U.S. Top News: Hagel swears in as defense chief after bruising confirmation battle

	Click to View in Browser 02/27/2013 Hagel swears in as defense chief after bruising confirmation battle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran, swore in as the defense secretary at a small, closed-door ceremony on Wednesday, after a bruising confirmation battle in the Senate. Corporations urge Supreme Court to embrace gay marriage WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 200 businesses will urge the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to strike down a federal law that restricts the definition of marriage to heterosexual unions. Manhunt under way for gunman who killed South Carolina college student CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - A statewide manhunt was under way on Wednesday for a gunman who fatally shot a South Carolina university student in a dormitory and then apparently fled the campus, police said. Storm that buried Plains slams Great Lakes region CHICAGO (Reuters) - A powerful winter storm that buried the U.S. Plains moved on Tuesday into the southern Great Lakes region, where it snarled the evening commute in Chicago and Milwaukee, created near-whiteout conditions and forced hundreds of flight cancellations. Local warming: U.S. cities in front line as sea levels rise NORFOLK, Virginia (Reuters) - The signs of rising water are everywhere in this seaport city: yellow "Streets May Flood" notices are common at highway underpasses, in low-lying neighborhoods and along the sprawling waterfront. In separating gun-control bills, Democrats reveal strategy WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate have spread his gun-control proposals across four bills in an effort to get at least some of the less controversial measures - such as expanded background checks for gun buyers - passed into law. Two officers, suspect shot and killed in Santa Cruz, California SANTA CRUZ, California (Reuters) - Two police officers were shot dead in northern California in a mostly residential area of the city of Santa Cruz on Tuesday in a shootout with a gunman who was later killed by police, authorities said. Protests mark anniversary of Trayvon Martin's shooting death SANFORD, Fla./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Demonstrators symbolically wearing hoodies gathered in New York, Florida and California on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, reviving a national discussion on gun laws and racial profiling. California couple feared missing in Peru turn up on safe on river boat LIMA (Reuters) - A young California couple feared by family to have been abducted while on a cycling trip through Peru have safely surfaced on a river boat headed for Ecuador, surprised to learn they were subjects of an international search, the Peruvian government said on Tuesday. Grand jury decides no charges against New Jersey's "Tan Mom" (Reuters) - The case of the deeply bronzed New Jersey woman known as "Tan Mom" appears destined to fade away. A grand jury declined to indict her on child endangerment charges, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. Related Video U.S. Morning Call: Bernanke to the Hill; Apple investor appeal ECONOMY 2013: EADS earnings fly, but will Airbus's next jet? Great Debate Who controls Voting Rights? What's your bank worth? A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend