Nation & World

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…

By Tim Sullivan and Amy Forlitti Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called in the National Guard on Thursday as looting broke out in St. Paul and a wounded Minneapolis braced for more violence after rioting over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody, reduced parts of one neighborhood to a smoking shambles. The Minneapolis unrest ravaged several blocks in the Longfellow neighborhood, with scattered rioting reaching for miles across the…

Staff Report WEST ALLIS, Wis. - The Wisconsin State Fair Board of Directors has voted to cancel the 2020 state fair because of the coronavirus pandemic. "The board and staff have been closely monitoring COVID-19 data from local, state and federal health officials during this time," the board said in a statement. "While some restrictions have recently been lifted and businesses are beginning to re-open, most are requiring strict safety measures, including social distancing, the wearing of…

By Amy Forliti and Jeff Baenan Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges to be filed against the white police officer seen on video kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed black man during an arrest, even after the man said he couldn't breathe and stopped moving.  Based on the video, Mayor Jacob Frey said he believes officer Derek Chauvin should be charged in Monday's death of George Floyd. Chauvin and three other officers were fired…

By Amy Forlitti and Jeff Baenen Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Four Minneapolis officers involved in the arrest of a handcuffed black man who died in police custody were fired Tuesday, hours after a bystander's video showed the man pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer knelt on his neck. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced the firings on Twitter, saying "This is the right call." The man's death Monday night after he struggled with officers was under investigation by…

By Zeke Miller and Ben Alexander Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgia's governor is offering his state and its "world-class facilities" as host of the Republican National Convention — a day after President Donald Trump threatened to pull the convention out of North Carolina if that state's Democratic governor doesn't assure him that the August gathering can go forward despite coronavirus fears.  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, sent an open plea to Trump on Tuesday to consider…