Reuters US Domestic News Summary

09/02/2016 19:54

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. drops case against ex-cop arrested outside New York's Trump Tower

Prosecutors have dropped their case against a retired New York City police officer arrested outside Trump Tower and accused of resisting U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a court filing on Friday showed. Anthony Shark, 54, was arrested on Aug. 2 after refusing instructions to leave a street outside the building that agents had closed off while protecting Trump, according to a criminal complaint filed at the time in Manhattan federal court.

Hermine pounds Florida, raising new Zika fears, then heads north

Hurricane Hermine wreaked havoc across Florida on Friday, knocking out power to nearly 300,000 homes and businesses, flooding low-lying areas and raising concerns about the spread of the Zika virus from pools of standing water left behind. The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, Hermine came ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St. Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas.

Ex-Subway pitchman blames victim's parents for her 'destructive behaviors'

Former Subway sandwich pitchman Jared Fogle, who is in prison for child pornography and sex with minors convictions, has responded to a lawsuit filed on behalf of one of his underaged female victims by blaming her parents for what he called "destructive behaviors" such as drinking and drug abuse. Fogle, 38, who became famous after shedding weight on a diet that included sandwiches from the fast-food chain, pleaded guilty in November 2015 to charges of child pornography and traveling for illicit paid sex with minors.

Ex-deputy in South Carolina spared charges after throwing student

A South Carolina prosecutor has decided against criminally charging a former sheriff's deputy who was caught on video flipping a black high school student out of her chair and throwing her across a classroom, local media reported on Friday. Columbia, South Carolina-based television station WLTX reported Fifth District Solicitor Dan Johnson has also dismissed charges of disturbing school that had been brought against the student and another girl in the classroom who spoke out against the incident. The deputy, who is white, was fired last year.

University of Chicago weighs free speech vs. crackdown on hecklers

Disruption of a local prosecutor's speech at the University of Chicago by hecklers unhappy with her handling of a police shooting may have been the last straw for administrators at one of the country's most prestigious schools. After years of tolerating dissenters who shouted down unpopular speakers on campus, the school is now considering a policy of meting out suspensions, expulsions or other punishment for those it sees as violating free speech rights.

U.S. fights Zika mosquitoes with limited arsenal

Over Wynwood, the Miami neighborhood where Zika gained a foothold in the continental United States, low flying planes have been spraying naled, a tightly controlled pesticide often used as a last resort. It appears to be working, killing at least 90 percent of the target mosquitoes. Across the Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, wind and high-rise buildings make aerial spraying challenging. So, the effort in the popular tourist destination has focused on ground-sprayed pyrethroids - pesticides that are safer but don't always work.

China criticizes U.S. case against ex-Air China employee

China's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized the U.S. indictment of an ex-Air China Ltd employee for smuggling packages on behalf of Chinese military personnel stationed at China's U.N. mission in New York. Ying Lin, who prosecutors say also helped a Chinese national flee the country last year amid an FBI probe, was charged in an indictment filed in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday after being arrested in August 2015 on an earlier charge.

NFL's Kaepernick kneels during national anthem, continuing protest

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt with his arms folded during the performance of the U.S. national anthem during a pre-season game in San Diego on Thursday, continuing his protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Kaepernick, 28, had pledged to continue sitting during the performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before National Football League games, a move that has been both criticized and cheered by commentators.

Second alleged ex-Boston mobster charged in 1993 murder

An alleged former Boston mobster said on Friday he was not guilty of murdering an associate more than two decades ago, hours after being arrested on charges of slaying a witness in a federal investigation. Paul Weadick, 61, and his 83-year-old former associate Francis "Cadillac" Salemme are now both in federal custody on charges of the 1993 murder of Steven DiSarro, a former manager of a Boston nightclub whose body was found behind an old mill building in Providence, Rhode Island, in March.

Anger as ex-Stanford swimmer freed after three months for sex assault

A former Stanford University swimmer whose six-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman caused uproar was released from jail on Friday after serving half of his time. Controversy over the short sentence for Brock Turner, a one-time U.S. Olympic hopeful, has stoked the intense debate about sexual assault on U.S. college campuses.

09/02/2016 19:54