Phoenix march to protest George Floyd’s death turns violent
PHOENIX — A rally in downtown Phoenix to protest the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis turned violent when protesters in Arizona’s largest city threw rocks and bottles at officers, broke windows at police headquarters, and damaged businesses and vehicles, officials said. Phoenix police say hundreds...
Michigan sheriff: Woman hit by deputy had bitten him first
DETROIT — A black woman who was seen on video being punched by a Michigan sheriff’s deputy bit the officer before she was struck, the sheriff said Friday. Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton played video and audio from the confrontation with Sha’Teina Grady El, which occurred Tuesday night while deputies...
Minneapolis protest misinformation stokes racial tensions
CHICAGO — The false social media posts started just hours after protesters first began chanting and carrying banners around the Minneapolis neighborhood where George Floyd, an African American man, died handcuffed in police custody. “The cop who killed George Floyd,” Facebook and Twitter users claimed, wrongly identifying a man pictured...
‘We don’t have law and order’: Black and Latino business owners face destruction in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Abdishakur Elmi looked on in horror as flames raged and smoke billowed from the roof of the brick building next to his restaurant. A single truck and a few firefighters battled the blaze that had already consumed several neighboring businesses overnight in a gentrified section of East Lake...
U.S. cuts World Health Organization ties over virus response
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. will be terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization, saying it had failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus because China has “total control” over the global organization. He said Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO...
Virus ignited in U.S. no earlier than mid-January, study says
NEW YORK — The spark that started the U.S. coronavirus epidemic arrived during a three-week window from mid-January to early February, before the nation halted travel from China, according to the most comprehensive federal study to date of when the virus began spreading. That means anyone in the U.S. who...
DEP will host virtual meetings to take public comment on air pollution regulation related to fracking
Pennsylvania environmental officials will host three virtual meetings to take public comment on proposed state regulations aimed at reducing air pollution from unconventional natural gas drilling operations. The draft regulation would require additional controls at fracking sites and related infrastructure like compressor stations. Department of Environmental Protection officials estimated that,...
Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in death of George Floyd
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police 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 and charged with murder. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin was charged...
Minnesota governor apologizes for arrest of CNN crewVideo
NEW YORK — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz apologized to CNN, saying he takes total responsibility for the arrest of one of the network’s crews Friday as they reported on violent protests in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. “This is a very public apology to that team,” Walz said...
Ruling means Missouri’s last abortion clinic stays open
O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri’s only abortion clinic will be able to keep operating after a state government administrator decided Friday that the health department was wrong not to renew the license of the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis. Missouri Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi’s decision means Missouri will...
Sen. Bob Casey tests positive for covid-19 antibodies, donates plasma
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said he donated plasma Friday after he learned he had antibodies to covid-19, hoping it will help others fighting covid-19. Casey, D-Scranton, said an antibody test he took last week suggested that the mild flu-like symptoms and low-grade fever he experienced earlier this spring were caused...
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics to hold virtual open houseVideo
Aircraft maintenance has been an essential service throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with planes delivering critical supplies across the world. Officials from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics will host a virtual open house Saturday to encourage potential students to consider it as a career. “May 30 will be an all-new experience...
Pennsylvania parents charged after 2-year-old son fatally shoots himself
EAST PENN — A 2-year-old boy fatally shot himself in his family’s home after his parents knowingly left a loaded handgun within reach of the child, authorities said. Andrew Zawoski, 28, and Christine McFarland, 24, are each charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. It was’t known Friday if either...
CNN crew arrested while reporting on Minneapolis protests
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota State Patrol on Friday arrested a CNN television crew as they reported on violent protests in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck. Atlanta-based CNN said that the crew,...
Highway patrol dispatcher helps woman stop her runaway SUV
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — A wild ride on an interstate in central Ohio came to a safe end when a highway patrol dispatcher calmly instructed a driver how to stop her runaway SUV. The 20-year-old driver, named Emma, called 911 on Sunday for help when her SUV would not slow down...
7 shot at Louisville protest over fatal police shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At least seven people were shot in Louisville as protesters turned out to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot by police in her home in March. Louisville Metro Police confirmed in a statement early Friday that there were at least seven shooting victims,...
Twitter flags Trump tweet with ‘glorifying violence’ warning
WASHINGTON — Twitter has added a warning to one of President Donald Trump’s tweets about protests in Minneapolis, saying it violated the platform’s rules about “glorifying violence.” Trump, a prolific Twitter user, has been at war with the company since earlier this week, when it for the first time applied...
Afghan government says Taliban attack on checkpoint kills 14
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters attacked an army checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, killing 14 military personnel, the Defense Ministry said Friday. The Taliban took responsibility for Thursday’s attack in Paktia province, calling it a “defensive action,” without elaborating. Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghanistan national security adviser’s office, said despite...
Mississippi mayor flouts calls to resign over Floyd comments
PETAL, Miss. — A Mississippi mayor whose remarks about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody sparked outrage is resisting calls to resign, including from his own town’s board of aldermen. “Why in the world would anyone choose to become a police officer in our society today?” Petal...
Minneapolis police station torched during George Floyd protestVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station that the department abandoned as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer...
Minneapolis officer accused in George Floyd’s death opened fire on 2 peopleVideo
A white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck opened fire on two people during his 19-year career and had nearly 20 complaints and two letters of reprimand filed against him. Derek Chauvin, 44, became the focus of street protests and a federal investigation after he was seen...
NSA: Russian agents have been hacking major email program
BOSTON — The National Security Agency says the same Russian military hacking group that interfered in the 2016 presidential election and unleashed a devastating malware attack the following year has been exploiting a major email server program since last August or earlier. The timing of the agency’s advisory Thursday was...
Arkansas hits new 1-day record in coronavirus cases, 5 more deaths
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas reached another one-day record for new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a spike health officials said was driven by the state’s northwest region. The Health Department said at least 6,538 people tested positive for the virus that causes covid-19, an increase over the 6,277 reported Wednesday. The...
Lindsey Graham urges older judges to retire so GOP can fill openings
WASHINGTON — Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is publicly urging federal judges in their mid-60s or older to step aside so President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans can fill the vacancies with conservative jurists. Graham’s comments, in an interview Thursday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt,...
Pennsylvania House virus notification dispute mirrors growing divide in state politics
The growing divide in the Pennsylvania Legislature loomed large this week with the news that a Republican House member’s coronavirus diagnosis was not shared with Democrats. House Democrats say they were stunned to learn Wednesday that state Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin County, was diagnosed with covid-19 on May 20. Political...
