More arrests, 2 injuries after pared-down RNC in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — At least seven people were arrested and two people were hospitalized during protests after North Carolina’s scaled-back share of the Republican National Convention. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said officers used pepper spray on demonstrators and made arrests after a crowd surrounded a burning object in the street after 10 p.m. Monday hours after about 300 delegates renominated President Donald Trump. A video posted to Twitter showed officers running their bikes over people and using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Four more arrests were made after officers said someone cut down a flag outside police headquarters. Police said they again used pepper spray and two people were hospitalized.

AP-US-ELECTION-2020-RNC

Republican convention showcases rising stars, dark warnings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have opened their prime-time convention with dark warnings about America’s future if President Donald Trump isn’t reelected. Two of the Republican Party’s rising stars, both people of color, offered an optimistic view of Trump’s leadership Monday night. They cast him as a protector of religious freedom, the nation’s workers and more. Earlier, Trump turned a surprise opening day appearance at the scaled-down convention into an opportunity to cast doubt on the integrity of the fall election. That was just moments after delegates renominated him. Trump contends he’s done such a great job as president the only way he can lose “is if this is a rigged election.”

AP-US-POLICE-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN

Jacob Blake’s dad says son left paralyzed by police shooting

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The father of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot, apparently in the back, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, says his son was left paralyzed from the waist down. Blake’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was told his son was shot eight times during the Sunday evening confrontation with police, which was captured on cellphone video and led to two nights of unrest in the city that’s along Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago. The father, who is also named Jacob Blake, said he was driving from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Kenosha to be with his son. He said his son has “eight holes” in his body and that doctors don’t know if the paralysis will be permanent.

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WHAT TO WATCH: Melania, Pompeo and Trump at GOP convention

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tuesday’s program at the Republican National Convention is likely to wade into familiar waters, with a lineup expected to speak on divisive issues like abortion and “cancel culture,” while lambasting Democratic rival Joe Biden and the Democrats’ progressive wing. First lady Melania Trump is set to give the night’s marquee address from the Rose Garden of the White House. President Donald Trump is expected to make an appearance during prime-time programming. The program’s speakers include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, another Republican who is being closely watched for signs of future political aspirations. Trump appeared frequently during the first day of his party’s convention.

AP-NC-BRIDGE WORKER DEATH

NCDOT: Worker on Outer Banks bridge suffered fatal injury

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — A person has died while working on a new bridge on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Virginian-Pilot reports that the fatal injury occurred on Monday. The bridge is going up over the Pamlico Sound in Rodanthe. Tim Hass, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said the employee worked for the project contractor Flatiron Construction. Details of what happened were not immediately available. The 2.4 mile long bridge juts out from N.C. 12 in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the water before the village of Rodanthe. That part of the road is often flooded with storm surge. Construction began two years ago. The bridge is expected to be completed next year.

AP-NC-SOLDIER-PURPLE HEART

Shot in Afghanistan, Fort Bragg soldier gets Purple Heart

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — A paratrooper who is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has received a Purple Heart. The Fayetteville Observer reported Tuesday that Sgt. David Scudder was wounded in Afghanistan last year. Scudder is paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He was injured when his battalion was on a mission in the Farah Province to retake a district center from the Taliban. The soldiers’ Chinook helicopters landed and were immediately ambushed. Scudder’s fellow soldiers put him on a stretcher and moved him for about 2 miles. The soldiers were attacked a second time before getting Scudder to a helicopter landing zone.

LIFE INSURANCE-SETTLEMENT

Insurance company to pay $1.1M for claims violations

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A life insurance company has agreed to a $1.1 million penalty after North Carolina regulators found claims processing violations and delays. State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced a voluntary settlement agreement with Gerber Life Insurance Co., which is also paying $2.5 million in additional recoveries and interest to claimants. The department says an examination of 300 claims from over seven years revealed many violations with Gerber Life’s accidental death and dismemberment policies. Causey’s office says the violations included demanding unnecessary documentation and failing to pay interest on delayed claim payments.

ELECTION 2020-RNC-MELANIA TRUMP

Melania Trump taking Rose Garden turn to pitch her husband

WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump’s address to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night will be her first sustained public appearance since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has come to define her husband’s administration. Mrs. Trump is to make the case for her husband’s reelection from the White House Rose Garden, newly renovated at her direction, despite questions about using government property for political purposes. One challenge for the first lady will be to avoid doing anything to take the focus away from her speech. Her 2016 convention speech was later found to have included passages similar to what Michelle Obama had said in her 2008 convention speech.