REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 23/WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24

08/23/2016 17:17

REUTERS AMERICA EVENING NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 23/WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24

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

TOP STORIES

Obama promises support to Louisiana after floods

BATON ROUGE - U.S. President Barack Obama walked door to door in an East Baton Rouge Parish neighborhood on Tuesday hugging people and offering assurances that the country would help them recover from some of the worst floods ever recorded in Louisiana. (USA-WEATHER/OBAMA (UPDATE 3, PIX, TV), moved at 3:47 p.m., by Ayesha Rascoe, 566 words)

In attacking Clinton foundation, Trump seeks a Republican rallying cry

WASHINGTON - After struggling to find a consistent message and consolidate party support, Donald Trump is honing his attack on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton and the foundation bearing her family's name in hopes of making it a rallying cry for fellow Republicans. (USA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 4:19 p.m., by Ginger Gibson and Emily Stephenson, 726 words)

Florida announces Zika case hundreds of miles from Miami

CHICAGO - Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Pinellas County, located some 265 miles (425 km) from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported. (HEALTH-ZIKA/FLORIDA (UPDATE 2), moved at 2:16 p.m., by Julie Steenhuysen, 478 words)

CAMPAIGN

Clinton leads Trump by 12 points in Reuters/Ipsos poll

NEW YORK - Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 12 percentage points among likely voters, her strongest showing this month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. (USA-ELECTION/POLL (POLL), moved at 4:42 p.m., by Chris Kahn, 314 words)

WASHINGTON

Kerry commits to more military aid to Nigeria, US official says

ABUJA - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made "very strong commitments" on ways to ramp up military assistance to help Nigeria defeat the extremist group Boko Haram, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. (NIGERIA-USA/KERRY-BUHARI (UPDATE 1), moved at 3:43 p.m., 311 words)

With Biden visit, U.S. seeks balance with truculent Turkey

RIGA/ISTANBUL - When U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Turkey in January, he struck a difficult balance between showing support for a NATO ally faced with multiple security threats while criticizing its record on free speech and dissent. (TURKEY-SECURITY/USA (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), moved at 4:17 p.m., by Jeff Mason and Humeyra Pamuk, 852 words)

Biden tells Baltic states: don't take Trump seriously

RIGA - Vice President Joe Biden told Baltic leaders on Tuesday not to take seriously comments by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that called into question the U.S. commitment to protect NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression. (LATVIA-USA/BIDEN (UPDATE 3), moved at 2:52 p.m., 400 words)

US CBO says budget deficit to reach $590 bln for fiscal 2016

WASHINGTON - The U.S. budget deficit is expected to grow to $590 billion in fiscal year 2016 due to slower than expected growth in revenues and higher spending for programs including Social Security and Medicare, the Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday. (USA-BUDGET/CBO (UPDATE 1), moved at 2:18 p.m., 278 words)

OTHER U.S. NEWS

Texas, four other states sue over U.S. transgender health policy

AUSTIN - Texas and four other states sued the Obama administration on Tuesday over extending its healthcare nondiscrimination law to transgender individuals, saying the move "represents a radical invasion of the federal bureaucracy into a doctor's medical judgment." (USA-LGBT/HEALTHCARE, moved at 3:35 p.m., 249 words)

Washington police veteran named interim chief of police

WASHINGTON - A longtime deputy to outgoing Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier has been named interim chief while the search is under way for her replacement, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Tuesday. (DISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA-POLICE/, moved at 12:09 p.m., 160 words)

Sandusky is 'innocent' and deserves new trial, lawyer says

BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky is "actually innocent" and should get a new trial, his defense lawyer told reporters following a three-day hearing in a Pennsylvania state court. (PENNSYLVANIA-SANDUSKY/, moved at 2:31 p.m., by David DeKok, moved, 400 words)

Monsanto beats cities' lawsuits over San Francisco Bay pollution

A federal judge has dismissed lawsuits in which the California cities of San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley sought to force agricultural company Monsanto Co to help pay for reducing PCB contamination to San Francisco Bay. (MONSANTO-CALIFORNIA/LAWSUITS (UPDATE 1), moved at 2:21 p.m., by Jonathan Stempel, 451 words)

FBI probes stabbing by Virginia man who yelled "Allah Akbar"- police

The FBI is investigating a double stabbing by a Virginia man who shouted the Muslim phrase "Allah Akbar," while authorities on Tuesday denied media reports that the attack may have been an attempted beheading. (VIRGINIA-CRIME/STABBING (UPDATE 1), moved at 3:03 p.m., by Ian Simpson, 365 words)

