WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is due to rule by the end of June on the contentious practice called partisan gerrymandering in which state legislators draw electoral maps designed to entrench their own party in power, but states in growing numbers already are taking action to rein in the politicians. FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators rally in front of the Supreme court before oral arguments on Benisek v. Lamone, a redistricting case on whether Democratic lawmakers in Maryland unlawfully drew a congressional district in a way that would prevent a Republican candidate from winning, in Washington, U.S., March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo Ohio last month became the eighth state to turn to some form of a separate commission for redrawing U.S. House of Representatives districts after the national census each decade to squelch gerrymandering. Thirteen states, including Ohio, use commissions for state legislature districts as well. Clamoring for more … [Read more...] about Some U.S. states taking electoral maps out of politicians’ hands
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Guatemala volcano victims flown to U.S. as grim recovery continues
ESCUINTLA, Guatemala -- Six children inured by the devastating volcanic eruption in Guatemala were in Texas on Thursday morning to receive for treatment for serious burns. A U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane carrying the children landed overnight in Galveston. The patients were immediately transported to Shriners Hospital for Children, which specializes in serious burns, for treatment. The devastating eruption on Sunday is blamed for almost 100 deaths, and about 200 others were still missing on Thursday. CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez is in Escuintla, and has watched as exhausted crews continue the grim work of searching for victims -- virtually all hope of finding survivors lost. Authorities have warned of the potential for even more toxic lava flows, and put up roadblocks to keep people away. While residents cast a wary eye to the danger looming at the top of the Volcano of Fire, many were still refusing to leave. After the volcano's biggest eruption in four decades, help … [Read more...] about Guatemala volcano victims flown to U.S. as grim recovery continues
U.S. Will Return American ISIS Fighter to Syria With De Facto ‘Death Warrant’
World Syria ISIS U.S. authorities will return an American man suspected of fighting for ISIS to Syria, despite the prisoner’s objections, in what a civil liberty group has branded a “disgraceful” decision. The man has been detained without charge by U.S. forces in Iraq since he was captured by Kurdish troops in 2017. The release will take place within 72 hours, The Washington Post reported. The man, who has not been named publically, grew up in Saudi Arabia and has dual U.S.-Saudi citizenship. He was captured by Syrian Democratic Forces troops at a checkpoint in Syria in September 2017 at which point he declared that he was an American. A militant Islamist fighter uses a mobile to film a military parade in Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Tens of thousands of foreign fighters traveled to Syria to live in ISIS's so-called caliphate. REUTERS/Stringer Recommended Slideshows 51 In Pictures: The 50 Most Powerful Military Forces in the … [Read more...] about U.S. Will Return American ISIS Fighter to Syria With De Facto ‘Death Warrant’
Russia’s Lavrov could meet U.S. counterpart in August in Singapore:…
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov could meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in August in Singapore, RIA news agency reported on Thursday citing a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry. FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his counterpart from Mozambique Jose Pacheco in Moscow, Russia May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin A possible meeting is being discussed, RIA said, providing no further details. Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Maria Kiselyova … [Read more...] about Russia’s Lavrov could meet U.S. counterpart in August in Singapore:…
Billions in U.S. solar projects shelved after Trump panel tariff
By Nichola Groom (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s tariff on imported solar panels has led U.S. renewable energy companies to cancel or freeze investments of more than $2.5 billion in large installation projects, along with thousands of jobs, the developers told Reuters. That’s more than double the about $1 billion in new spending plans announced by firms building or expanding U.S. solar panel factories to take advantage of the tax on imports. The tariff’s bifurcated impact on the solar industry underscores how protectionist trade measures almost invariably hurt one or more domestic industries for every one they shield from foreign competition. Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs, for instance, have hurt manufacturers of U.S. farm equipment made with steel, such as tractors and grain bins, along with the farmers buying them at higher prices. White House officials did not respond to a request for comment. Trump announced the tariff in January over … [Read more...] about Billions in U.S. solar projects shelved after Trump panel tariff