attacks overseas, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, had been killed in Aleppo province in Syria. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/ISLAMIC STATE-SPOKESMAN (UPDATE 3), moved at 4:07 p.m., by Angus McDowall and Yara Bayoumy, 908 words)

Obama shortens prison sentences of 111 convicts - White House

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama shortened the prison sentences of 111 convicts serving time for drug-related offenses in his second round of clemency grants this month, the White House said on Tuesday. (USA-JUSTICE/OBAMA (UPDATE 1), moved at 3:58 p.m., 249 words)

Italy holds funeral for quake victims as search continues

AMATRICE, Italy - Italy held a state funeral in pouring rain on Tuesday for some of the victims of an earthquake which leveled mountain communities last week, killing at least 292 people. (ITALY-QUAKE/ (UPDATE 3, TV, PIX), moved at 2:04 p.m., 650 words)

Maine governor mulls political future amid racism flap

BOSTON - Combative Maine Governor Paul LePage told a radio host on Tuesday that he was considering not finishing his term in office, amid a wave of criticism after he left a lawmaker a profanity-filled voicemail. (MAINE-LEPAGE/ (UPDATE 3, PIX, TV), moved at 3:45 p.m., by Scott Malone, 669 words)

EU hits Apple with 13 billion euro Irish tax demand

BRUSSELS/DUBLIN - The European Commission ordered Apple Inc. to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) on Tuesday as it ruled that the firm had received illegal state aid. (EU-APPLE/TAXAVOIDANCE (UPDATE 5, TV, PIX, GRAPHICS), moved at 11:34 a.m., by Foo Yun Chee and Padraic Halpin, 984 words) See also: Washington warns of strain on EU economic relationship after Apple ruling (EU-APPLE/USA (UPDATE 2), moved at 4:57 p.m., by David Morgan and Jason Lange, 592 words)

CAMPAIGN

Trump booster apologizes for Clinton 'blackface' tweet

WASHINGTON - Pastor Marks Burns, a prominent supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, apologized on Tuesday for sending out a tweet that showed a cartoon image of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface. (USA-ELECTION/TRUMP-BURNS, moved at 2:10 p.m., 176 words)

Poll shows Virginia lawmaker jailed in sex scandal leading mayor's race

A former Virginia politician who was jailed over a sex scandal involving a teenage girl leads a crowded field running for mayor of the state's capital city, a poll showed on Tuesday. (VIRGINIA-POLITICS/, moved at 4:48 p.m., 259 words)

FBI to give media some Clinton notes over email use - CNN

WASHINGTON - The FBI plans to hand over some of its notes from its interview with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton regarding her use of private email while secretary of state to news outlets that requested them, CNN reported on Tuesday. (USA-ELECTION/CLINTON (UPDATE 1), moved at 11:34 a.m., 238 words)

WASHINGTON

U.S. Senator Grassley could be persuaded to hold hearing on Garland

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley opened the door to holding a hearing on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland if a majority of senators wish to do so after the Nov. 8 election, in comments posted online Tuesday. (USA-COURT/GARLAND (moved), by Susan Cornwell, 400 words)

U.S. SEC awards $22 mln to Monsanto whistleblower

A former Monsanto Co executive who tipped the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to accounting improprieties involving the company's top-selling Roundup product has been awarded more than $22 million from the agency's whistleblower program, the executive's lawyer said on Tuesday. (SEC-MONSANTO/WHISTLEBLOWER (UPDATE 1), moved at 4:11 p.m., by Suzanne Barlyn, 399 words)

U.S. aware of Afghan hostage video, assessing it -State Dept.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that authorities were assessing the validity of a video released by Afghan militants that depicts U.S. hostage Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, who were seized four years ago. (AFGHANISTAN-USA/HOSTAGE, moved at 4:38 p.m., 221 words)

SPECIAL REPORT

Why an emblematic Midwestern city has turned to Trump

MUNCIE, Indiana - One night a month, retired auto workers shuffle into a former elementary school classroom here to discuss their legal fight against the company that canceled their health care benefits seven years ago. But the conversation often turns quickly to presidential politics. (USA-INSECURITY/MUNCIE (SPECIAL REPORT, PIX), moved at 9:12 a.m., by Timothy Aeppel, 2,400 words)

OTHER U.S. NEWS

One dead, five in custody after New Jersey highway shootout

NEW YORK - Five people have been arrested following a deadly shootout in broad daylight between moving vehicles on a New Jersey highway, police said on Tuesday. (NEW JERSEY-CRIME/, moved at 2:55 p.m., 228 words)

