Sep 29, 2019

College journalist nabs global scoop on Trump's Ukraine envoy

A 20-year-old student at Arizona State University broke Friday's news of the departure of key State Department official Kurt Volker, who was involved in talks between President Trump and the Ukrainian government, AP reports.

Andrew Howard, a managing editor of The State Press student newspaper, scooped that Volker — executive director of the McCain Institute, a think tank in Washington that is run by Arizona State — had stepped down as the State Department's special envoy for Ukraine.

"I just talked to [the State Press] editor in chief and said we should look into this because we thought it would be good to localize a big story," Howard said.

When the story went online, Howard was working in the newsroom of the big Phoenix paper, the Arizona Republic, where he's an intern.

"I briefly said out loud: 'Sorry about that,' " he recalled. "They were incredibly nice about it. It was sort of a funny moment."

Go deeper: Student journalists are breaking big stories

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Orion Rummler

Updated 11 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protesters clash with police nationwide over George Floyd

Police officers grapple with protesters in Atlanta. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray as the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd spread nationwide on Friday evening and continued into Saturday.

The big picture: Police responded over the weekend in force, in cities ranging from Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Des Moines, Houston to Detroit, Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., Denver and Louisville. Large crowds gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday for the fourth day in a row.

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Axios

Updated 35 mins ago - Politics & Policy

George Floyd protests: What you need to know

Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Clashes erupted between police and protesters in several major U.S. cities Saturday night as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black men spread across the country.

The big picture: Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody is the latest reminder of the disparities between black and white communities in the U.S. and comes as African Americans grapple with higher death rates from the coronavirus and higher unemployment from trying to stem its spread.

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Rebecca Falconer

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Massive demonstrations put police response to unrest in the spotlight

Washington State Police use tear gas to disperse a crowd in Seattle during a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd. Photo: Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

The response of some officers during demonstrations against police brutality in the U.S. has been criticized for being excessive by some officials and Black Lives Matter leaders.

Why it matters: The situation is tense across the U.S., with reports of protesters looting and burning buildings. While some police have responded with restraint and by monitoring the protests, others have used batons, tear gas, rubber bullets and other devices to disperse protesters and, in some cases, journalists.

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