NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 No shows: Two technicians who worked on Hillary Clinton’s private email server refused on Tuesday to answer questions posed by House lawmakers, citing their constitutional right to remain silent. The men, including one who reportedly erased an archive of Clinton’s emails despite being aware of an order to preserve them, repeatedly asserted their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. They were excused from the hearing. A third, former State Department staffer Bryan Pagliano, who played a key role in setting up the server, did not show up to testify before the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee.
2 Mosque fire: The Islamic community says it will repair and reopen the arson-damaged Florida mosque that was occasionally attended by Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen. An assistant imam of the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce says the mosque’s members are “saddened and scared” by the fire, which was started on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the start of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. Meanwhile, police are searching for the person who set fire to the building.
3 Sex abuse settlement: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, and a Pennsylvania-based religious order have agreed to pay $900,000 to settle 28 lawsuit claims of sexual abuse by the late Franciscan friar, Brother Joseph Baker. Baker killed himself in 2013 after the diocese said it had settled 11 claims made by people who said he abused them at schools from 1986 to 1990.
4 Fatal beating: The uncle of a 9-year-old Maryland boy who was fatally beaten over a missing piece of birthday cake has pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse. Jacob Barajas, 24, entered the plea Tuesday as jury selection was set to begin for his trial in Hagerstown. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 25 years. Barajas is among three people charged in the 2015 death of Jack Garcia. Robert Wilson, the mother’s boyfriend, is serving a 30-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for beating Jack after Barajas had handcuffed him to a chair. The mother, Oriana Garcia, is scheduled for trial on charges including second-degree murder.
5 No early voting: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused a request to restore a week of early voting in swing-state Ohio. The state’s Democratic Party had asked the high court to suspend a ruling that allowed for the cut while Democrats and other plaintiffs appealed the issue. A lower court decision from last month upheld a law eliminating days in which people could register and vote at the same time, a period known as golden week. Democrats had claimed the reduction disproportionately burdened black voters and those who lean Democratic. The state’s attorneys argued that scrapping the days helped alleviate administrative burdens for local elections officials while reducing costs and the potential of fraud.