Orlando 911 calls tell of terror inside and outside of Pulse club

ORLANDO, Fla., - Neighbors of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando told police buildings were being hit by stray bullets while relatives and friends of those inside the club relayed messages of terror, according to emergency 911 calls released on Tuesday. (USA-FLORIDA/SHOOTING (PIX), moved at 1:35 p.m., 329 words)

New Jersey Gov. Christie vetoes minimum wage hike to $15/hr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years. (NEW JERSEY-WAGES/, moved at 2:57 p.m., by Hilary Russ, 390 words)

New Hampshire sex victim says school didn't take attack seriously

BOSTON - A female former student at an elite New Hampshire prep school who was the focus of a high-profile criminal trial last year after accusing a fellow student of sexual assault accused the school on Tuesday of not taking the incident seriously. (NEW HAMPSHIRE-CRIME/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 1:20 p.m., 391 words)

N.Y. high court broadens definition of parent in landmark ruling

NEW YORK - In a landmark ruling for non-traditional families in New York, the state's highest court on Tuesday held a person need not have a biological or adoptive relationship with a child to be considered a parent. (NEW YORK-RULING/PARENT, moved at 4:23 p.m., by Karen Freifeld, 344 words)

Kaepernick anthem protest prompts backlash from NFL greats

NEW YORK - San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's sideline protest during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a National Football League pre-season game last week has generated criticism from current and former NFL stars. (USA-NFL/KAEPERNICK (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved at 3:40 p.m., by Amy Tennery, 410 words)

Christian woman told to remove headscarf for license -ACLU lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Alabama county officials of violating a Christian woman's religious rights by forcing her to remove her headscarf before taking her driver's license photo. (RELIGION-HAIR COVERING/USA, moved, 276 words)

New York expands access to restrictive medical marijuana program

NEW YORK - New York state will loosen rules on marijuana prescribing, allow home delivery of the drug and take other steps to expand its medical cannabis program, health officials announced on Tuesday. (NEW YORK-MARIJUANA/, moved at 1:08 p.m., 331 words)

Oklahoma mother charged with using crucifix to kill 'possessed' daughter

A 49-year-old Oklahoma woman has been charged with first-degree murder on suspicion of killing her daughter whom she thought was possessed by the devil by jamming a crucifix down her throat and beating her, court records released on Tuesday showed. (OKLAHOMA-MURDER/ (PIX), moved at 11:44 a.m., 146 words)

Georgia sheriff accepts reckless conduct in friend's shooting

ATLANTA - A Georgia sheriff who admitted accidentally shooting a friend while practicing police tactics pleaded no contest on Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct, his attorney said. (USA-GEORGIA/SHERIFF, moved at 1:36 p.m., 228 words)

USDA closes offices in five states after anonymous threats

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has closed six offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats, a USDA spokesman said on Tuesday. (USDA-THREATS/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 3:42 p.m., 318 words)

New York subway prankster to be charged with crime - police

NEW YORK - New York City police plan to arrest an aspiring actress who let crickets and worms loose on a crowded subway train and then urinated on herself last week in what she has described as a prank, authorities say. (NEW YORK-SUBWAY/, moved at 1:12 p.m., by David Ingram, 298 words)

Court hearing for former U.S. congressman Mel Reynolds, from Illinois, in tax case

Court hearing scheduled in case of former U.S. congressman Mel Reynolds, who has said he will plead not guilty to federal income tax charges. Federal Court Judge John Darrah will rule on a number of motions in the case. (On merit; slug, length, timing TBD)

WORLD

U.S. lauds fragile respite between Turkey, Kurdish fighters in Syria

BEIRUT/ANKARA/WASHINGTON - The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-TURKEY (WRAPUP 2, PIX, TV, GRAPHICS), moved at 3:48 p.m., by Angus McDowall , Orhan Coskun and Phil Stewart, 1011 words)

Iraq on track to retake Mosul this year, U.S. general says

WASHINGTON - Iraq is on track to meet its objective of retaking the city of Mosul from Islamic State later this year should Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi choose to go forward as planned, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-PENTAGON (UPDATE 1), moved at 12:56 p.m., by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, 365 words) See also: U.S. offers $3 million reward for man it gave anti-terror training (MIDEAST-CRISIS/USA-TAJIKISTAN, moved at 12:29 p.m., by Arshad Mohammed, 336 words)

Talks start at U.N. on possible Syria sanctions over gas attacks

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council began talks on Tuesday on whether to impose sanctions on people or entities linked to two chlorine gas attacks on civilians that the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog blamed on the Syrian government. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-CHEMICALWEAPONS, moved at 3:57 p.m., by Michelle Nichols, 390 words)

