May 5 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- The U.S. Justice Department warned North Carolina officials that it considers the state's new bathroom law a violation of the Civil Rights Act. (http://on.wsj.com/1To3Taf)

- Tesla Motors plans to ramp up annual production to a half-million vehicles, two years earlier than planned, but will do so without its two top manufacturing executives. (http://on.wsj.com/1To3wfG)

- Tribune Publishing Co's board of directors rejected an unsolicited acquisition offer from Gannett Co , calling the bid "opportunistic". (http://on.wsj.com/1To3vIO)

- Former Republican senator, 82-year-old Bob Bennett of Utah, one of the first incumbents ousted in a national wave of anti-incumbent sentiment in 2010, has died, his assistant said. (http://on.wsj.com/1To3p3V) (Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru)