NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Scouts denial: The White House confirmed that the head of the Boy Scouts did not call President Trump to praise his politically aggressive speech to the Scouts’ national jamboree. Trump told the Wall Street Journal, “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.” On Wednesday, the Scouts responded, “We are unaware of any such call.” It specified that neither of the organization’s two top leaders had placed such a call. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that the call did not occur.
2 “Real dump”: President Trump has denied that he told members of his New Jersey golf club that he spends so much time away from Washington because the White House is a “real dump.” The account appeared on the Golf.com website. The story recounts a scene in which Trump was chatting with some club members. Trump told the members he makes such frequent appearances at the property in Bedminster, N.J., because: “That White House is a real dump.” The denial came Wednesay night: “I love the White House, one of the most beautiful buildings (homes) I have ever seen,” he tweeted. “But Fake News said I called it a dump - TOTALLY UNTRUE.”
3 Prisoner captured: Tips led Florida authorities to a house north of West Palm Beach where they captured the last of 12 inmates who used peanut butter to escape from an Alabama jail. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder announced Tuesday night that 24-year-old Brady Kilpatrick was arrested, along with his sister, her fiance and a family friend. He says two people drove him to the home from Alabama. The inmates escaped Sunday by using peanut butter to alter a number over a cell door. An inexperienced guard in a control room thought he was opening the cell at an inmate’s request, but the number released a door to the outside.
4 Crime evidence: State attorneys are dismissing dozens of cases in Baltimore after reviewing a video that appears to show a police officer planting evidence at a crime scene while two other officers look on. More than 100 cases that would have relied on testimony from those three officers are now under review. As of Tuesday night, 41 had been dropped or were set to be dropped. 5 School blast: A second body was found in the rubble of a school building in Minneapolis after an explosion killed a school employee and injured several others, fire officials said Wednesday night. City Fire Chief John Fruetel said the body was recovered around 8 p.m. at the Minnehaha Academy. Fruetel said the medical examiner’s office is working to notify relatives. The blast occurred in a utility room as students were playing soccer and basketball at the private Christian school, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, according to fire and school officials.