Illinois mass shooting reveals gaps in gun laws; state seeks to close them
The governor of Illinois vowed on Tuesday to seek tighter gun control measures after learning the man who shot five co-workers dead last week was wrongly granted a firearms permit but never forced to surrender his weapon.
Pressure mounts on Alabama publisher after he urges KKK to ‘ride again’
Alabama elected officials and journalism organizations condemned as hateful on Tuesday a small town newspaper’s editorial calling for the Ku Klux Klan to “ride again,” as pressure mounted on the publisher to resign.
U.S. agency to cancel $929 million in California high-speed rail funds
(This February 19 story has been refiled to correct conversion to kilometers to show 836.8 km, not 826.8 km, in paragraph seven)
Mississippi man died after beating by sheriff’s officers, lawsuit says
The mother of a Mississippi man who died in jail within 24 hours of his arrest on a trespassing charge last year filed a lawsuit on Monday, saying that he was beaten and pepper-sprayed while handcuffed and accusing local jailers of “routinely” using “b…
Teen in Lincoln Memorial protest sues Washington Post for $250 million
A high school student from Covington, Kentucky, sued the Washington Post for defamation on Tuesday, claiming the newspaper falsely accused him of racist acts and instigating a confrontation with a Native American activist in a January videotaped incide…
Trump signs directive in step to create U.S. Space Force
Republican U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a directive to start the lengthy process of creating a new branch of the military dedicated to handling threats in space, the U.S. Space Force.
Bernie Sanders faces new challenges in crowded 2020 U.S. presidential race
Bernie Sanders is back for another White House run, but this one promises to be far different than the improbable 2016 presidential campaign that made the Vermont senator a political force.
Trump confident he will prevail against lawsuits over emergency declaration
President Donald Trump expressed confidence on Tuesday that he would prevail against a lawsuit filed by 16 U.S. states seeking to block his declaration of a national emergency to fund a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Justice Thomas assails landmark U.S. libel ruling that protects media
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark 1964 ruling that made it harder for public figures to sue for defamation, a precedent that has served as powerful protection for the news media.
U.S. seeks return of $2.5 billion California high-speed rail funds
The U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday it will cancel $929 million in federal grant funds awarded by the Obama administration for a California high-speed rail project and is “actively exploring every legal option” to seek the return of $2.5…
