US stock indexes tick higher as oil’s dismal week eases

A psychologist who helped design the CIA's harsh interrogation methods in the war on terror says his participation in the program that involved torturing suspects caused him "great, soulful torment." . Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick said in a statement to The New York Times that he has accepted a request from investors to step aside.

South Sudan no longer in famine, but situation is critical

The family of an Ohio woman who died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a North Carolina outdoor recreational park. The family of an Ohio woman who died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a North Carolina outdoor recreational park.

Georgia voters streaming to polls in expensive Congress race

Either Republican Karen Handel will claim a seat that has been in her party's hands since 1979 or Democrat Jon Ossoff will manage an upset that will rattle Washington ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections. As much of the district was drenched by rain and under flash flood warnings, election officials reported few issues at the polls amid steady turnout by early afternoon.

World coffee stocks to shrink to six-year low in 2017-18

World coffee stocks will fall next season to their lowest in six years - and for even longer in major exporting countries - sapped by record demand at a time of only marginally rising output. The US Department of Agriculture, in its first global coffee estimates for 2017-18, forecast stocks closing the season at 34.0m bags, a drop of 1.1m bags year on year, and the lowest since the end of 2011-12.

Holcomb fire north of Big Bear burns 1,000-plus acres; voluntary evacuations underway

BIG BEAR >> A wildfire raging north of Big Bear Lake has charred hundreds of acres prompting officials to issue voluntary evacuations and the closure of stretch of a mountain highway. However, while the Holcomb fire is spreading rapidly, it appears to be moving away from the San Bernardino National Forest's most populated areas.

WPB hosts Democratic candidates for governor

Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain. Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain.

Migrant arrests at Arizona aid camp raise worries of more deaths in the desert

The arrests of four people at a desert-aid camp for migrants Thursday could deter some from seeking help as a scorching heat wave approaches. Migrant arrests at Arizona aid camp raise worries of more deaths in the desert The arrests of four people at a desert-aid camp for migrants Thursday could deter some from seeking help as a scorching heat wave approaches.

US seeks to seize more assets said stolen from Malaysia fund

A blimp flying over the U.S. Open has gone down and the aircraft's operator says he doesn't know if the pilot is alive. A blimp flying over the U.S. Open has gone down and the aircraft's operator says he doesn't know if the pilot is alive.

Stephen King Says President Trump Blocked Him On Twitter

Former Pot Officer, Entrepreneur Charged In Trafficking Ring A former Colorado marijuana enforcement officer and a marijuana entrepreneur are among those accused of being involved with a large trafficking ring that shipped pot out of state. Boy Slipped, Hit Head While Hiking On Hanging Lake Trail An 8-year-old boy's death on the popular Hanging Lake Trail is apparently an accident.

Fire department, police, Coast Guard respond to sinking boat off Watch Hill Reef

Westerly - The Watch Hill Fire Department on Thursday joined the U.S. Coast Guard, Westerly police and a fishing trawler from Stonington to aid two boaters whose boat was taking on water in Block Island Sound. The two passengers of the 18-foot center console were not injured and the boat was eventually towed from its location near Watch Hill Reef by Sea Tow to Barn Island boat ramp, according to a statement from Watch Hill Fire Department Chief Robert Peacock.

NOAA, FEMA leaderless as hurricane season starts

Hurricane season began on June 1, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the season will be a busy one, with an above-average range of 5-9 hurricanes likely in the Atlantic. The United States could be especially vulnerable to hurricane landfalls this year, observers say, but not because of the enhanced activity that is expected.

US agencies emphasize cooperation entering wildfire season

The heads of the two largest public land agencies in the U.S. signed a memorandum Friday emphasizing cooperation among federal, state, tribal and local agencies in battling wildfires as the main part of the wildfire season arrives. Secretaries Ryan Zinke of the Interior Department and Sonny Perdue of the Agriculture Department signed the document following a briefing at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

Trump’s budget cuts West Coast quake warning system funding

President Donald Trump's budget proposal would cut federal funding for an earthquake early warning system for California, Oregon and Washington state, a development that seismology experts and some local leaders say would be the end of the project. The system being developed in conjunction with various universities is intended at providing critical seconds of warning when an earthquake has started and potentially dangerous shaking is imminent, allowing time for people to take cover and to slow or halt such things as critical industrial processes and transportation systems.

Trump budget dismays families hit by opioid addiction crisis

In a hall packed with Iowa voters, the presidential candidate looked the middle-aged truck driver in the eye and vowed to fight the opioid crisis that killed his only son two years earlier. "He promised me, in honor of my son, that he was going to combat the ongoing heroin epidemic," Moss said of the January 2016 interaction.

RPT-U.S., China accelerate beef talks; deal possible by early June

CHICAGO, May 19 Talks on restarting U.S. beef exports to China are moving fast and final details should be in place by early June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday, allowing American farmers to vie for business that has been lost by rival Brazil. As part of a trade deal, U.S. ranchers are set to face tests over the use of growth-promoting drugs to raise cattle destined for export to China and to log the animals' movements, according to the USDA.