U.S. News Headlines

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Hundreds of marijuana enthusiasts huddled near Seattle's famed Space Needle tower on Thursday night with pipes, bongs and hand-rolled joints to celebrate Washington's new status as the first state in the nation to legalize pot for adult recreational use. The public gathering at the downtown Seattle Center, …

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man sued NBC on Thursday, saying the network intentionally edited and repeatedly aired a non-emergency phone call he made to police before shooting and killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin "to create the myth" that he was a racist. Attorneys for George Zimmerman, who maintains he shot …

LANSING, Michigan (Reuters) - Michigan's Republican-controlled Legislature passed separate bills on Thursday aimed at making the home of the U.S. auto industry the 24th "right-to-work" state banning mandatory union dues, igniting raucous demonstrations that led to eight arrests. The Michigan House of Representatives voted …

(Reuters) - Four top U.S. mobile phone service companies have agreed to set up a service to allow people to send text messages to emergency aid call center 911, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) said. At present, emergency 911 services can be accessed only through a phone call. The change will particularly help …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his family presided over the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on Thursday and used the holiday setting to celebrate the "heroism" of people who persevered through Superstorm Sandy earlier this year. Obama, who won re-election last month in part because of his response …

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A man accused of plotting to storm a Seattle military recruitment center with machine guns and grenades in retaliation for U.S. military conduct in Afghanistan pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy charges, federal prosecutors said. Under the terms of his plea deal, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, 35, faces …

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois state senator running for former Democratic U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat in Congress was released on bond on Thursday, following his arrest for trying to bring a gun onto an airplane. A Cook County judge set bail at $25,000 for Donne Trotter, 62, on the felony charge. Trotter, …

(Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on Thursday he vetoed a bill that would have created a health insurance exchange for his state under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare program. Christie, whose announcement came on a day when he was visiting the White House to discuss tens of billions in federal …

NEW YORK (Reuters) - California's attorney general office said on Thursday it was suing Delta Air Lines Inc for distributing a mobile application without a privacy policy, the first-ever legal action under the state's online privacy law. The lawsuit targets Delta's 'Fly Delta' app for smartphones and other electronic devices. …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The daughter of an imprisoned Mexican Mafia kingpin who prosecutors say carried out her father's orders in running a brutal Los Angeles street gang, the Harpys, was arrested on Thursday along with her husband and 16 other accused gang members. Vianna Roman, 37, was taken into custody on a federal …

OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A landmark law legalizing same-sex matrimony took effect in Washington state on Thursday as gay and lesbian couples lined up at government offices to obtain marriage licenses, paving the way for them to exchange vows as soon as this weekend. Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first …

HONOLULU (Reuters) - At age 19, Delton Walling agreed to have an injured finger surgically removed so he could enlist in the U.S. Navy, and went on to see action in most major World War Two battles in the Pacific. But after years in combat, and a lifetime of joy and loss, the memories of one event stand out above all others …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan assumed control of the Pentagon's F-35 jet fighter program on Thursday, saying he believes the program is well-positioned for the future after hard work by his predecessor to put it on a "firmer, more realistic" footing. Bogdan replaces U.S. Navy Vice …

(Reuters) - Cablevision Systems Corp, the New York-based cable operator, said on Thursday it would raise its Internet prices by $5 in January, representing an average hike of 3.2 percent for customers' total monthly bills. The company said in a statement that prices for its video and phone services will not be affected …

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A $53.5 million, unmanned Air Force drone crashed at a remote location in Nevada during a nighttime training exercise, but there were no injuries, authorities said. Air Force officials said the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft came down on the Nevada Test and Training Range west of Hiko, in south-central Nevada, …

LANSING, Michigan (Reuters) - Michigan Republicans on Thursday began a drive to make the home of the U.S. auto industry the 24th "right to work" state banning mandatory union dues, setting off a confrontation with organized labor that immediately led to the arrest of protesters. Hundreds of union workers converged on the …

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man sued NBC on Thursday, saying the network intentionally edited and repeatedly aired a 911 call he made to police after he shot Trayvon Martin "to create the myth" that he was a racist. Attorneys for George Zimmerman, who maintains he shot the unarmed black teenager in self-defense in February …

(Reuters) - Iowa police said on Thursday they are confident that two bodies found by hunters in a wooded area are cousins who vanished last summer while riding their bikes. "At this time, law enforcement is confident, based upon evidence at the scene and our preliminary investigation, that the bodies found yesterday are …