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A New Jersey gym owner and a Washington state man have become the first people charged in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol to plead guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the deadly siege. AP's Ben Thomas has more.
Federal prosecutors identified former mixed martial arts fighter Scott Fairlamb as one of the first people to breach the Capitol after other rioters smashed in windows and kicked out a door. They say he also harassed police officers after he left the building.
Fairlamb's attorney says prosecutors are seeking a sentence in a range of three and a half to a little more than four years in prison.
The second man, Devlin Thompson of Washington state, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer with a baton. He's been ordered jailed in Seattle.
More than 30 other defendants have pleaded guilty though mostly to misdemeanor charges.
I'm Ben Thomas.
An Arkansas judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law that prevents schools and other governmental agency from requiring masks. AP's Jennifer King reports.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against the law that Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed in April. The ban was being challenged by two lawsuits, including one from the Marion School District, where nearly 950 staff and students have had to quarantine since classes began last week. The district says 54 students and 11 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
Hutchinson had called a special session for lawmakers to consider rolling back the ban for some schools but faced heavy opposition from fellow Republicans.
I'm Jennifer King.
Hiring surged in July as American employers added 943,000 jobs and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent. Even as the U.S. economy shows signs of a surprisingly strong pandemic recovery, there are fears a resurgent virus could set it back. AP's Sagar Meghani reports.
The delta variant is the wild-card but the White House says nation shouldn't worry much about its effects on the economy.
"This is not March 2020 or even January 20-21."
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the country is in a much better place with vaccines. There will not be lockdowns.
