USA
In one of the largest environmental settlements ever, American Electric Power Co., based in Columbus, Ohio, agreed Tuesday to end an eight-year legal battle and pay $4.6 billion to reduce emissions blamed for spreading acid rain across the Northeast. By settling out of court, before a federal trial was to begin, the company must lessen emissions by at least 69 percent over the next 10 years.
The United Auto Workers, which represents 49,000 hourly Chrysler workers, set Wednesday as the deadline to agree on a new contract or risk an assembly-line shutdown. Chrysler may drive a hard bargain with wage earners, who average $75.86 per hour in pay, pension, and healthcare costs.
A monument dedicated to Haitian soldiers in the Revolutionary War was unveiled Monday in Savannah, Ga. Statues of four Haitians among more than 500 who joined American colonists in an unsuccessful effort to drive the British from Savannah are seen as overdue recognition by many Haitian-Americans. Above, ceremony speakers stand before the memorial in Franklin Square.
The Service Employees Inter-national Union, a fast-growing breakaway group from the AFL-CIO, said Monday its local state affiliates will individually decide which presidential candidate to endorse. The strength of the presidential field on the key issues for working families was cited as the reason for the local endorsements. Eventually, though, the SEIU will back the most pro-worker presidential nominee.
Al Qaeda remains the "most serious and dangerous" terrorism threat to the United States and is likely to intensify efforts for operatives inside the US, a new White House report said Tuesday.
The Supreme Court Tuesday terminated a lawsuit by Khaled el-Masri, who says he was mistakenly abducted and tortured by the CIA. The ruling effectively endorses White House arguments that state secrets would be revealed if the case proceeded.
A study conducted for the National Institute of Justice of Tasers and similar electric-jolt stun guns found them generally safe for police use, based on a review of 962 cases.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Nellie Longsworth, a pioneering teacher and activist in the preservation movement, as the 2007 recipient of its highest award. The Bethesda, Md., resident formed the first national organization dedicated to Capitol Hill preservation and secured the first federal tax incentives for rehabilitating historic buildings.
