All USA Update
- Fond farewell for father of iconic pink flamingoes
Don Featherstone was an accomplished inventor and classically trained painter but was best known as the creator of the ubiquitous pink flamingo lawn ornament.
- Confederate monuments targeted by vandals: Time to rethink memorials?
After the murder of nine black people in a South Carolina church, memorials of pro-slavery politicians and Confederate battles are facing new scrutiny.
- Hack attack: OPM breach could affect up to 18 million Americans
An early internal assessment by the Office of Personnel Management warned that the hack on its computer systems may have compromised personal information of up to four times the amount the government first acknowledged.
- Trade bill ekes through Senate, paving path to fast-track authority
The Senate narrowly approved the revised legislation Tuesday, despite considerable opposition from both sides of the aisle.
- Obama uses annual Iftar dinner to speak out against intolerance
President Obama called on Americans to stand against religious, racial, and ethnic prejudices during the Ramadan holiday dinner.
- Confederate memorials splashed with 'Black Lives Matter' slogan
The 'Black Lives Matter' movement and the controversy over commemoration of the Confederate Army converged Monday when activists spray painted the slogan on Confederate memorial in Baltimore.
- Joyce Mitchell's husband knew nothing of New York prison break plans
In an interview with TODAY's Matt Lauer, Lyle Mitchell says his wife knew she was in over her head after helping two killers escape from a New York prison.
- Illinois battered by string of tornadoes amid changing climate patterns
The Midwestern state was hit by at least five tornadoes in the last week.
- South Carolina mulls once unthinkable removal of Confederate flag
Gov. Nikki Haley's call to remove the flag from South Carolina State House grounds is sending ripples through the American South.
- North Carolina teen arrested after plotting attacks in support of Islamic State
Justin Nojan Sullivan became the latest in a string of young American men radicalized by the Islamic State to either join the militants' ranks or plan plots at home.
- Hawaii raises smoking age to 21, may spark similar laws
Hawaii is the first state to raise the smoking age to 21, but others – starting with California and Washington State – are considering following suit.
- Virginia judge approves alumnae plan to save Sweet Briar College
After a months-long fight, Sweet Briar College will remain open for at least one more year, thanks to donations from former students.
- Charleston residents come together on bridge to promote peace and unity
Over 10,000 gathered on the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston on Sunday evening to honor the nine lives lost last week.
- Upstate New York cabin yields new clues in hunt for escaped convicts
New York State Police returned to the area near Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., Sunday night after tips that two escaped convicts still might be hiding in the area.
- Charleston communities unite in solidarity ahead of week of funerals
Thousands marched in Charleston Sunday in a show of unity and healing following last week's deadly shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- Obama talks gun control, racism, and the N-word
President Obama expressed frustration that 'we're not cured of' racism in the United States but reiterated that the nation has come a long way in recent decades during a Friday interview with comedian Marc Maron.
- Taylor Swift: Newest champion for musicians' rights?
'This is not about me,' Swift wrote in an open letter to Apple Sunday. 'This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success.'
- Is South Carolina ready to sunset the Confederate battle flag?
Republican state Rep. Doug Brannon plans to introduce a bill to remove the Confederate flag Monday, following last week's mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C.
- How presidential candidates are responding to Charleston, S.C., shooting
The shooting at a historic black church in South Carolina has become a precarious political subject for Republican presidential contenders, particularly regarding the overt racial motivations behind the shooting.
- Manhunt shifts to lone cabin in upstate New York: Prisoner hideout?
The hunt for two convicts who escaped from a maximum-security prison in New York has shifted back upstate, following an intense search near the Pennsylvania border this weekend.