Liberty students protest, call for probe
LYNCHBERG, Va. -- Students at Liberty University in Virginia gathered Friday to protest after news reports containing allegations that school President Jerry Falwell Jr. improperly benefited from the institution and disparaged students in emails.
Students joined together at the private evangelical university known for being an influential hub in conservative politics and held up signs calling for accountability and an investigation.
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Elizabeth Brooks, a junior majoring in politics and policy, said that a recent Politico Magazine story as well as a Reuters report prompted the protest. She said about 35 students were involved. Brooks said protesters were particularly upset about quotes of emails in the Reuters story posted Thursday in which Falwell allegedly referred to one student as "emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded."
The Politico story contained allegations that Falwell "presides over a culture of self-dealing" at Liberty that has improperly benefited him and his family.
Falwell told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he wasn't going to "dignify the lies that were reported" in the Politico piece. Falwell said he would ask the FBI to investigate and that Liberty has hired an attorney to pursue civil cases.
McCabe lawyers ask about indictment
WASHINGTON -- Lawyers for former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of President Donald Trump, have asked federal prosecutors whether a secret grand jury refused to indict him, which would be a sign the government is struggling to make a case against him.
In a letter sent late Thursday, defense lawyers asked whether a grand jury had considered charges against McCabe, who is being investigated over whether he lied to internal investigators about interactions with news media. The letter came shortly after the Justice Department told McCabe's lawyers that it had rejected their pitch to the deputy attorney general to drop the case.
"It is clear that no indictment has been returned," the lawyers wrote. A grand jury hearing evidence that was recalled Thursday after months of inactivity left for the day without any sign of an indictment, The Washington Post reported.
None had emerged Friday.
McCabe's lawyers have said he is being singled out, noting that similar cases were typically handled administratively.
Oklahoma gun-law challenge falls short
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Gun control advocates have failed to get enough public support for a proposed ballot measure that would have asked Oklahoma voters whether to suspend a new law that will make it easier for people to obtain and carry guns.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law in February that will allow most people to carry a gun without going through a background check or training. It's slated to take effect Nov. 1.
The Oklahoman reported that the group Moms Demand Action and Democratic state Rep. Jason Lowe collected 37,057 signatures, which was short of the nearly 60,000 they needed. They had roughly two weeks to collect signatures before the Aug. 29 deadline.
The Oklahoma Attorney General's office on Thursday reported the final signature count to the state Supreme Court.
Currently, those wishing to carry a gun in public must apply for a license that requires a background check and training course.
Inmates sentenced in deadly riot
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Three convicted killers already serving life terms were sentenced Friday for their roles in a deadly riot at Delaware's maximum-security prison, bringing a close to a lengthy, costly and mostly failed prosecution.
The self-proclaimed mastermind of the February 2017 riot, Dwayne Staats, received two life terms for the murder of Steven Floyd, a guard at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. Staats received another 153 years for assault, kidnapping and riot.
Floyd was killed and two other guards beaten in the February 2017 riot. A female counselor was held hostage for nearly 20 hours before being rescued.
Co-defendant Jarreau Ayers, who was acquitted in Floyd's death, was sentenced to 123 years for assault, kidnapping and riot.
Former Baltimore gang leader Royal Downs, the prosecution's star witness, was sentenced to three years for riot. The judge said that for security reasons, Downs will begin that sentence only after finishing a life sentence for murder in Maryland.
In trials against eight inmates, prosecutors were able to obtain convictions only against Ayers and Staats, both of whom represented themselves. They decided in June to drop the remaining cases.
A Section on 09/14/2019