Rousseff should be judged for crisis in Brazil, accuser says

BRASILIA - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's accusers told her trial in the Senate on Tuesday she should be judged not only on charges of breaking budget rules but also for a sweeping corruption scandal and a deep recession that erupted on her watch. (BRAZIL-IMPEACHMENT/ (UPDATE 1, TV, PIX), moved at 12:37 p.m., by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu, 500 words)

Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan hit by suspected suicide car bomb

BISHKEK - A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said. (KYRGYZSTAN-BLAST/CHINA (UPDATE 5, TV, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved at 4:09 p.m., by Olga Dzyubenko, 492 words)

Italy rescues 3,000 migrants from Mediterranean as arrivals surge

ROME - Some 3000 migrants were saved in the Strait of Sicily in 30 separate rescue missions on Tuesday, the Italian coastguard said, bringing the total to almost 10,000 in two days and marking a sharp acceleration in refugee arrivals in Italy. (EUROPE-MIGRANTS/ITALY, moved 3:03 p.m., 193 words)

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

More teens get needed vaccines in 'blue states'

Parental politics may influence whether teens get recommended vaccinations, according to a U.S. study. Dividing states into red and blue based on how they voted in the 2012 presidential elections, researchers found that in that year, adolescents in blue states were significantly more likely to have received three important vaccines recommended for 11 to 12 year olds. (HEALTH-VACCINATION/TEENS-POLITICS (moved), by Kathryn Doyle, 634 words)

Want to detect gluten on the go? There's a device for that

SAN FRANCISCO - A California startup has developed a portable technology that will allow consumers to test their food for gluten on the go. (HEALTH-GLUTEN/DEVICE (PIX, TV), moved at 12:01 p.m., by Ben Gruber, 345 words)

ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE

Singer Chris Brown, police in standoff after 911 call by woman

LOS ANGELES - Police surrounded the Los Angeles home of Chris Brown on Tuesday in response to a pre-dawn 911 call from a woman there who asked for help, and media reports said the woman claimed the pop star had pointed a gun at her. (PEOPLE-CHRISBROWN/ (UPDATE 1, TV), moved at 3:42 p.m., by Dan Whitcomb, 402 words)

Brazil's Gisele holds top spot in Forbes model list; Jenner jumps

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen remained the highest-paid female model in the world with annual income of $30.5 million, while Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenner more than doubled her earnings, according to Forbes' 2016 list on Tuesday. (PEOPLE-HIGHEST PAID MODELS/ (PIX, TV), moved at 4:25 p.m., 242 words)

Venice star-studded film fest set to open under heightened security

VENICE - A musical with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Jude Law as a chain-smoking pope and Mel Gibson's comeback in a war drama are all tipped as must-sees at the Venice film festival which opens its 73rd edition on the Lido under heightened security on Wednesday. (FILMFESTIVAL-VENICE/PREVIEW (PIX, TV), moved at 12:57 p.m., by Mike Davidson and Agnieszka Flak , 494 words)

BUSINESS AND MARKETS

Wall St weighed by Apple but banks shine on

NEW YORK - Apple Inc was the largest weight on U.S. stock indexes on Tuesday after antitrust regulators ordered the company to pay about $14.5 billion in back taxes to the Irish government, but gains in bank shares partly offset the decline. (USA-STOCKS/ (UPDATE 5), moved at 4:39 p.m., 532 words) See also: GLOBAL-MARKETS/ (WRAPUP 8, PIX), moved at 4:22 p.m., 499 words)

U.S. job market optimism lifts consumer confidence to 11-month high

NEW YORK - U.S. consumer confidence rose to an 11-month high in August, with households more upbeat about the labor market, in a further sign that the economy was regaining steam after faltering in the first half of the year. (USA-ECONOMY/ (WRAPUP 2), moved at 1:53 p.m., 663 words)

SpaceX signs first customer for used Falcon rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL - Elon Musk's SpaceX has signed its first customer to use a previously flown rocket, with launch planned for later this year, the companies said on Tuesday. (SPACE-SPACEX/ (PIX), moved at 3:52 p.m., by Irene Klotz, 328 words)

Twitter to share ad revenue on videos by U.S. users

Twitter Inc on Tuesday stepped up its battle to attract video talent to its platform, saying it will allow U.S. users who upload a video to share in any advertising revenue it generates. (TWITTER-VIDEO/ (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved at 4:45 p.m., 295 words)

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08/30/2016 17:22