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The head of the Los Angeles teachers' union voiced optimism on Wednesday about jump-starting stalled labor talks, as a teachers strike disrupting classes for nearly 500,000 students in the second-largest U.S. public school system stretched into its third day. No negotiations have been scheduled since contract talks with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) collapsed last Friday when union leaders rejected management's latest offer as an "insult." More than 30,000 educators represented by United Teachers Los Angeles walked off the job on Monday, demanding higher pay, smaller classes and more support staff. "We are working with Mayor Eric Garcetti to restart negotiations, and things are developing in a good way," the union added in a message posted on its website.

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 19:05:37 -0500

Tad Cummins, 52, was sentenced in federal court in Nashville by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger, according to emails from a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Cummins had faced a sentence of up to life in prison for transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activities and up to 20 years in prison for obstructing investigations, court documents said. Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of 30 years, according to a court document.

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:36:51 -0500

(Reuters) - A Georgia man has been arrested and charged for allegedly plotting to destroy the White House and other government buildings in Washington, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported on Wednesday.

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:33:08 -0500

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 980 Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices for three days starting on Thursday to help process farm loans and tax documents during the partial federal government shutdown. About 2,500 FSA employees who have been furloughed by the partial shutdown that began on Dec. 22 have been called back to work without pay, the department said in a statement on Wednesday. "Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement.

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:31:37 -0500

With the partial U.S. government shutdown now in its 26th day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address - a move that could deny him the opportunity to use the pageantry of the speech to attack Democrats in their own chamber over the impasse. With Trump's address set for Jan. 29, Pelosi wrote him a letter citing security concerns because the Secret Service, which is required to provide security for the address, has not received funding during the dispute. The standoff was triggered by Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, which Democrats oppose.

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:31:37 -0500