US News Roundup: Measles outbreak grows; Tornado hits Dayton, more storms expected

Rolling Thunder veterans group makes final ride through Washington

The Rolling Thunder motorcycles that descend on Washington, D.C. every Memorial Day weekend made their final ride on Sunday, ending a three decades-old tradition that was initially meant to serve to pay tribute to fallen and missing-in-action soldiers. The veterans advocacy group, formed in 1987 by 73-year-old Vietnam veteran Artie Muller, got its name from a 1965 bombing campaign against North Vietnam dubbed "Operation Rolling Thunder."

MacKenzie Bezos pledges half her fortune to charity after Amazon divorce

MacKenzie Bezos, the former wife of Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, pledged on Tuesday to give away half her fortune to charity, following a movement founded by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates. Bezos, whose former husband is the world's richest man, was one of 19 people on Tuesday to sign the "Giving Pledge," a campaign announced in 2010 by Berkshire Hathaway Inc's Buffett and Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates. It calls for the super-rich to give away more than half their fortunes during their lifetimes or in their wills.

Support for abortion rights grows as some U.S. states curb access: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Americans have become more supportive of abortion rights over the past year, even as a wave of Republican-controlled state governments have imposed new restrictions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The poll found that 58% of American adults said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 50% who said that in a similar poll that ran in July 2018.

S-T-R-E-S-S: National Spelling Bee takes step to ease pressure

A line of youngsters fidgets on stage, waiting for a turn to spell a multisyllabic tongue-twister of a word and hoping to advance to the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. One by one, they step forward. The stress is palpable. Adding to the pressure, finalists in the last two annual bees faced an extra layer of behind-the-scenes angst: a written test designed to break a potential deadlock in the main event.

U.S. measles outbreak grows with 60 new measles cases across 26 states

The United States recorded 60 new measles cases last week, taking confirmed cases for the year to 940, the worst outbreak since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 6.8% increase in the number of measles cases in the week ended May 24 in an outbreak that has now reached 26 states. The agency has been providing weekly updates every Monday.

For battles with Congress, Trump reshapes legal defense team

President Donald Trump is restructuring his legal team with lawyers more at home in a courtroom than a television studio as he shifts from dealing with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to battling Democratic-led investigations in the U.S. Congress. The long-time leaders of Trump's team - Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani - remain in place. But other attorneys, known for their litigation skills, are taking on larger roles on the team: William Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge, Marc Mukasey and Stefan Passantino.

Illinois to ask residents to vote on how income tax is levied on 2020 ballot

The Illinois House of Representatives on Monday voted to put a proposal that would change the state's personal income tax system on a ballot to take place alongside the 2020 U.S. national election vote. The measure would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to allow for a graduated income tax model, where high earners pay steeper rates, from the current, constitutionally mandated flat rate.

Flooded Arkansas, Oklahoma brace for more rain; Southeast gets record heat

Flooded Arkansas and Oklahoma were bracing for more rain that will feed the already swollen Arkansas River, forecasters said on Monday, as Missouri deployed the National Guard in anticipation of further storms. With millions of Americans under flood warnings on the Memorial Day holiday, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois got deluged while Oklahoma and Arkansas got a reprieve for the most part.

Oklahoma, Johnson & Johnson face off in first opioid crisis trial

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is set to face trial in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by the state of Oklahoma aimed at pinning the blame for the opioid epidemic on its painkiller marketing. Lawyers for the state and J&J are scheduled to appear on Tuesday in a state court in Norman, Oklahoma, to deliver their opening statements at the start of the first trial to result from more than 2,000 similar lawsuits against opioid manufacturers nationally.

Tornado hits city of Dayton, more storms expected in south, central U.S.

A tornado slammed into the U.S. city of Dayton, Ohio on Monday as severe storms were forecast to pound the area overnight, officials and media reports said. At least two other tornadoes touched down near the city, including one near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just east of Dayton, media reports said.