N.Y. police violated rules in terrorism investigations: watchdog

NEW YORK - The New York City Police Department regularly violated court-mandated regulations governing how it monitors political activity in terrorism investigations, the department's watchdog said in a report released on Tuesday. (NEW YORK-POLICE/ (PIX, TV), moving shortly, by Gina Cherelus, 387 words)

Russians suspected in hack of New York Times, other U.S. media -CNN

WASHINGTON - The FBI and other U.S. security agencies are investigating cyber breaches targeting reporters at the New York Times and other U.S. news organizations that are thought to have been carried out by hackers working for Russian intelligence, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed U.S. officials. (USA-CYBER/MEDIA (UPDATE 1), moved at 2:51 p.m., 304 words)

Appeals court upholds Ohio law that shortens early voting

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Ohio law passed in 2014 that shortened the state's early voting period and abolished a so-called Golden Week when residents could register and cast ballots in the same week. (USA-ELECTION/OHIO, moved at 2:53 p.m., 276 words)

Dozens of wildfires rage across arid U.S. west

Dozens of wildfires that have blackened hundreds of square miles were raging in the arid U.S. West on Tuesday, with destructive blazes forcing residents from homes in California and Washington state. (USA-WILDFIRES/, moved at 4:29 p.m., 369 words)

Graduate students at private colleges can unionize - U.S. labor board

Columbia University graduate students who work as research and teaching assistants can form a union, the U.S. labor board ruled on Tuesday, opening the gates for graduate student organizing on private campuses all over the country. (USA-EDUCATION/UNIONS (UPDATE 1), moved at 4:37 p.m., by Robert Iafolla, 393 words)

Hundreds of thousands of dead fish fill New Jersey creek

NEW YORK - Hundreds of thousands of dead fish washed up in a New Jersey creek this week, state officials said. (NEW JERSEY-FISH/ (TV), moved at 4:10 p.m., 207 words)

Civil rights groups accuse Arkansas city of running 'debtors prison'

Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday accusing a small Arkansas city of running what they said amounted to a modern day debtors prison where a local court imposed inordinate fees on the poor and jailed them if they did not pay. (ARKANSAS-PRISON/CIVILLIBERTIES/, moved at 2:17 p.m., 389 words)

California sale of carbon permits falls short

SAN FRANCISCO - California sold just over one-third of the carbon permits it offered to cover emissions this year, receiving the minimum price at an auction last week, regulators of the state's cap-and-trade program said on Tuesday. (CALIFORNIA-CARBON/AUCTION (UPDATE 2), moved at 4:44 p.m., by Rory Carroll, 423 words)

Illinois governor's office warns of crippling pension payment hike

CHICAGO - Potential action this week by Illinois' biggest public pension fund could put a big dent in the state's already fragile finances, Governor Bruce Rauner's administration warned. (ILLINOIS-PENSIONS/, moved at 4:42 p.m., by Dave McKinney and Karen Pierog, 401 words)

Judge denies GM's mid-trial bid to toss ignition switch case

NEW YORK - General Motors Co said Tuesday a Texas judge had denied its bid to throw out a lawsuit over a fatal 2011 crash blamed on a faulty ignition switch, after the company accused a car driver and his lawyers of fabricating evidence about the vehicle's key. (GM-RECALL/TRIAL, moved at 3:35 p.m., by Jessica Dye, 345 words)

SPECIAL REPORT: How Delaware kept America safe for corporate secrecy

Seven years on, a bill that would require the disclosure of the true owners of American companies is stalled in Congress. This is the story of how an official in the state of Delaware helped beat back an international push to crack down on corporate secrecy. (USA-DELAWARE/SECRECY (PIX), expect around 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, 2,500 words)

Chicago's dwindling detective force struggles with soaring murder rate

CHICAGO - Every two weeks, Cynthia Lewis contacts the detectives investigating the homicide of her brother on Chicago's south side almost a year ago. (CHICAGO-POLICE/ (FEATURE, PIX), timing TBD, 790 words)

WORLD

Philippines' Duterte says talks with China on sea dispute 'within the year'

MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he expects talks with China on their South China Sea dispute within a year and he would not raise an international ruling rejecting China's claims there when he attends a regional summit next month. (SOUTHCHINASEA-RULING/PHILIPPINES (UPDATE 1), moved at 4 p.m., by Manuel Mogato, 501 words)

Syria Kurds win battle with gov't, Turkey mobilizes against them

HASAKA - Syrian Kurdish forces took near complete control of Hasaka city on Tuesday as a ceasefire ended a week of fighting with the government, consolidating the Kurds' grip on Syria's northeast as Turkey increased its efforts to check their influence. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-KURDS (UPDATE 3, PIX, TV), moved at 4:12 p.m., by Rodi Said and Tom Perry, 857 words)

