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Conn. State Police Caught on Camera Fabricating Evidence Against a Protester
State police in Connecticut are facing a lawsuit after accidentally recording themselves conspiring to fabricate evidence against a protester. The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut filed the suit Sept. 15, a year after Michael Picard was arrested for protesting near a DUI checkpoint in West Hartford, Conn. Picard often protests DUI checkpoints, which he feels…
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Tulsa, Okla., Police Release Graphic Video of Unarmed Black Motorist in Fatal Shooting
Police in Tulsa, Okla., released video footage Monday of an officer-involved shooting of an unarmed black man. Both dashcam footage and helicopter footage show that 40-year-old Terence Crutcher had his hands in the air and was unarmed when he was shot by white Police Officer Betty Shelby on Sept. 16. PBS NewsHour reports that Police…
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Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Donald Trump for President
The nation’s largest police labor organization announced its endorsement of Donald Trump for president on Friday. The Fraternal Order of Police, which has more than 330,000 members, said in a press release (pdf) that Trump has its full support. According to the statement, “For a candidate to receive the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of…
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Texas Youth Football Team Kneels During National Anthem, Receives Death Threats
After deciding as a team to take a knee before a football game Sept. 11, a youth football team in Beaumont, Texas, is now receiving death threats. Following the example of the San Francisco 76ers’ Colin Kaepernick, the Beaumont Bulls took their helmets off, knelt down and placed their hands on one another’s shoulders. Coach…
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Gas-Pipeline Leak in Ala. Could Cause Gas Shortage and Price Increases
A gasoline pipeline that runs from Houston to New York ruptured 30 miles south of Birmingham, Ala., leading to a major leak. Colonial Pipeline, of Alpharetta, Ga., which operates the pipeline, says that 519 workers are cleaning up the spillage, now estimated to involve as much as 336,000 gallons of fuel. The spill happened just 500 feet…
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Calif. Student Refuses to Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, Teacher Lowers Grade
A California high school student said that her teacher lowered her grade for participation after she refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Leilani Thomas, a Native American student at Lower Lake High School in Lower Lake, Calif., told ABC News that she has been sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance since second grade and…
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Senate Water Projects Bill Includes $100,000,000 for Flint, Mich.
Water worries could soon be eased for the residents of Flint, Mich., with the passage of the Water Resources Development Act in the U.S. Senate by an overwhelming majority Thursday, the Detroit Free Press reports. The $10 billion water-projects bill includes a provision that would give the city of Flint $100 million to replace and…
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Former Kansas State Student Makes Racist Social Media Post in Blackface
A young woman in Kansas has sparked outrage and discussion after making a racist post on social media. Paige Shoemaker, a former Kansas State University student, uploaded a picture to her Snapchat account showing herself and a friend wearing black sheet masks on their faces. The caption on the photo read, “Feels good to finally be…
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Will the Jordan Downs Redevelopment Turn Watts Into Calif.’s Flint, Mich.?
In August 2013, the city of Los Angeles approved a $1 billion project to tear down the Jordan Downs housing project in Watts and build a mixed-use development that includes apartments, shops and restaurants. At the time, both Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Housing Authority President and CEO Doug Guthrie lauded this development as a win for…
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Wells Fargo CEO Blames Low-Level Employees for Bank’s Recent Troubles
Wells Fargo is embroiled in a multimillion-dollar banking-fraud scandal stemming from its aggressive cross-selling tactics, and CEO John Stumpf blames low-level bank employees for the trouble. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Wells Fargo has sought to distinguish itself as a leader in cross-selling banking products to existing customers. That, coupled with the bank’s own…