Nation digest 12/23/05

NYC transit workers end strike; no new contract

NEW YORK -- Faced with mounting fines and the rising wrath of millions of commuters, the city transit union sent its members back to work without a new contract Thursday and ended a three-day strike that brought subways and buses to a standstill. Union members were told to return to their jobs starting with the evening shift. Buses were expected to be rolling again by evening. Most subways were expected to be running by today's morning rush, just two days before Christmas. The breakthrough came after an all-night session with a mediator. Around midday, leaders of the 33,000-member Transport Workers Union voted to return to work and resume negotiations with the transit authority on a new contract.

Justice Department defends NSA spying

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration formally defended its domestic spying program in a letter to Congress late Thursday saying the nation's security outweighs privacy concerns of individuals who are monitored. In a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate intelligence committees, the Justice Department said President Bush authorized electronic surveillance without first obtaining a warrant in an effort to thwart terrorist acts against the United States.

Wal-Mart ordered to pay millions in lunch lawsuit

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A California jury on Thursday awarded $172 million to thousands of employees at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who claimed they were illegally denied lunch breaks. The world's largest retailer was ordered to pay $57 million in general damages and $115 million in punitive damages to about 116,000 current and former California employees for violating a 2001 state law that requires 30-minute, unpaid lunch breaks for employees who work at least six hours.

-- From wire reports