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LATEST AND PLANNED U.S. NEWS COVERAGE (ALL TIMES ET)
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BREAKING
'Extremely dangerous' tornado near Indianapolis -U.S. Weather Service
The National Weather Service said on Wednesday a "confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" was located near Indianapolis, Indiana, and was moving east at 20 miles per hour. (USA-WEATHER/INDIANA-TORNADO (UPDATE 1), moved at 5:06 p.m., 178 words)
TOP STORIES
At least 120 killed as quake flattens towns in central Italy
ACCUMOLI - An earthquake flattened towns in central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least 120 people and burying some alive in their sleep, with volunteers and firefighters racing to free those trapped under mounds of rubble as darkness fell. (ITALY-QUAKE/ (UPDATE 12, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 2:31 p.m., by Steve Scherer, 801 words) See also: Battered by quakes, Italy struggles to safeguard its buildings (ITALY-QUAKE/PROTECTION (PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 12:13 p.m., by Crispian Balmer, 559 words)
Gunmen attack American university in Kabul, students flee
KABUL - Suspected militants stormed the Kabul campus of the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday with some students jumping from second floor windows to escape the gunfire and explosions, witnesses and officials said. (AFGHANISTAN-UNIVERSITY/ATTACK (UPDATE 4, PIX, TV), moved at 2:58 p.m., by Hamid Shalizi, 461 words)
Clinton leads Trump in key swing states, would likely win election - poll
NEW YORK - If the U.S. presidential election were held today, Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia and have a 95 percent chance of beating Republican Donald Trump to become America's first female president, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project. (USA-ELECTION/POLL (EXCLUSIVE), moved at 4:01 p.m., by Chris Kahn, 955 words)
Turkish tanks roll into Syria, pushing Islamic State out of key border town
KARKAMIS - Syrian rebels backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes entered one of Islamic State's last strongholds on the Turkish-Syrian border on Wednesday, in Turkey's first major U.S.-backed incursion into its southern neighbor. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-TURKEY (WRAPUP 6, TV, PIX, GRAPHIC), moved at 4:48 p.m., by Humeyra Pamuk and Jeff Mason, 1226 words)
U.N. Security Council to meet Wednesday on N. Korea missile launch
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday at the request of the United States and Japan to discuss North Korea's latest missile launch, diplomats said. (NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/UN (UPDATE 1), moved at 12:54 p.m., 142 words)
Scientists find Earth-like planet circling sun's nearest neighbor
Scientists have discovered a planet that appears to be similar to Earth circling the star closest to the sun, potentially a major step in the quest to find out if life exists elsewhere in the universe, research published on Wednesday showed. (SPACE-PLANET/ (PIX, TV), moved at 1 p.m., by Irene Klotz, 663 words)
CAMPAIGN
Trump says immigration enforcement would protect jobs for minorities
TAMPA - U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would crack down on illegal immigrants disobeying the law to help protect the jobs of minority workers, as he seeks to widen his appeal to black and Hispanic voters. (USA-ELECTION/ (WRAPUP 1, PIX, TV), moved at 4:48 p.m., by Steve Holland, 504 words) See also: Trump targets China trade, says plans serious measures (USA-ELECTION/TRUMP-CHINA (UPDATE 1), moved at 4:10 p.m., 246 words) and Brexit campaigner Farage says to address Trump rally (USA-ELECTION/FARAGE, moved at 2:30 p.m., 206 words)
Chorus grows for Clintons to shutter charitable foundation
WASHINGTON - The Clinton Foundation, the family philanthropy of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, should shut down or transfer operations to another charity despite its good work to avoid perceptions of "pay-for-play," The Washington Post and USA Today said in editorials on Wednesday. (USA-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 4:21 p.m., 569 words)
Trump adviser's Russia credentials come under scrutiny
MOSCOW - When Donald Trump named a little-known U.S. energy consultant as part of his foreign policy team, the adviser's ex-boss was puzzled; how could the relatively junior banker he knew in Moscow a decade ago be qualified to brief a presidential candidate? (USA-ELECTION/TRUMP-ADVISER (PIX), moved at 4:29 p.m., by Alexander Winning and Olga Popova, 1139 words)
Clinton calls for lower price on allergy drug EpiPen
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called on pharmaceutical company Mylan NV to voluntarily drop the price of its severe allergy treatment drug EpiPen, which has increased in price by more than 400 percent in the past decade. (USA-ELECTION/CLINTON-MYLAN NL (UPDATE 1), moved at 3:16 p.m., by Ginger Gibson, 554 words) See also: Hillary Clinton expected to receive intelligence briefing on Saturday (USA-ELECTION/CLINTON-BRIEFING, moved at 1:45 p.m., 240 words)
