| State of emergency declared as Baltimore riots Posted: 27 Apr 2015 05:11 PM PDT  Rioters looted stores and hurled rocks and bricks at police.
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| Parents of Colorado theater shooting victim fear copycat massacre Posted: 27 Apr 2015 10:33 AM PDT  Tom and Caren Teves, parents of theater shooting victim Alex Teves, fear that irresponsible coverage of the massacre's trial could spark another rampage elsewhere.
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| World 'closer than ever' to Iran nuclear deal, Kerry says Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:50 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world is "closer than ever" to reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran but the work is far from over, with key issues unresolved, Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday told a global gathering on nuclear disarmament, where he and Iran's foreign minister met on the sidelines.
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| Baltimore erupts in riots after funeral of man who died in police custody Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:55 PM PDT  By Ian Simpson BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Rioters hurled bricks, looted businesses and set fires in Baltimore on Monday in violence that injured at least seven police officers following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody. The disturbances broke out just a few blocks from the funeral of Freddie Gray and then spread through parts of Baltimore in the most violent U.S. demonstrations since looting in Ferguson, Missouri, last year. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard as firefighters tried to extinguish fires set by looters and rioters with baseball bats. Rioters cut a fire department hose while firefighters fought a fire at a CVS pharmacy looted earlier, the Baltimore Police said.
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| Stage set for landmark U.S. Supreme Court gay marriage arguments Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:38 AM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A day before the U.S. Supreme Court hears landmark arguments on whether the Constitution provides a right to same-sex marriage, activists on both sides of the contentious social issue converged on the white marble courthouse to voice their views. Anti-gay rights activists rallied in front of the courthouse steps condemning same-sex marriage, while a line snaked around the block of people, many displaying gay rights messages, hoping to snag one of the limited number of seats available in the courtroom for Tuesday's 2-1/2 hour oral arguments. The nine justices will be hearing arguments concerning gay marriage restrictions imposed in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, four of the 13 states that still outlaw such marriages. The ruling, due by the end of June, will determine whether same-sex marriage will be legal nationwide.
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| Sobs heard as Colorado cinema massacre trial begins Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:55 PM PDT  By Keith Coffman and Daniel Wallis CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - Colorado's long-awaited cinema massacre trial began on Monday with opening statements in which jurors were asked to decide whether gunman James Holmes was insane when he killed a dozen moviegoers in 2012, or a calculating mass murderer who deserves execution. Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler painted a picture for jurors - 19 women and five men - of the cool night in July when 400 people filed into a cinema in suburban Aurora to be entertained, and someone came to "slaughter" them. Through this door are bullets, blood, brains and bodies," Brauchler said, showing images of the theatre where Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 70 at a crowded midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises." "When we're done getting all these horrific details ... I'm going to come back and stand in front of you, right here, and I'm going to ask you to reject that guy's claim he didn't know right from wrong," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
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| Loretta Lynch sworn in as new U.S. attorney general Posted: 27 Apr 2015 03:42 PM PDT  Loretta Lynch was sworn in Monday as the 83rd U.S. attorney general, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's top law enforcement official.
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| Police targeted, stores looted in Baltimore riots Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:50 PM PDT  Rioters looted stores and pelted police with rocks in Baltimore on Monday after the funeral of an African American man whose death in custody has reignited outrage over US police conduct towards blacks. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in the port city of 620,000 and activated the National Guard as rioters prowled in small groups, ransacking shops and trashing police vehicles. NBC affiliate WBAL reported there had been at least one arrest, and the Baltimore Orioles baseball team postponed its evening game against the Chicago White Sox. Fear of unrest prompted the University of Maryland's downtown campus, corporate offices and the city's famous Lexington Market to shut down early.
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| Gay businessmen apologize for co-hosting Ted Cruz event Posted: 27 Apr 2015 12:05 PM PDT  Two gay hotel owners who co-hosted an event for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz have apologized after many in the LGBT community joined a call to boycott their properties for catering to a conservative politician who is staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage.
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| Baltimore man who died in police custody mourned Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:27 AM PDT  Family and friends gathered Monday for the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose death in custody triggered a fresh wave of protests over US police tactics. Thousands of people arrived at the New Shiloh Baptist church to pay final respects to Gray, who died on April 19 of severe spinal injuries, a week after his arrest in Baltimore.
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| Nepal quake death toll tops 4,000; villages plead for aid Posted: 27 Apr 2015 01:16 PM PDT  The death toll from Saturday's massive earthquake soared past 3,700.
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| Justice Ginsburg has already made up her mind on gay marriage Posted:  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 82-year-old leader of the Supreme Court's minority liberal wing, has cast aside her usual restraint in the past months and left little doubt where she stands on the upcoming gay marriage case.
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| Clinton Foundation acknowledges mistakes in revealing donors Posted: 27 Apr 2015 12:28 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting chief executive of the Clinton Foundation says the global philanthropy is working quickly to remedy mistakes it made in how it disclosed donors, saying that its policies on transparency and contributions from foreign governments are "stronger than ever."
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| Republican presidential contenders woo evangelical voters Posted: 26 Apr 2015 04:40 PM PDT  By Luciana Lopez DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopefuls in Iowa and elsewhere have recently begun sounding a call to arms to Christian conservatives, describing what they say is an urgent threat to religious liberty. Citing high-profile dust-ups over religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas, the contenders are painting a vivid picture of faith under fire. "In the past month, we have seen religious liberty under assault at an unprecedented level," Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on Saturday at a forum sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition outside Des Moines.
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