NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
Trump campaigns: Trying to turn attention back to tax cuts and away from the staffing turmoil in his administration, President Trump promised Wednesday that more relief was on the way. Speaking at a Boeing factory in St. Louis with two fighter jets as his backdrop, Trump celebrated the impact of the tax cuts he signed into law last year and said he was working with Congress on a second package that would deliver new benefits for companies and the middle class. It’s unclear what Trump was talking about. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Gun fired in class: Police say a teacher accidentally fired his gun in a classroom, injuring three students. It happened Tuesday at Seaside High School in Monterey County as Dennis Alexander was teaching a gun safety lesson for his administration of justice class. Police say Alexander, who also serves as a reserve police officer, was pointing the gun at the ceiling to make sure it was not loaded when the weapon discharged. Three students were injured by debris, including a 17-yearold whose father said his son sustained moderate injuries when bullet fragments lodged in his neck. Alexander was placed on administrative leave from his teaching job and at the Sand City Police Department.
Fox News lawsuit: The parents of a Democratic National Committee employee who was killed in 2016 have filed a federal lawsuit alleging Fox News exploited the slaying as a “political football.” Joel and Mary Rich claim Fox News, a reporter and a guest commentator used “lies, misrepresentations and half-truths” in a May 16, 2017, article that claimed their son Seth Rich had leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks during the presidential campaign. The network removed the story a week after it was posted, saying it was not initially subjected to its “high degree of editorial scrutiny.” Rich, 27, was killed in what Washington police believe was a random robbery attempt. The lawsuit claims that Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman and frequent network guest Ed Butowsky intentionally fabricated the story connecting Rich to Wikileaks. The story was heavily promoted by Fox News host Sean Hannity and other conservative pundits such as Alex Jones of Infowars.
Death penalty gas: After trying unsuccessfully for months to obtain lethal injection drugs, Oklahoma officials said Wednesday they plan to use nitrogen gas to execute inmates once the state resumes using the death penalty, marking the first time a U.S. state would use the gas to carry out capital punishment. State Attorney General Mike Hunter and Department of Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh jointly announced the plan, saying the two agencies would work together to develop new protocols over the next several months. Oklahoma and other states haven’t been able to get the drugs required for lethal injections amid opposition from drugmakers to having their products used in executions.