Audio evidence presented in officer’s trial

ST.PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesotapolice officer whofatally shot a black motoristtold a supervisor that hedidn’t know where the motorist’sgun was, but addedthat he told the motoristto get his hand off the firearm,according to audio recordedafter the shooting.

Theaudio is evidence in themanslaughter trial of OfficerJeronimo Yanez, whoshot Philando Castile lastJuly. Prosecutors say OfficerYanez acted unreasonably;his attorneys say hefeared for his life and madea split-second decisionin the presence of a gun.Officer Yanez and anotherofficer had stopped Mr.Castile over a broken taillightwhen Mr. Castile informedOfficer Yanez he wascarrying a gun. Within secondsof hearing that, OfficerYanez fired seven shotsand Mr. Castile was mortallywounded.

Theshooting was one in astring involving police andblack men nationally. Mr.Castile’s girlfriend streamedthe aftermath on Facebook.Mr. Castile’s familysaid he was profiled becauseof his race.

Genital mutilation in Mich.

DETROIT— A federal prosecutordropped a bombshellin court Wednesday, tellinga federal judge the governmentestimates as manyas 100 girls may have hadtheir genitals cut at the handsof a local doctor and hercohorts.

AssistantU.S. Attorney SaraWoodward disclosed theinformation while tryingto convince a judge to keepa doctor and his wife lockedup in the historic case.It involves allegations thattwo Minnesota girls hadtheir genitals cut at a Livoniaclinic in February aspart of a religious rite of passageand were told to keepwhat happened a secret.

U.S.District Judge BernardFriedman granted bondto two other defendantsin the case: Dr. FakhruddinAttar, 53, of FarmingtonHills, who is accused ofletting Dr. Jumana Nagarwalause his clinic to performgenital cutting procedureson minor girls; and hiswife, Farida Attar, 50, whois accused of holding thegirls’ hands during the procedureto keep them fromsquirming.

Kansas GOP raises taxes

Ina stunning repudiationof conservative tax-cuttingphilosophy, Kansas Republicansvoted this week to reversedeep tax cuts enactedby Republican Gov. SamBrownback.

Thevote by lawmakers inKansas followed years of frustrationabout the effects oftax cuts on Kansas’s state government.With huge Republicanmajorities, Mr. Brownbackhad pursued deepreductions in tax rates earlyin his administration, callingthem a “real live experiment”in conservative governance,and tried to vetothe legislation rolling themback.

TheKansas legislature’s decisionto override his veto couldreveberate in many statehouses,where Republicansdominate, and in Washington,where PresidentDonald Trump and congressionalallies have madepassing similarly deeptax cuts a central pillar oftheir agenda for this year. Thetax reductions in Kansashad not delivered any of theeconomic growth Mr. Brownbackhad promised butcaused massive holes in thestate’s budget and led to unpopularspending cuts.

Dish to pay penalty

NEWYORK — An Illinoisjudge on Monday orderedsatellite-TV company Dishto pay $280 million for callingpeople who said they didn’twant to be bothered bytelemarketers.

TheJustice Department saidthe penalty was the biggestever for telemarketing violations.