WASHINGTON
U.S. state public pension funding gap shrinks in fiscal 2014 -Pew
CHICAGO - U.S. state public employee retirement systems were able to shave $35 billion off their unfunded liabilities in fiscal 2014 due mostly to strong investment returns, leaving a shortfall of $934 billion, according to a study published on Wednesday. (USA-MUNICIPALITIES/PENSIONS (GRAPHICS), moved at 4 p.m., by Karen Pierog, 225 words)
U.S. SEC charges 71 muni issuers for misleading investors
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged 71 municipal bond issuers, including the states of Hawaii and Minnesota, as well as related entities, for using offering documents that misled investors, the agency said on Wednesday. (SEC-MUNICIPALS/CHARGES (UPDATE 3), moved at 3:25 p.m., by Suzanne Barlyn, 333 words)
OTHER U.S. NEWS
Texas students use sex toys to protest new gun laws on campus
AUSTIN - To protest a new state law that makes the carrying of concealed handguns legal in college classrooms, students at the University of Texas on Wednesday openly displayed sex toys, an act considered illegal under local indecency laws. (TEXAS-GUNS/ (PIX, TV), moved at 4:05 p.m., by Jon Herskovitz, 430 words)
North Carolina investigates police shooting of deaf driver
North Carolina's top safety official has appealed to the public and the media not to rush to judgment over the fatal shooting of a deaf driver by a Highway Patrol trooper until an investigation is completed. (NORTHCAROLINA-POLICE/DEAF (UPDATE 1, TV), moved at 1:28 a.m., 292 words)
Chicago school board approves budget, major borrowing plan
CHICAGO - The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday signed off on a $5.46 billion fiscal 2017 operating budget, property tax hike, and a borrowing plan that calls for up to $945 million of long-term bonds and $1.55 billion of short-term debt. (CHICAGO-EDUCATION/BUDGET, moved at 4:39 p.m., by Karen Pierog, 404 words)
Brooklyn D.A. to pay $15,000 fine for dining out on office funds
NEW YORK - The Brooklyn district attorney has agreed to pay a $15,000 fine to settle allegations that he violated New York City's conflicts of interest law by using office funds to pay for meals. (NEW YORK-DISTRICTATTORNEY/, moved at 2:39 p.m., by Joseph Ax, 210 words)
Mississippi man sentenced to 8 years for trying to join Islamic State
A Mississippi man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State after he and his wife planned with an undercover FBI employee to travel to Syria to join the militant group, prosecutors said. (MISSISSIPPI-ISLAMIC STATE/, moved at 4:45 p.m., 264 words)
'Pink slime' maker drops targets in defamation case against ABC
CHICAGO - Meat processor Beef Products Inc has dropped more than half the defendants from a lawsuit over its allegations that TV network ABC and others defamed a meat filler critics have dubbed "pink slime." (USA-PINK SLIME/, moved at 4:06 p.m., by Tom Polansek, 416 words)
Florida governor complains U.S. isn't doing enough to fight Zika
CHICAGO - Florida Governor Rick Scott on Wednesday said the federal government has so far not delivered all Zika antibody tests and laboratory support he has requested as that state works to stop the spread of the virus. (HEALTH-ZIKA/FLORIDA, moving shortly, 458 words)
El Faro captain ordered crew to abandon ship before sinking
TAMPA, Fla. - Newly recovered recordings from the doomed El Faro ship show its captain sounding an alarm for crew to abandon the cargo vessel before it sank in a hurricane last fall near the Bahamas, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday. (SHIP-ELFARO/ (PIX), moving shortly, 350 words)
Hollywood celebrities back Native American pipeline protest
A group of Hollywood celebrities joined a Native American Tribe outside a U.S. court on Wednesday to protest the construction of pipelines that would carry oil across the tribes territory, potentially polluting water and violating the tribe's cultural heritage. (OIL-PIPELINE/PROTESTS, expect by 7 p.m., 300 words)
WORLD
Iran vessels make 'high speed intercept' of US ship -defense official
WASHINGTON - Four vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "harassed" a U.S. destroyer on Tuesday by carrying out a "high speed intercept" in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. defense official said on Wednesday. (USA-IRAN/MILITARY (UPDATE 1), moved at 4:56 p.m., 225 words)
Merkel under fire after call for Turks in Germany to show "loyalty"
BERLIN - German politicians on Wednesday criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for saying that people with a Turkish background who live in Germany should show "loyalty to our country," calling her comment unnecessarily divisive at a particularly difficult time. (GERMANY-SECURITY-TURKS, moved at 4:34 p.m., 332 words)
Islamic State attacks Western-backed camp on Jordan-Syria border
AMMAN - Islamic State launched a bomb and gun attack on a Western-backed Syrian rebel camp near the Jordanian border on Wednesday, according to the rebels who said they had killed at least 30 of the attackers and suffered at least three casualties themselves. (MIDEAST CRISIS/SYRIA-JORDAN, moved at 3:36 p.m., 223 words)
