SC lawmakers agree to debate removing Confederate flag

SC lawmakers agree to debate removing Confederate flag
Trade bill clears Senate hurdle, at brink of final passage
Joyce Mitchell’s husband: ‘Do I still love her? Yes. Am I mad? Yes’
US to put military equipment in several European countries
South Carolina lawmakers push for Confederate flag debate
NY prison worker's husband breaks silence on 18th day of escapee hunt
Obama to drop U.S. threat of prosecution over hostage ransom: N.Y. Times
Top lawmaker: Remove Confederate sign from Mississippi flag
Obama to give eulogy for slain Charleston pastor
Haley: Remove Confederate flag

Posted: 23 Jun 2015 11:14 AM 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.

Trade bill clears Senate hurdle, at brink of final passage

Posted: 23 Jun 2015 10:22 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate pushed bipartisan trade legislation to the brink of final approval Tuesday in a combined effort by President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders to rescue a measure that appeared all but dead less than two weeks ago.

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.

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.

South Carolina lawmakers push for Confederate flag debate

Posted: 23 Jun 2015 08:53 AM PDT

By Harriet McLeod COLUMBIA, S.C. (Reuters) - South Carolina lawmakers plan to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to begin a debate on removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds following the killings last week of nine African-American churchgoers allegedly by a white gunman. Political leaders and civil rights organizations, including Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network, also plan to rally Tuesday in support of the measure on the steps of the State House in Columbia, about 120 miles (190 km) from Charleston, the site of Wednesday's shooting. Federal authorities are investigating the attack as a hate crime by accused gunman Dylann Roof, 21, who posed with the flag in photos posted online.

NY prison worker's husband breaks silence on 18th day of escapee hunt

Posted: 23 Jun 2015 10:03 AM PDT

A force of 1,000 law enforcement officers focused the search for murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat in eastern Franklin County, about 20 miles from Clinton Correctional Facility, said New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy. Lyle Mitchell, whose wife, Joyce Mitchell, admitted she helped the convicts, said on NBC's "Today" show that the men gave her pills to knock him out so that she could slip away and drive their getaway car.

Obama to drop U.S. threat of prosecution over hostage ransom: N.Y. Times

Posted: 23 Jun 2015 08:21 AM PDT

President Barack Obama has decided the U.S. government will stop threatening criminal prosecution of families who try to pay ransom to win the release of American hostages held by militant groups overseas, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. The White House on Wednesday will announce the results of a six-month review of how the government works with families of hostages, an administration official told Reuters on Tuesday, declining comment on the details of the review. The Times, citing an unnamed senior administration official, reported that Obama, in a presidential directive and an executive order, plans to keep a longstanding American government prohibition on making concessions to hostage-takers.

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.

Obama to give eulogy for slain Charleston pastor

Posted:

President Barack Obama on Friday will deliver the eulogy for pastor and South Carolina state senator Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine victims of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston last week.