In the Nation
Rangel to run despite setback
NEW YORK - It has been 40 years since New York Rep. Charles Rangel first won his congressional seat. And despite losing his legendary clout recently, he is not done yet.
The Democrat, admonished recently by a congressional ethics panel for joining corporate-paid trips to the Caribbean in violation of House rules, formally announced his re-election campaign Sunday. He made the announcement surrounded by a host of elected officials, including Gov. David Paterson.
Rangel was first elected to the House in 1970, defeating Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who had been a pastor and civil rights leader. Now Rangel is facing a challenge from Powell's son, Adam Clayton Powell IV.
Rangel relinquished his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee in March after he was chastised in the House. - AP
Obama honors Ford's Theatre
WASHINGTON - President Obama honored Ford's Theatre, site of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, at a White House reception Sunday.
He thanked the theater for its work preserving Lincoln's legacy and supporting the arts. Obama said it was impossible to separate the nation's history from the history of music and spoken-word performances, especially during times of trouble.
The president noted the suffering in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill and again promised to do everything he could to make things right.
After the reception, he and Mrs. Obama were scheduled to attend the theater's annual gala, where South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South African Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs were to receive the theater's Lincoln Medal. - AP
Bomb comment disrupts flight
RONKONKOMA, N.Y. - An airport official said a man "made a comment about a bomb" on a flight from Chicago to Long Island's MacArthur Airport, forcing passengers to leave the aircraft as authorities inspected it.
No device was found. The man was taken into custody after the Sunday afternoon incident on a Southwest Airlines flight. MacArthur Airport Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto said charges were pending.
She said the suspect made the comment to a flight attendant before the plane landed. The flight was delayed about two hours.
The flight was making a scheduled stop at the airport before leaving for West Palm Beach, Fla. It left for Florida at 5 p.m. - AP
Elsewhere:
Southern California's Foothill Freeway was briefly shut down while state wildlife officials tried to remove a bear that wandered into lanes.
One person was killed in the crash of a single-engine airplane about 7 Sunday morning 125 miles west of Denver, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will be back in federal court Monday morning as lawyers in his corruption case continue to whittle down a list of dozens of prospective jurors and prepare to give opening statements Tuesday.