The nation in brief

Ellisha Flagg, sister of Eric Garner, center, arrives at the funeral service of her brother, the 43-year-old New York City man whose death while in police custody has led to accusations of police misconduct, at Bethel Baptist Church, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Ellisha Flagg, sister of Eric Garner, center, arrives at the funeral service of her brother, the 43-year-old New York City man whose death while in police custody has led to accusations of police misconduct, at Bethel Baptist Church, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Gay-nuptials stay continues in Florida

MIAMI -- A Florida appeals court refused Wednesday to overturn a judge's order that is blocking gay couples from getting married in the Florida Keys.

The Miami-based 3rd District Court of Appeals refused to invalidate a Monroe County judge's decision temporarily preventing a wedding for Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones and other gay couples.

Circuit Judge Luis Garcia last week ruled that Florida's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional because it discriminates against gay couples and violates the 14th Amendment. Garcia's initial order said marriage licenses could be issued to gays in Monroe County beginning Tuesday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi immediately filed notice of appeal, triggering an automatic stay that prevents any gay marriages until a potentially months-long appeals process is sorted out. Garcia on Monday declined to lift the stay because of the state's appeal. The appeals court issued a one-sentence ruling that keeps the stay in place.

Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit gay marriages. The remaining state bans are all under legal challenge.

In Denver, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that Colorado's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional, but he ordered a temporary stay of the ruling until an appeals court hearing next month.

Extradition OK'd but Nazi suspect dies

PHILADELPHIA -- An 89-year-old Nazi war crimes suspect died in custody hours before a U.S. ruling Wednesday that he should be extradited to Germany to face trial.

Johann Breyer died Tuesday night at a Philadelphia hospital, where he had been transferred Saturday after a month in jail, his lawyer and the U.S. Marshals Service said. His death was disclosed Wednesday just as U.S. Magistrate Timothy Rice approved the extradition request, which would still have needed final U.S. government review.

Rice found probable cause that Breyer was the person being sought by German authorities over his suspected service as an SS guard at Auschwitz during World War II.

U.S. marshals had arrested Breyer in June outside his longtime home in Philadelphia. He was facing charges of aiding in the killing of 216,000 Jewish men, women and children at a Nazi death camp.

Senator facing plagiarism allegations

U.S. Sen. John Walsh of Montana is facing allegations of plagiarism that risk complicating his bid for election.

Walsh's 2007 master's thesis from the Army War College contained significant sections that appeared to be copied from other sources without attribution, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The allegations became public just as Senate Democrats gave the legislative spotlight to Walsh, one of the chamber's most vulnerable incumbents. Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a measure that he sponsored to give tax breaks to companies relocating jobs to the U.S. from other countries.

Walsh, a Democrat, took office earlier this year as he replaced Max Baucus, the 35-year U.S. Senate veteran who became ambassador to China. Walsh is running for election in November against Republican Rep. Steve Daines in a state that President Barack Obama lost in twice.

"This was unintentional, and it was a mistake," Lauren Passalacqua, a spokesman for Walsh's campaign, said in a statement. "There were areas that should have been cited differently, but it was completely unintentional."

Inquiry urged on Cuomo administration

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Political foes of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York called Wednesday for prompt criminal investigation of his administration after a news report that his office thwarted attempts by his own special corruption commission to investigate groups with ties to him.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that a top Cuomo aide, Larry Schwartz, pressured commissioners to stop subpoenas to a media-buying firm Cuomo used and to the Real Estate Board of New York, whose members financially supported the governor's campaign. The Times also reported that the commission was urged to steer clear of the Committee to Save New York, a lobbying group of CEOs and business groups that amassed some $17 million in donations from unidentified individuals who supported the governor early in his term with TV ads.

Cuomo's office told the newspaper that it would be "a pure conflict of interest" for a commission appointed by the governor to investigate the governor.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, the top elected official in suburban Westchester County, said it was both obstruction and "calculated public dishonesty" by Cuomo and subordinates.

Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins called for an immediate independent investigation of Cuomo and his campaign war chest.

-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS

A Section on 07/24/2014