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Accuser of Trump's Supreme Court nominee to testify on Thursday

The agreement came a week after Christine Blasey Ford went public with her allegation against the conservative federal appeals court judge, endangering his confirmation by the Republican-led Senate to a lifetime job on the top U.S. court. There are, however, unresolved procedural and logistical issues, Ford's lawyers said, including whether the Judiciary Committee's Republican senators, who are all male, or staff attorneys would question her. Ford's lawyers said "various senators have been dismissive of her account and should have to shoulder their responsibility to ask her questions." Kavanaugh, who has called the allegation "completely false," also has agreed to testify at the hearing planned for 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) on Thursday.

Danger remains even as flood waters recede in Hurricane Florence's aftermath

Much of the region remained under heavy flooding, including one area 40 miles (64 km) north-northwest of Wilmington where waters were still five feet (1.5 meters) above flood status, according to the National Weather Service. Large sections of rivers near the coast won't start cresting until at least early in the week, maybe later," said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the NWS's Weather Prediction Center "All that water is going to take a good while to recede," he said. It'll be a slow drop." The storm dumped 30 to 40 inches (75 to 100 cm) of rain on the Wilmington area, temporarily cutting off the historic coastal city that lies along the Cape Fear River.

Texan who published 3-D guns plans jailed on sex assault charge

Cody Wilson, 30, flew to Taiwan after learning he was under investigation, police said, and was picked up by Taiwanese authorities on Friday after his U.S. passport was annulled. It was unclear whether Wilson had a criminal defense lawyer. As the founder of Defense Distributed, Wilson became a notable figure in the U.S. debate over guns after the company posted on the internet the blueprints for plastic guns that can be made with a 3-D printer.

Cosby sentencing is new milestone for #MeToo movement

The sentencing will show how #MeToo has altered the way the U.S. reckons with sexual misconduct by powerful men.

Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh's accuser tentatively agrees to testify on Thursday: media

The agreement is in the works for California professor Christine Blasey Ford to possibly testify on Thursday, but details have yet to be finalized, CNN and other media reported late on Saturday. The report said that her lawyers will talk again on Sunday with Senate officials. U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley had set a Saturday afternoon deadline for Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assaulting her at a high school party 36 years ago, to decide whether and how she will testify.

Trump lawyer Giuliani says Iran's government will be overthrown

Rudy Giuliani said that U.S. sanctions on Iran are leading to economic pain that could lead to a "successful revolution."

Trump administration moves to restrict immigrants who use public benefits

U.S. immigration law has long required officials to exclude a person likely to become a "public charge" from permanent residence.

Carolina communities race to beat dangerous flooding from Florence

Communities in North and South Carolina faced rising floods more than a week after the arrival of Hurricane Florence.

Kavanaugh accuser agrees to testify in Senate hearing

A woman who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has agreed to testify before a Senate panel, her lawyers said on Saturday. The Senate Judiciary Committee had delayed a vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation after California professor Christine Blasey Ford's allegations emerged last week, and her lawyers and committee staff were negotiating the conditions of her testimony. "Dr. Ford accepts the committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week," Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, Ford's attorneys, said in a statement.

Ex-White House aide revises Flynn sanctions conversation account: report

An ex-White House official has revised a previous statement by telling investigators that former national security adviser Michael Flynn may have referred to sanctions when they discussed his calls with a former Russian envoy, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. K.T. McFarland's statement revised an earlier assertion to FBI agents that sanctions on Russia did not come up when she spoke to Flynn in December 2016 about his calls with Sergey Kislyak when he was the Russian ambassador to the United States, the newspaper said, quoting unidentified people familiar with the matter. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia and is cooperating in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Senate Judiciary aide resigns amid sexual harassment allegation: NBC

An adviser responding to an allegation against Kavanaugh resigned amid a misconduct complaint against him, NBC reports.

Senate's Grassley sets Saturday deadline for Kavanaugh accuser: NY Times

Sen. Chuck Grassley sets a Saturday afternoon deadline for Christine Blasey Ford to decide if and how she will testify.

