JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African rioters blocked roads, looted shops and burned vehicles on Tuesday June 14th in several areas of the country’s capital, Pretoria, in a show of anger over the selection of the ruling party’s mayoral candidate ahead of local elections. The violence raised concerns about security ahead of the Aug. 3 elections … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Six months after the Pentagon ordered all combat jobs open to women, seven female Marines are either serving in those posts or waiting to serve, and 167 are performing noncombat duties in front-line units, according to new data obtained by The Associated Press. The numbers underscore the difficulty of integrating women into … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Violinist Itzhak Perlman, a longtime advocate for the disabled, is still upset over Donald Trump’s derisive behavior toward a disabled reporter last fall and says he will be supporting Hillary Clinton in November’s election. The mild-mannered musician, who contracted polio as a child and uses an electric scooter to move around, said … Continue reading
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Amid the hooting and hollering at Washington Redskins minicamp, there’s a different sound in the air during running back drills. Coaches whack at the football with Matt Jones carrying it, and it beeps. Then it beeps longer. That’s a good sign. The Redskins are one of five NFL teams using so-called … Continue reading
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In his heyday, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah flew with the president on Air Force One, doled out millions in science and education grants from his perch on the House Appropriations Committee and graced galas back home in Philadelphia on the arm of his elegant TV anchor wife. But on Tuesday June 14th, … Continue reading
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s governor signed a $617 million bailout and restructuring plan for Detroit’s public schools on Tuesday June 14th, two years after the state committed money to help end the city’s bankruptcy. The debt-ridden Detroit Public Schools has been managed by the state for seven years, yet has continued to face plummeting … Continue reading
OSLO, Norway (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart in Norway on Wednesday June 15th to once again discuss Iran’s complaints that it’s not getting the sanctions relief it deserves under last year’s landmark nuclear deal. Kerry also raised the importance of Iran using its influence with Syria’s government to … Continue reading
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Republicans nominated former Microsoft executive Doug Burgum Tuesday June 14th in a primary likely to decide the next governor, and voters also overwhelmingly rejected the Legislature’s move to loosen the state’s Depression-era rules prohibiting corporate farming. The GOP battle between Burgum and his longtime friend, state Attorney General Wayne … Continue reading
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Andrea Drayton woke up Sunday June 12th to a mother’s worst nightmare when her phone buzzed with a text message: Her daughter Deonka was at a club in Orlando, there was gunfire and Drayton needed to come to Florida fast. Drayton, her husband, Shepherd, son Shepherd III and daughter … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africans on Thursday June 9th commemorated the 40th anniversary of a pivotal moment in the anti-apartheid struggle, a 1976 black student uprising in the Soweto area of Johannesburg that led to a deadly crackdown but launched a new phase of opposition to white minority rule. Thousands danced and sang at a … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, getting to that Unity, New Hampshire, moment might take some time. That’s where Clinton joined rival Barack Obama in 2008 for a splashy endorsement — the two rivals had literally split the vote in the town in the primary. But now, more than a week after … Continue reading
SEATTLE (AP) — A student at Seattle Pacific University is shown pepper-spraying a gunman then taking him to the ground during an on-campus attack in video released by authorities. The King County Prosecutor’s Office released the footage Tuesday June 14th to satisfy a public records request. In the video, a man identified by authorities as … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Malia Obama was just 10 years old and longing for a promised puppy when her family moved into the White House. She’s marked plenty of life’s milestones over the past seven years while growing up in the public eye: getting and shedding braces, learning to drive, making college tours, even spending brief … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military troops may be able to sidestep the Pentagon’s entrenched, 100-year-old “up or out” promotion system under sweeping new proposals unveiled Thursday June 2nd, aimed at keeping high-tech experts or other specialists on the job. In announcing the plan, Defense Secretary Ash Carter marked the third — and most dramatic — … Continue reading
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Legislature narrowly approved a $617 million bailout and restructuring of Detroit’s debt-ridden school district early Thursday June 2nd, two years after the state spent less than a third of that amount to help the city government emerge from bankruptcy. The legislation goes to Gov. Rick Snyder, who hopes to … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 