Fifth federal inmate executed in '20
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- A Kansas girl's killer Friday became the fifth federal inmate put to death this year, an execution that went forward only after a higher court tossed a ruling that would have required the government to get a prescription for the drug used to kill him.
Questions about whether the drug pentobarbital causes pain before death had been a focus of appeals for Keith Nelson, 45, the second inmate executed this week in the Trump administration's resumption of federal executions this summer after a 17-year hiatus.
The Bureau of Prisons gave the time of Nelson's death inside a death chamber at a federal prison in Terre Haute as 3:32 p.m. CDT.
When a prison official standing over him asked if he had any last words, he was met with silence. Nelson didn't utter a word, grunt or nod his head. He was pronounced dead about nine minutes after the lethal injection began.
Nelson was convicted of grabbing 10-year-old Pamela Butler off the street and throwing her into his truck in broad daylight on Oct. 12, 1999, as part of a plan to find a female to kidnap, torture, rape and kill because he expected to go back to prison anyway.
With the execution Wednesday of Lezmond Mitchell -- the only American Indian on federal death row -- the federal government under President Donald Trump registered more executions in 2020 than it had in the previous 56 years combined.
Esper backs medal for Iraq War hero
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Mark Esper has endorsed awarding the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor in combat, to a soldier who suffered fatal burns while acting to save fellow soldiers in Iraq in 2005.
Esper expressed his support in a letter to members of Congress who are pushing for Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe of Florida to receive the award, which would be an upgrade from the Silver Star he previously received for his actions.
Esper wrote that a final decision is up to President Donald Trump.
The Washington Post reported that Cache would be the first Black service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Esper wrote that before final action can be taken, Congress must waive a requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the event for which the service member is being honored. A waiver is seen as likely.
Esper was responding to an inquiry by three House members -- Stephanie Murphy, a Florida Democrat; Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, and Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. They said Cache was raised in Oviedo, Fla., which is in Murphy's district.
Racist letters investigated in Georgia
THOMASVILLE, Ga. -- Officials are investigating after dozens of residents in a south Georgia town received racist letters.
The Thomas County sheriff's office said the letters appear to have been concentrated in one neighborhood, with the homeowners association collecting many examples. The sheriff's office has asked the FBI to join the investigation.
"First and foremost, we're trying to identify the sender and find out the motive behind it," said Capt. Steven Jones, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.
The letter, in the form of a job application, includes numerous racist stereotypes about Black Americans.
Thomasville resident Danielle Hutto, who received one of the letters, told WALB-TV that it has made her fearful of her neighbors.
"I have kids, so that really just put me at fear with my kids being outside. Now knowing who got this in their heart against us, and what they might do to us walking in the area," said Hutto.
Weather aids firefighters in California
SAN FRANCISCO -- California wildfires were slowly being corralled Friday as cooler, humid weather and reinforcements aided firefighters and tens of thousands of people were allowed back home after days of death and destruction.
In the past two days, evacuation orders were lifted for at least 50,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area and wine country, officials with the state fire agency, Cal Fire, said. Evacuation orders for more than 20,000 people were lifted over the past 24 hours in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, where a blaze caused by lightning was 26% surrounded, fire officials announced. About 170,000 people were under evacuation orders at the peak of the fires.
In heavily damaged areas, crews were working to restore electricity and water so more people could return to their homes.
Around the state, hundreds of wildfires -- coming months earlier in the season than expected -- have already killed at least seven people, burned more than 2,000 square miles and pushed firefighter resources to the breaking point.
