NEWS OF THE DAY
➊ Federal execution: A Kansas girl’s killer on Friday became the fifth federal inmate put to death this year, an execution that went forward in Terre Haute, Ind., only after a higher court overturned a ruling that would have required the government to get a prescription for the drug used to kill him. Keith Nelson, 45, was the second inmate executed this week in the Trump administration’s resumption of federal executions after a 17year hiatus. Nelson was convicted of grabbing Pamela Butler, 10, off the street and throwing her into his truck on Oct. 12, 1999. He later raped the fifthgrader and strangled her with a wire.
➋ Post office suits: A federal judge in Yakima, Wash., gave the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service 10 days to turn over records and information about service changes that critics say could undermine mailin voting in the November election. More than 20 states filed lawsuits last week over the changes, including 14 states that sued in federal court in Yakima. U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian on Thursday granted the states’ request to speed up discovery. The Justice Department opposed the request, saying much of the information is already in the public record. Among the information sought by the states is a list of all mail sorting machines identified for decommissioning, including their locations, and whether they will be reinstalled if they have already been removed.
➌ Repeat offender: A Delaware man with a history of drunken driving arrests has been charged with DUI again after authorities said he drove a riding lawnmower while intoxicated. State Police arrested Ralph Cahall, 60, of Greenwood on Tuesday after receiving that a person had been driving the lawnmower on the road and traveling through yards while acting disorderly. Cahall was charged with fifth offenseDUI.
➍ Military crash: Two soldiers were killed and three injured when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed on San Clemente Island late Thursday, according to a Defense Department official. A Defense Department official with knowledge of the incident told the San Diego UnionTribune that the crash occurred on the island, which is about 70 miles west of San Diego and controlled by the U.S. Navy. The island has an airfield, a bombing range and a training facility used by special operations units. The accident involved members of the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the official said. The soldiers were conducting “routine training,” the Army said in a statement. San Clemente Island is part of Los Angeles County.
➎ Trump pardon: President Trump pardoned a woman on Friday who was a featured speaker on the final night of the Republican National Convention and had praised him as a compassionate leader. Trump pardoned Alice Marie Johnson, who had spent more than two decades serving life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense. She had been convicted in 1996 on counts related to a Memphis cocaine trafficking operation. Johnson had spoken at the convention on Thursday about the power of redemption and praised Trump.