UN/OPCW inquiry blames Syria govt for gas attacks, likely sanctions fight looms
UNITED NATIONS - Syrian government troops were responsible for two toxic gas attacks and Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas, a joint investigation by the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog found on Wednesday, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-CHEMICALWEAPONS (UPDATE 2), moved at 4:49 p.m., by Michelle Nichols, 729 words)
Biden seeks to ease Turkey tensions over coup suspect Gulen
ANKARA - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sought on Wednesday to ease tensions with Turkey over its demands for the extradition of a cleric it blames for last month's failed coup, saying Washington was cooperating but needed evidence to meet U.S. legal standards. (TURKEY-SECURITY/USA (UPDATE 4), moved at 3:20 p.m., by Jeff Mason and Ece Toksabay, 616 words)
French Muslims fear renewed stigmatization in burkini ban
PARIS - French Muslims are concerned that decisions taken by some municipal authorities to ban the burkini could lead to further stigmatization of Muslims, the head of a body representing Muslims in France said on Wednesday. (RELIGION-BURQA/BURKINI-FRANCE (TV, PIX), moved at 2:13 p.m., 317 words)
U.N. chief wants review of any new details on crash that killed Hammarskjold
UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended on Wednesday that the world body appoint an eminent person to review any new information uncovered about a 1961 plane crash that killed then U.N. chief Dag Hammarskjold. (UN-INQUIRY/HAMMARSKJOLD, moved at 3:28 p.m., by Michelle Nichols, 365 words)
Norwegian politician rebuked for playing Pokemon Go during defense hearing
OSLO - A senior Norwegian politician drew criticism on Wednesday for playing Pokemon Go on her smart phone during a parliamentary hearing about the country's defense policy. (NORWAY-POKEMON/ (PIX, TV), moved, 259 words)
HEALTH AND SCIENCE
Doctors may miss ADHD in nonwhite kids
African-American and Latino children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be much less likely to receive a diagnosis or treatment than their white peers, a small U.S. study suggests. (HEALTH-ADHD/RACE-DIAGNOSIS, moved at 2:03 p.m., by Lisa Rapaport, 546 words)
Man-made warming dates back almost 200 years -study
OSLO - Man-made greenhouse gases began to nudge up the Earth's temperatures almost 200 years ago as the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, far earlier than previously thought, scientists said on Wednesday. (CLIMATECHANGE-TEMPERATURES/, moved at 1 p.m., by Alister Doyle, 394 words)
ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE
Actress Leslie Jones' website hacked, nude photos posted
"Ghostbusters" actress and comedian Leslie Jones' website was hacked on Wednesday and nude photos and personal information including her passport and driver's license were posted, according to media reports. (PEOPLE-LESLIEJONES/ (PIX), moved, by Gina Cherelus, 304 words)
'Birth of a Nation' slavery movie stumbles in Hollywood
The American Film Institute has called off a Los Angeles screening of slavery movie "The Birth of a Nation" amid controversy over an old rape case involving the film's director just as Hollywood's awards season swings into gear. (FILM-BIRTHOFANATION/ (PIX, TV), moved at 2:14 p.m., by Jill Serjeant, 403 words)
Actor-director Krasinski mines tears, laughs in 'The Hollars'
LOS ANGELES - An aging matriarch's brain tumor diagnosis may not be the obvious scenario for a comedy, but actor-director John Krasinski wanted to show in his movie "The Hollars" that life does not always differentiate between tragedy and humor. (FILM-THEHOLLARS/ (PIX, TV), moved at 2:02 p.m., by Piya Sinha-Roy, 388 words)
BUSINESS AND MARKETS
Wall St falls as healthcare, materials stumble
NEW YORK - Wall Street retreated on Wednesday, pulled lower by weakness in the materials and healthcare sectors as investors continued to weigh the possibility of an interest rate hike in the coming months. (USA-STOCKS/ (UPDATE 5), moved, 439 words) See also: European stocks rebound as euro slips; oil tumbles (GLOBAL-MARKETS/ (WRAPUP 7, GRAPHIC), moved, 571 words)
Turing accused of retaliation after executive's sexual assault complaint
The chief commercial officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC, whose founder Martin Shkreli stepped down as chief executive last year after being charged with securities fraud, has filed a federal complaint accusing Turing's co-founder of sexual assault and the company of retaliation after she complained. (TURING PHARMACEUTICALS-COMPLAINT/, moved at 4:19 p.m., by Daniel Wiessner, 395 words)
Ex-Comverse CEO pleads guilty to fraud, a decade after fleeing U.S.
NEW YORK - The former chief executive officer of Comverse Technology Inc pleaded guilty on Wednesday to securities fraud, a decade after he fled to Namibia from the United States to avoid prosecution. (COMVERSE-FRAUD/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 4:46 p.m., by Nate Raymond, 293 words)
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