Europeans turn to weapons in growing numbers after attacks

ZURICH/BERLIN - Europeans in a number of countries are seeking to arm themselves with guns and self-defense devices in growing numbers following a series of attacks by militants and the mentally ill. (EUROPE-ATTACKS/GUNS (PIX, TV), moved, 1,438 words)

Ashley Madison parent broke Canada, Australia privacy laws

OTTAWA - The parent company of infidelity dating website Ashley Madison was responsible for numerous violations of privacy laws at the time of a massive release of customer data in a cyber attack last year, privacy watchdogs in Canada and Australia said on Tuesday. (ASHLEY MADISON-CYBER/, moved, 421 words)

Special Report: New massacre reports show U.S. inability to curb Iraq militias

WASHINGTON - Shi'ite militias in Iraq detained, tortured and abused far more Sunni civilians during the American-backed capture of the town of Falluja in June than U.S. officials have publicly acknowledged, Reuters has found. (IRAQ-MASSACRES/FALLUJA (SPECIAL REPORT), moved, 2397 words)

Brussels police hold Filipina after bus stabbing

BRUSSELS - Belgian police identified a woman who stabbed and wounded three people on a Brussels bus on Monday as a 52-year-old originally from the Philippines whom they do not believe acted from political motives. (BELGIUM-STABBING/, moved, 234 words)

'Jihadist hub' Molenbeek lures tourists across Brussels canal

BRUSSELS - Molenbeek, the Brussels borough that gained unwanted notoriety last year when Islamic State militants from the area attacked Paris, has become an unlikely tourist draw - and not just for those with ghoulish tastes. (EUROPE-ATTACKS/BRUSSELS-TOURISM (PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved, 643 words)

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Study shows extent of brain damage from Zika infections

CHICAGO - A report released on Tuesday shows in graphic detail the kind of damage Zika infections can do to the developing brain - damage that goes well beyond the devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, in which the baby's head is smaller than normal. (HEALTH-ZIKA/IMAGING (PIX), moved at 4:35 p.m., 480 words)

U.S. heart group sets limit on sugar for kids and teens

The vast majority of children and teens should have less than six teaspoons of added sugar in their diet each day, according to the American Heart Association. (HEALTH-HEART/SUGAR-PEDIATRICS, moved at 4:40 p.m., by Andrew M. Seaman, 501 words)

Even mild brain injuries linked to shorter lifespan

(HEALTH-BRAININJURY/KIDS, moved at 4:15 p.m., by Lisa Rapaport, 600 words)

ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE

Robert De Niro gets back into the ring with 'Hands of Stone'

Actor Robert De Niro has re-entered the ring in the new boxing drama film "Hands of Stone." (FILM-HANDS OF STONE/PREMIERE (PIX, TV), moved at 4:06 p.m., by Alicia Powell, 232 words)

BUSINESS AND MARKETS

Wall St edges higher on tech, housing boost

U.S. stocks rose modestly on Tuesday, as gains in the tech sector helped buoy the Nasdaq to a record intraday high and solid housing market data provided more evidence the economy may be picking up momentum. (USA-STOCKS/ (UPDATE 6), moved, 438 words)

Tesla touts vehicle speed and range with new upgraded battery

SAN FRANCISCO - Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday the company will offer a larger upgraded battery pack for performance versions of its Model S and X vehicles that will extend range and allow for super fast acceleration. (TESLA-PRODUCT/ (UPDATE 3, PIX), moved at 4:19 p.m., by Alexandria Sage, 315 words)

Oil up over 1 pct as Iran signals support for OPEC freeze action

NEW YORK - Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Tuesday after Reuters reported that Iran was sending positive signals that it may support joint OPEC action to prop up the market. (GLOBAL-OIL/ (UPDATE 9, GRAPHICS), moved, 434 words)

U.S. new home sales race to near nine-year high

WASHINGTON - New U.S. single-family home sales unexpectedly rose in July, reaching their highest level in nearly nine years as demand increased broadly, brightening the housing market outlook. (USA-ECONOMY/ (WRAPUP 2, PIX), moved at 1:43 p.m., by Lucia Mutikani, 838 words)

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearing on ag chemical deals

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in late September to discuss the mergers of Dow Chemical Co and Dupont Co as well as China National Chemical Corp's purchase of Syngenta AG, committee chair Charles Grassley said in a statement on Tuesday. (CONGRESS-AGRICULTURE/ANTITRUST, moved at 4:07 p.m., 210 words)

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08/23/2016 17:17