| SC lawmakers overwhelmingly vote to debate Confederate flag Posted: 23 Jun 2015 03:56 PM PDT  For years, South Carolina lawmakers refused to revisit the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds, saying the law that took it off the dome was a bipartisan compromise, and renewing the debate would unnecessarily expose divisive wounds.
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| Mistrial declared in rape case against two former Vanderbilt players Posted: 23 Jun 2015 02:20 PM PDT  The decision was made after defense attorneys argued last week that one of the jurors was biased.
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| Battle over Confederate flag unfurls in South Carolina and beyond Posted: 23 Jun 2015 04:25 PM PDT  An initiative to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds picked up steam on Tuesday, a week after the massacre of nine black church members, and criticism over the emblem long associated with slavery spread to other U.S. southern states. U.S. retailers joined lawmakers in distancing themselves from the banner, with industry leaders Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc pulling the images of the rebel flag from their stores and websites, joining Google Inc, Sears Holdings Corp and eBay Inc. The Civil War-era flag of the South's pro-slavery Confederacy has become a lightning rod for outrage over the shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, which authorities say was motivated by racial hatred.
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| Autopsy shows Freddie Gray died of 'high-energy injury': Baltimore newspaper Posted: 23 Jun 2015 03:59 PM PDT  The spinal injury to Freddie Gray, whose death in April triggered protests and rioting, was most likely caused when the police van in which he was riding suddenly decelerated, the newspaper said. The state medical examiner's office concluded that Gray's death fit the medical and legal definition of an accident. Gray, 25, was arrested on April 12 following a foot chase by officers and suffered a severe spinal injury while in police custody.
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| California can refuse anti-gay ballot initiative, judge rules Posted: 23 Jun 2015 04:18 PM PDT  The author of a proposed California ballot initiative advocating the murder of gays and lesbians should not be authorized to gather signatures to place it before voters, a judge in the state capital of Sacramento has ruled. "The proposed initiative titled the "Sodomite Suppression Act" ... is patently unconstitutional on its face," Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei wrote in an order released to the public on Tuesday. California Attorney General Kamala Harris had filed a complaint against the author of the measure, which she called unconstitutional and bigoted.
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| Senate vote moves Obama's trade agenda to brink of enactment Posted: 23 Jun 2015 01:10 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's long-pursued trade agenda took a giant step toward becoming law on Tuesday, and opponents grudgingly conceded they now must fight on less-favorable terrain.
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| Joyce Mitchell’s husband: ‘Do I still love her? Yes. Am I mad? Yes’ Posted: 23 Jun 2015 06:15 AM PDT  The husband of Joyce Mitchell, the New York prison worker accused of helping two convicted killers escape, says he knew nothing of his wife's alleged role in the plot until he was able to speak with her after her arrest.
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| US to put military equipment in several European countries Posted: 23 Jun 2015 09:44 AM PDT  TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The U.S. will spread about 250 tanks, armored vehicles and other military equipment across six former Soviet bloc nations to help reassure NATO allies facing threats from Russia and terrorist groups, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Tuesday.
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| Top lawmaker: Remove Confederate sign from Mississippi flag Posted: 22 Jun 2015 06:02 PM PDT  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A top Mississippi lawmaker said Monday that the Confederate battle emblem is offensive and needs to be removed from the state flag.
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