AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT

Turbulent reality collides with smooth GOP convention

Texas gunman had history of violence years before shooting

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The man who killed more than 20 people at a Texas church shooting massacre in 2017 had threatened violence years earlier and was “completely obsessed with mass shootings," according to federal co…

Phoenix OKs payout after police point guns over stolen doll

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix City Council agreed Wednesday to pay a settlement to a Black couple who had police officers point guns at them in front of their children last year after their young daughter took a doll …

Feds: NYPD ambush suspect had interest in Islamic extremism

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who ambushed a New York City police officer in June — stabbing him in the neck and stealing his gun to shoot other officers — had an interest in violent Islamic extremism and punctuated the at…

Damage from whopper hurricanes rising for many reasons

A destructive storm is rising from warm waters. Again.

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Minneapolis Police Department overhauls use of force policy

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis Police Department's use of force policy is being overhauled to require officers to consider all reasonable alternatives before engaging in deadly force and use the least amount of…

Man who killed abusive dad has sentence reduced under NY law

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A man who has spent 14 years in prison for killing his abusive father was granted a new, shorter sentence on Wednesday that allows him to be freed under a recently enacted state law permitting …

Hamas extends Gaza lockdown for 72 hours as virus spreads

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Hamas rulers on Wednesday extended a full lockdown in the Palestinian enclave for three more days as coronavirus cases climbed following the detection this week of the first comm…

Embed-US-2020-Census, ADVISORY

AP-US-2020-CENSUS — Map. This digital embed shows the cumulative response rate of households that sent their family information to the Census Bureau online, by telephone or via mail. Data as of August 26. This char…

NTSB: Limo owner evaded safety rules before fatal crash

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The owner of the stretched limousine that crashed and killed 20 people in upstate New York repeatedly changed the listed number of seats in the vehicle and took other steps to avoid safety regul…

The Latest: Goya CEO removed as GOP convention speaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican National Convention (all times local):

Embed-Chart-Federal Executions, ADVISORY

FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — Chart. This digital embed shows U.S. executions carried out by year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. This chart is current as of Aug. 26, 2020, and will update as events warrant.…

Indiana teachers hit by pellets in training drill sue police

MONTICELLO, Ind. (AP) — A group of teachers at a northern Indiana elementary school who were

Evacuations lifted near California fires, some go home

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of people in California returned home Wednesday as cooler weather and an influx of aid helped firefighters gain ground and lift evacuation orders prompted by some of the largest wildf…