CLEVELAND (AP) — Today, Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican party leaders meet to work out the rules for next week’s GOP national convention in Cleveland. They’re determined to stop renegades from derailing the billionaire’s presidential nomination. Meanwhile, several Republican senators have no plans to attend the gathering. Sen. John McCain of Arizona will be visiting the Grand Canyon. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana will be fly-fishing with his wife and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says he has to mow his lawn.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi are going to speak at the Republican National Convention. Convention organizers on Thursday released a partial list of speakers that shows the two Florida politicians will appear on stage at next week’s event in Cleveland.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump says tomorrow morning he’ll announce his running mate. Trump met Wednesday with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Newt Gingrich. And Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was seen leaving the same Indianapolis hotel that Gingrich had just left. Trump’s family met privately with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The leading Florida Democrat challenging U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is coming under fire over whether his office sought to delay the opening of a center that would help businesses hurt by a massive algae outbreak. Emails made public by the administration of Republican Gov. Rick Scott show that an aide to U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy asked the U.S. Small Business Administration to hold back the announcement of federal assistance until after Murphy could announce it on Thursday.
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DALLAS (AP) — The black Minnesota man fatally shot by a police officer last week will be remembered at an ecumenical service Thursday in St. Paul. Thirty-two-year-old Philando Castile was shot several times during a traffic stop, after he told the officer he was licensed to carry a gun. The aftermath of the shooting was livestreamed on Facebook by Castile’s girlfriend.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says America is “not even close” to where it needs to be in terms of resolving issues between police and the communities they serve. The president made the remark after concluding a more than three-hour meeting Wednesday with community activists, politicians and law enforcement officials.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The vast majority of Americans say they are afraid of at least one of the two major candidates for president winning the White House, a remarkable finding that reflects an unsettled nation unhappy with its choice. A new AP-GfK poll finds that 81 percent of Americans say they would feel afraid following the election of one of the two polarizing politicians: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. That includes a quarter who say it doesn’t matter who wins: they’re scared of both. Three-quarters of voters say their pick for president is motivated by a desire to cast their Election Day ballot against Clinton or Trump, more than those who say they’re voting for the candidate who shares their positions on the issues or is the most qualified to hold the office.
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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm is expanding its probe of Google to include the company’s comparison shopping and advertising business. The investigation centers on whether the search giant breached anti-trust rules. In a statement Thursday, the Brussels-based European Commission said its preliminary conclusion was that “Google has abused its dominant position by systematically favoring its comparison shopping service in its search result pages.”
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Firefighters at Walt Disney World were warned to stop feeding alligators at one of the resort’s fire stations two months before an alligator killed a toddler. According to emails, Reedy Creek Emergency Services, admonished firefighters for feeding at least one of two alligators at a station less than a half mile from Seven Seas Lagoon where 2-year-old Lane Graves was killed after being pulled into the water by a gator.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Police say an off-duty state wildlife officer died while he was biking and came into contact with a live power line on a bridge spanning Tampa Bay. Tampa police said 47-year-old Gregory Patterson was riding on a path early Wednesday near a beach along the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Authorities had to turn off power in the area before they could approach Patterson. He was nominated for an award for saving three people struggling to stay afloat in strong current Saturday.
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — “Pokemon Go” is all the rage, but it can lead players to some unlikely places. One of those spots is a Central California ranch that houses alcoholics and sex offenders. KSBY-TV reports the cellphone game has a `”Pokestop” at the outdoor sign of Sunny Acres. Founder Dan De Vaul tells the Los Angeles Times that no “Pokemon Go” players have shown up, and he doesn’t want them there, especially kids. The “Pokemon Go” craze across the U.S. has people wandering into yards, driveways and cemeteries in search of cartoon monsters.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A new survey says most drivers are guilty of losing their cool behind the wheel. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says nearly 8 out of 10 U.S. drivers it surveyed admit expressing anger, aggression or road rage at least once in the previous year. That includes either following too closely, yelling at another driver, cutting them off or making angry gestures. And an estimated 8 million drivers did something more serious, like bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose or getting out of their cars to confront another driver.
