Trial opens for Detroit bankruptcy plan
DETROIT -- Opening statements in Detroit's bankruptcy trial began Tuesday afternoon in federal court, where lawyers for the city will attempt to convince a judge that its plans to wipe out billions of dollars in debt should be approved.
Attorney Bruce Bennett, who is representing the city, said in U.S. District Court that though progress has been made, "the city is still in distress." He also said the plan gives creditors all of the value that the city can provide.
The trial comes a little more than 13 months after Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy. Detroit expects to cut $12 billion in unsecured debt to about $5 billion, according to Bill Nowling, a spokesman for state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr, who has been in charge of the city's finances since March 2013.
Most creditors, including more than 30,000 retirees and city employees, have endorsed the plan of adjustment put together by Orr, who guided Chrysler through its bankruptcy, and his restructuring team. The strongest opposition to the plan has come from bond insurers such as New York-based Syncora Guarantee.
Aliens treated fairly, federal report says
WASHINGTON -- A federal investigation that included surprise inspections was unable to substantiate 16 accusations by advocacy groups that the government packed into frigid cells children caught crossing the border alone, made them sleep on hard floors and provided inadequate food and medical care.
Other claims about treatment of the children are still under review, according to the Homeland Security Department.
Inspector General John Roth said in a memorandum made public Tuesday that aliens alternately complain that detention facilities are too cold or too hot, but there are cloth or disposable blankets available. Likewise, Roth said food service has also improved since the American Civil Liberties Union and four other advocacy groups in June made 116 allegations of wrongdoing, mistreatment and abuses by border agents. Among the complaints was a lack of food.
An ACLU Arizona staff attorney, James Lyall, described Roth's memorandum as "an interim report" and said the inspector general's findings don't discount the severity and volume of complaints. He said the allegations mirror thousands of other complaints filed in recent years.
Court denies bid to see voter birth dates
JACKSON, Miss. -- A federal judge has ruled against a Texas-based group and several Mississippi residents who sought access to Mississippi voters' birth dates after a disputed Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas ruled that neither poll books nor absentee ballot applications are subject to public disclosure under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The plaintiffs, including Texas-based True the Vote, sought unredacted Mississippi voting records and claimed the federal law, better known as Motor Voter, made birth dates from voter-registration forms a part of public record. They said they needed dates so they could verify identities of voters with similar names.
Atlas ruled Friday that disclosing voters' birth dates "raises serious concerns" about privacy, particularly if dates were to be released with full names and current addresses.
True the Vote and several Mississippi residents filed the federal suit in July while seeking Mississippi election records after the June 24 Republican primary. Six-term Sen. Thad Cochran defeated Chris McDaniel, a state senator with Tea Party support, but McDaniel supporters searched election records to try to prove his contention that voting irregularities spoiled the runoff.
Jurors deliberate in McDonnell case
RICHMOND, Va. -- The corruption case against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife was in the hands Tuesday of jurors who must decide whether the couple sold the influence of the office to a wealthy vitamin executive seeking legitimacy for his company's signature product.
U.S. District Judge James Spencer spent nearly two hours reading instructions to jurors before they filed out of the courtroom to decide the fate of a onetime rising Republican star who was widely considered a potential running mate for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012, just before the scandal broke.
Bob and Maureen McDonnell are charged in a 14-count federal indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts, trips and loan from Jonnie Williams, former CEO of dietary supplements maker Star Scientific Inc., in exchange for special favors.
A Section on 09/03/2014