Nation & World

By Jeff Martin Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) – John Lewis was celebrated as an American hero during his funeral Thursday as former President Barack Obama and others called on people to follow Lewis' example and fight injustice. Three former presidents joined in the eulogies at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church after nearly a week of mourning that took the civil rights icon from his birthplace in Alabama to the nation's capital of Washington to his final resting place in his home of…

By Lisa J. Adams Wagner Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) – Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cain's Twitter account Thursday announced the death. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. It's not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after…

By Christopher Rugaber AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The viral pandemic's resurgence caused the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits to rise last week for the first time in nearly four months, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing. The increase in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million served to underscore the outsize role the unemployment insurance system is playing among the nation's safety net programs — just when a $600 weekly federal aid…

By John Seewer Associated Press The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even…

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…