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• One in five U.S. children now rely on food stamps: Census data
• Russia says Kiev's actions will escalate Ukraine fighting
• Hillary Clinton agrees to testify on Benghazi
• North Dakota: oil producers aim to cut radioactive waste bills
• Nissan recalls 768,000 crossovers and SUVs for separate problems
• Dozen killed in suicide attack against Mali rebels
• Opera strives to strike a chord with U.S. youth
• South Carolina court to clear 'Friendship Nine' of civil rights crimes
• Bucking Obama, senior Democrat seeks limits on war against IS
• Obama's pick for attorney general faces heated confirmation debate
• Hostage mom's plea to Japan's leader: Please save Kenji
• Man in Minnesota city hall shooting had history of threats
• Utah parents who fatally drugged children feared apocalypse: police
• New York Assembly speaker to be replaced next week: NYT
• Spy agency employee was flying drone that crashed at White House
• Suspect charged with murder of missing Georgia couple
• Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictions
• Alabama Supreme Court chief justice encourages defiance on gay marriage ruling
• Obama dropping plan to tax college savings
• Yahoo rallies as plan to spin off remaining Alibaba stake revealed

One in five U.S. children now rely on food stamps: Census data Posted: 28 Jan 2015 11:50 AM PST By Elvina Nawaguna WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of children in the United States relying on food stamps for a meal spiked to 16 million last year, according federal data, signaling a lopsided economic recovery in which lower income families are still lagging behind. The roughly one in five children who received food stamps in 2014 surpassed pre-recession levels, when one in eight or 9 million children were on food stamps, according to the U.S. Census survey of American families released on Wednesday Republicans in Congress have sought to cut back on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or food stamp program as part of a larger plan to balance the budget. Other findings of the survey show a rapidly changing America in which more children are being raised in single-parent homes and more young people are delaying marriage. Of the 73.7 million children under 18 in the United States, 27 percent were living in single parent homes last year, tripling the 9 percent in 1960.

Russia says Kiev's actions will escalate Ukraine fighting Posted: 28 Jan 2015 10:17 AM PST By Thomas Grove MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday military action by the Ukrainian government would prompt an "inevitable further escalation of the conflict" with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and undermine any peacemaking. Russia has stepped up criticism of Kiev since violence has intensified in the conflict, where a ceasefire collapsed after rebels drove Ukrainian government forces out of Donetsk airport. The separatists say they want to drive back government forces and their artillery out of range of the cities they hold and improve their grip on strongholds. "The latest military actions provoked by Kiev will lead to the inevitable further escalation of the conflict (and) undermine efforts taken by the international community to end the bloodshed," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Hillary Clinton agrees to testify on Benghazi Posted: 28 Jan 2015 08:41 AM PST The former secretary of state will appear before a House select committee.

North Dakota: oil producers aim to cut radioactive waste bills Posted: 28 Jan 2015 08:25 AM PST By Ernest Scheyder WILLISTON, N.D. (Reuters) - North Dakota's oil industry is pushing to change the state's radioactive waste disposal laws as part of a broad effort to conserve cash as oil prices tumble.     The waste, which becomes slightly radioactive as part of the hydraulic fracturing process that churns up isotopes locked underground, must be trucked out of state. There are 11,942 active wells in the state, so assuming each well generates at least one 15-cubic yard Dumpster's worth of radioactive waste each year - a conservative estimate, state officials say - that translates to an annual savings of about $120 million statewide.

Nissan recalls 768,000 crossovers and SUVs for separate problems Posted: 28 Jan 2015 06:47 AM PST Nissan Motor Co is recalling about 768,000 vehicles, including its popular Rogue crossover and Pathfinder SUV, for separate problems, the company and U.S. regulators said on Wednesday. Some 552,135 Rogues from model years 2008 and 2013 will be recalled because moisture could seep through the driver side floor and cause an electrical short to wiring that could lead to a fire, Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. No crashes or injuries have been reported due to the wiring issue, a Nissan spokesman said on Wednesday morning. Also, 215,789 Pathfinder SUVs from the 2013 and 2014 model years and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles will be recalled for problems related to a secondary hood latch, Nissan and NHTSA said.

Dozen killed in suicide attack against Mali rebels Posted: 28 Jan 2015 06:31 AM PST An attack overnight in northern Mali by a pro-government armed group including suicide bombers killed a dozen people, security sources said Wednesday. "GATIA fighters, accompanied by suicide bombers, attacked a rebel Tuareg and anti-government Arab position in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday near the town of Tabankort. A security source in MINUSMA -- the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali -- confirmed the deaths, adding that two fighters blew themselves up while a third was killed before he was able to detonate his explosives. GATIA is the commonly-used name for the pro-government Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defence Group.

Opera strives to strike a chord with U.S. youth Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:34 AM PST By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - In a public high school in a working-class neighborhood of Chicago, opera singer Eric Owens recently talked with a music class about stage fright, proper breathing and making words matter. The news for U.S. opera has been gloomy in recent years with big opera companies like the New York City Opera and the Baltimore Opera Company shutting down. "There's a concern that if we see a lot of senior citizens, what happens when they pass away and who will fill those seats?" said Cayenne Harris, manager of Chicago's "Lyric Unlimited" outreach program at the city's 61-year-old Lyric Opera.

South Carolina court to clear 'Friendship Nine' of civil rights crimes Posted: 28 Jan 2015 04:17 AM PST Black civil rights protesters who helped reinvigorate the 1960s U.S. sit-in movement against segregated lunch counters will appear in a South Carolina court on Wednesday to be celebrated instead of criminalized for standing up to racial injustice. A judge is expected to vacate the 54-year-old trespassing convictions of the "Friendship Nine," a group of mostly students at the now-closed Friendship College who agreed to risk arrest by sitting at the McCrory's five-and-dime store lunch counter in Rock Hill on Jan. 31, 1961. Hauled to jail and quickly found guilty, they became the first U.S. civil rights protesters to opt to serve jail time for sitting at an all-white lunch counter, helping launch the "jail, no bail" strategy that became a model for other activists. "It breathed new life into the sit-in movement," said Adolphus Belk Jr., director of the African-American studies program at Winthrop University in Rock Hill.

Bucking Obama, senior Democrat seeks limits on war against IS Posted: 28 Jan 2015 03:29 AM PST Rep. Adam Schiff's resolution forbids sending ground forces into combat against IS militants.

Obama's pick for attorney general faces heated confirmation debate Posted: 28 Jan 2015 01:17 AM PST By Aruna Viswanatha and Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's pick for his next attorney general faces a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that will likely highlight tensions between the Obama administration and the new Republican Congress. Loretta Lynch, nominated to the post in November, has stirred little controversy in her 16 years with the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn and is expected to win confirmation.

Hostage mom's plea to Japan's leader: Please save Kenji Posted: 27 Jan 2015 11:40 PM PST The mother of a Japanese hostage pleads for his life as a deadline set by his captors nears.

Man in Minnesota city hall shooting had history of threats Posted: 27 Jan 2015 08:25 PM PST A man who shot two Minneapolis police officers after a swearing-in ceremony had accused police of excessive force five years ago and had a long history of interactions with officials, court papers show. Police officers Joshua Eernisse and Beau Schoenhard, who were shot on Monday night at city hall in New Hope, were released from hospital on Tuesday, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner on Tuesday identified the shooter as Raymond Kmetz, 68. Kmetz was shot multiple times by other New Hope officers and pronounced dead at the scene.

Utah parents who fatally drugged children feared apocalypse: police Posted: 27 Jan 2015 07:36 PM PST (Reuters) - The parents of a Utah family found dead in a locked bedroom at their home last year often discussed religiously-held notions of the apocalypse and orchestrated a multi-drug familicide using methadone and over-the-counter cold medication, police said on Tuesday. The bodies of Benjamin and Kristi Strack and three of their children aged 11 to 14 were discovered by the Stracks' lone surviving child and his grandmother on Sept. 27 in Springville, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. "It was a fairly common theme for the parents to talk about, the apocalypse, the end of days, final judgment," said Springville Police Department detective Greg Turnbow, the lead officer on the case. The children ages 11 and 12 were ruled homicides, and the 14-year-old son had a note in which he was aware of his "possible impending doom," Turnbow said.

New York Assembly speaker to be replaced next week: NYT Posted: 27 Jan 2015 06:46 PM PST (Reuters) - New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will be replaced next week by a state lawmaker as he fights federal corruption charges, the New York Times newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing Democratic lawmakers. Rochester-area Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, the majority leader and a top pick to succeed Silver on a permanent basis, is to take over as interim speaker on Monday, the newspaper said. I believe very deeply in the institution," Silver told reporters as he exited the capitol in Albany late on Tuesday, a spokesman said. The replacement was announced after a meeting of Democrats in Albany, the Times said.

Spy agency employee was flying drone that crashed at White House Posted: 27 Jan 2015 05:58 PM PST An employee of a U.S. spy agency has confessed to operating a small drone that crashed on the grounds of the White House, the agency said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of incidents that raised questions about the president's security. A spokesman for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) said that an off-duty employee had told the U.S. Secret Service, which guards the presidential mansion, that he had been flying the four-propellor drone when it crashed on Monday. The NGA is a Defense Department agency whose principal job is to analyze photographs taken by spy planes and satellites. The spokesman said that the Secret Service was investigating and at this point the man was not facing disciplinary action.

Suspect charged with murder of missing Georgia couple Posted: 27 Jan 2015 05:25 PM PST McRAE, Ga. (AP) — Elrey "Bud" Runion posted an ad on Craigslist seeking to buy a piece of his youth, a replica of the 1966 Ford Mustang convertible he bought after returning from the Vietnam War decades ago.

Blizzard slams Boston area, spares New York despite predictions Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:53 PM PST By Scott Malone, Laila Kearney and Ellen Wulfhorst BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A powerful blizzard struck Boston and surrounding New England on Tuesday, leaving some 4.5 million people grappling with as much as three feet of snow and coastal flooding, but sparing New York City residents who had braced for a significant blast. Snow was forecast to keep falling into early Wednesday in eastern New England, possibly setting a record snowfall in Boston. At Logan International Airport, 20.8 inches (53 cm) of snow was on the ground late afternoon, swept higher in parts by strong winds. "There are drifts now of four, five and six feet in some places," Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said.

Alabama Supreme Court chief justice encourages defiance on gay marriage ruling Posted: 27 Jan 2015 04:22 PM PST In a move viewed skeptically by legal experts, the socially conservative chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court on Tuesday encouraged judges in his state to ignore a federal ruling last week striking down its ban on gay marriage. Justice Roy Moore, in a letter addressed to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, said Friday's federal ruling, which was put on hold for two weeks and could be superseded by a U.S. Supreme Court decision on gay marriage due by the end of June, violates the state constitution. "I am dismayed by those judges in our state who have stated they will recognize and unilaterally enforce a federal court decision which does not bind them," Moore wrote.

Obama dropping plan to tax college savings Posted: 27 Jan 2015 03:50 PM PST President Barack Obama has dropped a controversial proposal to tax "529" college savings plans, a White House official said on Tuesday, calling it a "distraction" from administration efforts to provide middle-class tax relief. The proposal had aroused opposition from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. A source familiar with the situation said House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had pressed senior administration officials to drop the proposal as she flew with Obama on Air Force One from India to Saudi Arabia. "Given it has become such a distraction, we're not going to ask Congress to pass the 529 provision so that they can instead focus on delivering a larger package of education tax relief that has bipartisan support," the White House official said.

Yahoo rallies as plan to spin off remaining Alibaba stake revealed Posted: 27 Jan 2015 02:01 PM PST Yahoo promised it would try to find a way to reduce the taxes it owes when it sells shares of Alibaba and it appears to have a plan to do so.

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