Minnesota police licensing board to address failings in rape investigations

Minnesota's police licensing board has scheduled a special meeting of its executive committee for early August to consider updating it policies on sex assault investigation, responding to a report of widespread breakdowns in the way law enforcement agencies handle rape allegations. Speaking at a Thursday morning meeting of the Peace Officer Standards and Training board, chairman Tim Bildsoe said he wants the panel to address the findings of a Star Tribune investigation, published Sunday and Thursday, that found pervasive failings across Minnesota in basic police work on sex assault and rape investigations.

Sen. Murkowski Won’t Support Trump Farm Plan

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, does not support President Donald Trump's plan to help farmers who have been hurt by his tariffs, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Murkowski said in an interview with the newspaper that Trump's plan, which aims to use the Agriculture Department's Commodity Credit Corp. to help farmers at a cost of $12 billion, is too costly, too slow and simply "a very small Band-Aid for a much broader problem."

Sessions defends deputy after impeachment move

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his top deputy Thursday after a handful of congressional Republicans moved this week to impeach him. Speaking in Boston, Sessions said he has the "highest confidence" in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and described him as "highly capable" when asked about the impeachment effort.

The Democratic Party doesn’t need unifying, factions are fine

It is an assumption about the nature of political parties that they must have a direction, and that direction must speak for most candidates and politicians within the party family. But why? Why can't there be factions, as there most assuredly are in the Democratic Party ? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is going to run in November as a Democratic Socialist regardless of what direction, if any, the Democratic Party takes in the months ahead.

Rep. Marc Gravitt Endorses Esther Helton As His Successor; Says Race “Has Gotten Downright Ugly”

He said, "Until now, I have strived to maintain a neutral position about my support on who should serve the citizens of southeast Hamilton County as the next state representative in District 30. This is why I have attended events for both Republican candidates in order to show my neutrality.

After millions in ad spending, poll shows Rick Scott-Bill Nelson Senate race hasn’t budged

Despite millions of dollars in television ad spending, Florida's U.S. Senate race between Bill Nelson and Rick Scott hasn't budged. The new results, from a poll conducted Friday and Saturday, are exactly the same as the percentages from an FAU poll released May 8 .

Space experts worry US won’t make it to Mars by 2030s

President Donald Trump has touted a goal of sending Americans to the Moon again for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, building a lunar gateway to test the technology and spacecraft that will carry humans to Mars. At a hearing in Washington, Senator Bill Nelson said the White House decision to return to the Moon - a program former president Barack Obama halted in order to focus on reaching Mars - could drag down the whole process.

Illegal aliens’ indicted for re-entry

Among those charged is Miguel Angel Cruz-Polanco, 34, of Martinsburg, and a citizen of El Salvador. In March, Powell announced new federal charges as a result of a two-year, multi-state investigation which yielded multiple arrests- including Cruz-Polanco- for drugs, firearms and money.

Berkeley County Sheriff’s Dept. hosts human trafficking training

Human trafficking doesn't just happen internationally - it's happening here in West Virginia and affects all ages and genders, according to the West Virginia Attorney General's office. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office, in coordination with the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute, will offer law enforcement professionals intense training to target and reduce human trafficking.

Why next week could be critical for U.S. newspapers

The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to decide by Aug. 1 whether to maintain a tariff that newspapers say is crippling their industry. The duties put on groundwood paper from Canada earlier this year has aided the decline of the newspaper industry, which says the new costs could increase the price of newsprint by as much as 30 percent.

Around the Region July 26

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced that a representative from his office will take part in Manchin Mobile Monday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Lighthouse Latte, 114 N. Mercer St., Berkeley Springs. West Virginians are encouraged to stop by and meet directly with a member of his staff, who are here to help and want to listen to their concerns and welcome any suggestions.

Trump tariffs put GOP on defense in Tennessee’s Senate race

Yet the Republican Senate candidate is struggling to explain President Donald Trump's nascent trade war to her state's local business community. Jack Daniel's whiskey and Jimmy Tosh's hog farm are among those warning that Trump's trade policies - and the Republican candidates who support them - are hurting the very people who backed the Republican president in the first place.

Sen. Claire McCaskill says she was target of Russian hacking attempt

Sen. Claire McCaskill says she was target of Russian hacking att - KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri believes there's been an attempt by Russian hackers to infiltrate her 2018 campaign, she said following a media report on . McCaskill, a two-term Democrat running for re-election, acknowledged the hacking attempt to The Daily Beast after the outlet discovered it through a "forensic analysis."

Trumpa s top Medicare official slams a Medicare for Alla

The Trump administration's Medicare chief on Wednesday slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders' call for a national health plan, saying "Medicare for All" would undermine care for seniors and become "Medicare for None." The broadside from Medicare and Medicaid administrator Seema Verma came in a San Francisco speech that coincides with a focus on health care in contentious midterm congressional elections.

Homeland Security chief says families will reunite by deadline

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told disbelieving Hispanic lawmakers Wednesday that her department would meet a court-ordered deadline to reunite immigrant children separated from parents due to Trump administration policies. Nielsen met privately for nearly an hour with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Capitol Hill to discuss ongoing efforts to reunite children separated from immigrant parents at the Southwest border as officials enforced the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.