NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Senator’s baby: Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave birth to a baby girl Monday, making her the first U.S. senator to have a child while in office. The Illinois Democrat announced she delivered her second daughter, Maile (MY-lee) Pearl Bowlsbey. Her office said Duckworth is recovering well. Duckworth, a 50-year-old veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq War, is one of only 10 lawmakers who have given birth while in Congress. Her first daughter, Abigail, was born in 2014. Duckworth said Maile’s middle name is in honor of her husband’s great aunt, who was an Army officer and nurse in World War II.
2 Border forces: Arizona was sending 225 of the state’s National Guard members to the border with Mexico on Monday and pledged to deploy another 113 on Tuesday to support President Trump’s plan to use the military to help fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking. GOP Gov. Doug Ducey said the deployments are needed to stop a surge of border crossings since March and accused the U.S. government of previously ignoring the border “for nearly a decade.” The Arizona troops were being sent after Texas announced Friday it would send 250 National Guard members. Texas raised the mobilization to 1,000 members on Monday. New Mexico’s Republican governor has pledged to send 250 Guard members to take part in the operation.
3 Teacher protests: Oklahoma’s two largest school districts are canceling classes for the seventh consecutive school day as a walkout by teachers demanding more funding for public education continues. Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s largest district, and Tulsa Public Schools said Monday they will remain closed on Tuesday, extending the second week of the statewide teacher walkout. Many Oklahoma school districts have been shuttered since April 2 when thousands of teachers traveled to the state Capitol demanding that lawmakers appropriate more tax dollars for classroom needs. Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation last month granting teacher pay hikes of about $6,100 and providing tens of millions of new dollars for public schools. But many educators say classrooms still need more money.
4 Firecracker diversion: Eleven people were injured fleeing after jewelry store thieves set off firecrackers in a Florida mall to simulate gunshots, police said. Deputies arrived quickly at the Florida Mall near Orlando on Sunday night after gunfire was reported. They quickly determined no shots were fired, but that firecrackers had been used as a distraction in a jewelry store theft. Five of the injured were taken to a hospital.
5 MLK tribute: Relatives of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led a march through downtown Atlanta on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of his hometown funeral procession. More than 1,000 people joined the Rev. Bernice King and her brother, Martin Luther King III, as they locked arms for the march from Ebenezer Baptist Church to the grounds of the Georgia state Capitol. King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.