Nation & World

By Scott Bauer Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) –Gov. Tony Evers said Wednesday he was prepared to activate the National Guard to protect state properties after protesters outside the Wisconsin Capitol tore down statues commemorating an abolitionist and women's rights and threw a Molotov cocktail into a government building during a night of violence that also included an attack on a state senator. The violence from a group of between 200 and 300 people broke out Tuesday night as…

By Eric Tucker Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) –A divided federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered the dismissal of the criminal case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, turning back efforts by a judge to scrutinize the Justice Department's extraordinary decision to drop the prosecution. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said in a 2-1 ruling that the Justice Department's decision to abandon the case against Flynn…

By Lisa Mascaro Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) –A Republican policing bill hit a roadblock Wednesday as Senate Democrats voted against it as inadequate, leaving the parties to decide whether to negotiate a compromise or walk away despite public outcry over the killings of Black Americans. The impasse threatens to turn the nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others into another moment that galvanizes the nation but leaves lawmakers unable to act.…

By Claudia Later and Colleen Long Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officer Derek Chauvin had more than a dozen misconduct complaints against him before he put his knee on George Floyd's neck. Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City officer who seized Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, had eight. Ryan Pownall, a Philadelphia officer facing murder charges in the shooting of David Jones, had 15 over five years.  But the public didn't know about any of that until the victims' deaths.…

By Jim Hagerty Reporter MINNEAPOLIS - One of four ex-officers charged in the death of George Floyd has been released on bond. Thomas Lane, 37, was released from Hennepin County Jail Wednesday afternoon after posting bail, according to court documents. His bond was set at $1 million. Lane is charged with manslaughter and aiding and abetting second-degree murder, allegations that stem from a May 25 incident that left Floyd, 46, dead. The Memorial Day incident drew national outrage when a…

By Lisa Mascaro AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats proposed a sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures Monday, a potentially far-reaching legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement. Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol's Emancipation Hall, reading the names of George Floyd and others killed during police interactions. They…

By Stephen Ohlemacher and Will Weissert Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, setting him up for a bruising challenge to President Donald Trump that will play out against the unprecedented backdrop of a pandemic, economic collapse and civil unrest. "It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded," Biden said in a statement Friday night, "and I…

By Russ Bynum Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A state investigator alleged Thursday that a white man was heard saying a racist slur as he stood over Ahmaud Arbery's body, moments after killing him with three shots from a pump-action shotgun.  In a hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a murder trial, the lead Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent in the case testified that Travis and Greg McMichael and a third man in another pickup, William "Roddie"…

By Zeke Miller and Robert Burns Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's Pentagon chief shot down his idea of using troops to quell protests across the United States, then reversed course on pulling part of the 82nd Airborne Division off standby in an extraordinary clash between the U.S. military and its commander in chief. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper also drew stinging, rare public criticism from Trump's first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, in the most…

By Jason Schaumburg (THE CENTER SQUARE) - In a series of tweets, President Donald Trump said the Republican National Convention will look at states other than North Carolina to host August's event, blaming Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Cooper and North Carolina officials had been going back and forth with Republican officials over safety concerns regarding hosting a convention during the coronavirus pandemic. North Carolina was committed to holding a scaled-back convention under…

By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors are charging a Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd's neck with second-degree murder, and for the first time will level charges against three other officers at the scene, a newspaper reported Wednesday. Widely seen bystander video showing Floyd's May 25 death has sparked sometimes violent protests nationwide and around the world. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired…

By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An autopsy commissioned for George Floyd's family found that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression when a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck until he stopped breathing, ignoring his cries of distress, the family's attorneys said Monday. The autopsy by a doctor who also examined Eric Garner's body found the compression cut off blood to Floyd's brain, and weight on his back made…

By Jim Hagerty Reporter ROCKFORD - Peaceful, yet boisterous protests became destructive Saturday as more than a thousand demonstrators converged on Rockford Police District 1 headquarters. The events began just before 4 p.m., at Haskell Park, where a crowd of a few dozen quickly became several hundred within the hour. Some held signs honoring George Floyd that bore phrases like "I can't breathe" and "Say his name," while the Black Lives Matter slogan was even better represented.…

By Tim Sullivan and Amy Forliti Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday. Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Derek Chauvin. He's charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.  The arrest comes after three days of protests,…

By Tim Sullivan and Amy Forliti Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Protesters angered by the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died while in police custody, gained access to a Minneapolis police precinct on Thursday, the third straight night of violent protests spreading beyond the city. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Police appeared to have left the building located in the…