U.S. airlines score win as Congress drops 'reasonable fee' rules

The U.S. airline industry scored a win on Saturday as bipartisan congressional legislation dropped plans to mandate "reasonable and proportional" baggage and change fees, but included other new passenger protections. After weeks of negotiations, a 1,200-page bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was unveiled early Saturday that would require the FAA to set minimum dimensions for passenger seats -- including legroom and width -- and prohibits airlines from involuntarily removing passengers from flights after they’ve cleared the boarding gate. In April 2017, video went viral on social media of 69-year-old passenger David Dao being dragged from a United Airlines flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after he refused to give up his seat to make room for crew members.

Ordering opioids online? Mail carrier may also deliver handcuffs

He looked like a regular mail carrier, dropping off an unremarkable package at an upscale New York City apartment tower, but neither the man nor the package were quite what they seemed. The mail carrier was really a federal agent, conducting a so-called controlled delivery, a tactic the U.S. government employs to help stem the flow of heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids fueling the nation's epidemic of fatal overdoses. Drug-filled packages with misleading labels have become a common sight at John F. Kennedy International Airport's (JFK) sprawling mail-sorting hangars, a front line in the battle against opioids.

Senate candidates Cruz, O'Rourke square off in fractious debate

At Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the two battled over hot-button issues such as immigration, gun rights and trade. O'Rourke frequently complained that Cruz was misrepresenting his positions -- at one point accusing the incumbent Republican of "slander." The candidates sparred as well over the embattled Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, who faces allegations that he assaulted a woman, Christine Blasey Ford, while both were in high school. Cruz urged Ford to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Cruz is a member, next week.

U.S. backs protecting Yellowstone’s northern gateway from mining

  The recommendation to withdraw 30,370 acres of the Custer Gallatin National Forest from mineral development comes after two large gold-mining operations were proposed near Yellowstone, sparking opposition from conservationists and local businesses in an area known as Paradise Valley. The Forest Service recommendation to protect the acreage for an additional two decades must be formally approved by U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to go into effect.

Trump questions Kavanaugh's accuser, says opponents want to 'destroy' Supreme Court nominee

After days of restrained comments on the allegations by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, Trump took to Twitter to question her account of what happened between her and Kavanaugh at a party in 1982 when they were in high school. The tweets came as a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate committee struggled on how to proceed with Kavanaugh's nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee had delayed a vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation after Ford's allegations emerged last week, and her lawyers and committee staff are negotiating how and when she will testify.

United Airlines pilots resist contract changes over regional routes

President of the U.S. No. 3 carrier, Scott Kirby, has called for changes to the so-called "scope clause" which sets guidelines on the size of planes that can be operated by regional feeder carriers, among other things. A scope clause restricts planes heavier than 86,000 pounds (39,000 kg) with more than 76 seats from regional routes, where pilots are generally paid less than their mainline counterparts. "We are holding the line," said Todd Insler, chairman of the unit of the Air Line Pilots Association that represents United pilots.

Keystone XL pipeline route would not harm environment: State Department

The U.S. State Department on Friday issued an environmental assessment of a revised route for the Keystone XL crude pipeline that concluded it would not harm water or wildlife, clearing a hurdle for the project that has been pending for a decade. "Prompt cleanup response would likely be capable of remediating the contaminated soils before the hazardous release reaches groundwater depth," the review said. Last month a federal judge in Montana had ordered the State Department to conduct the review of a revised route of the project to take into account new information relevant to a permit it issued for the pipeline last year.

FCC chairman ramps up defense of net neutrality repeal

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has this month also criticized California's legislature for approving a state measure to guarantee open internet access and said "bad behavior" on the part of internet service providers (ISPs) could be prevented by the FCC's new transparency requirements. The FCC voted 3-2 in December to reverse the Obama era rules that barred internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritization. FCC repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules was a win for ISPs Comcast Corp, AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc, whose practices faced significant government oversight.

PayPal ends business dealings with Alex Jones's Infowars

The move makes PayPal the latest tech company to take action against Jones, a deeply controversial right-wing radio talk-show host who has suggested that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, among other sensational claims. "We've made a decision to end our relationship with Infowars websites, including PrisonPlanet," a PayPal spokesman said.

Three infants, two adults stabbed at New York City daycare center

A female worker stabbed three babies, two of whom are less than a month old, at a home-based daycare center in New York City on Friday before slashing her own wrists and being taken into custody, police said. The unidentified woman, age 52, who also stabbed two adults in the predawn incident in the borough of Queens, was in stable condition, Juanita Holmes, assistant chief of patrol for the New York City Police Department, said at a news conference. The woman also stabbed a 31-year-old man, believed to be the father of one of the children, and a woman at the overnight nursery in Flushing, known as Mei Xin Care.

More flooding feared for South Carolina, a week after Florence

Residents of Georgetown County, South Carolina, where five rivers flow into the ocean, were preparing on Friday for a deluge of water in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which has killed at least 40 people. The county of 60,000 people, on the Atlantic coast between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, is one of several areas in the Carolinas waiting anxiously for rivers to crest, a week after Florence dumped some three feet of rain on the region. "Please heed the warnings," Sheriff Lane Cribb said.

Texan running 3-D printed guns company ordered to leave Taiwan

AUSTIN, Texas/TAIPEI (Reuters) - A Texan running a 3-D printed guns company who flew to Taiwan as police investigated an accusation he had sex with an underage girl was detained in Taipei on Friday and ordered to leave the island after his U.S. passport was annulled, officials said. Cody Wilson, 30, was taken to immigration authorities in the capital by officers from Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau, according to officials. Zhang said Wilson was being held by the agency and that its officials were in talks with U.S. representatives in Taiwan concerning his repatriation.

U.S. agency accuses Walmart of pregnancy discrimination in lawsuit

The EEOC, which enforces federal laws banning discrimination in the workplace, said Walmart's distribution center in Menomonie, Wisconsin, has discriminated against pregnant employees since 2014. Federal law requires employers to accommodate workers' pregnancies in the same way as physical disabilities. Arkansas-based Walmart is the largest retailer and private employer in the United States.

Cruz to take on Senate challenger O'Rourke in Texas-sized debate

Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Beto O’Rourke will come face-to-face with the man he has been chasing for months, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, at a debate on Friday in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. O’Rourke’s candidacy has drawn large crowds in Texas and a following among progressives nationally. While he remains an underdog against Cruz in the traditionally conservative state, some recent polls have indicated the contest is tightening.

Trump says Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh is 'under assault'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was "under assault" by radical leftist politicians, appearing to grow impatient with the delay of his appointee's confirmation proceedings. "Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay," Trump said in a Twitter post. A vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation was delayed after a California professor accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago while both were in high school.

At Las Vegas rally, Trump backs Kavanaugh, treads carefully around accusations

U.S. President Donald Trump gave a full-throated endorsement to his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday and tip-toed carefully around the sexual assault accusations that are facing him. At a rally in Las Vegas, Trump appeared with Republican U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada and offered strong support for him in his tough re-election battle against Democrat Jackie Rosen in November congressional elections.

Democrats' enthusiasm to blunt Trump soars for congressional election: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Carol Donovan became convinced 2018 could be a good year for Democrats in Dallas County, Texas, when so many enthusiasts jammed into the party's annual fish fry fundraiser last October that they ran out of catfish. What the county Democratic chair Donovan saw at the event is backed up by a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, which found enthusiasm among Democrats is soaring ahead of elections on Nov. 6 that will determine whether Republicans maintain control over the U.S. Congress. Across almost all demographic groups, more Democrats say they are certain to vote compared to poll results in 2014, the last non-presidential election year.

A year after deadly Maria, U.S. housing funds on way to Puerto Rico

A year after Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico with 150 mile-per-hour (241 kph) winds, government officials on Thursday announced that about $1.5 billion in federal funds aimed primarily at rebuilding housing will start flowing to the island. “One year (after the event) is quite good for what we generally do," U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson said. HUD allocated the funds in February.

Kavanaugh's accuser ready to testify under certain conditions: New York Times

A lawyer for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, professor Christine Blasey Ford, told a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday that Ford would be prepared to testify next week if the terms are fair and her safety is ensured, the New York Times reported on Thursday. In an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee, attorney Debra Katz said, however, that it was "not possible" for Ford to testify on Monday, as the committee had hoped, the Times said.