Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/781722
ByRandallChase The Associated Press SMYRNA, DEL. Using a backhoe to smash through a barricade of footlock- ers, authorities stormed Delaware's largest prison early Thursday and ended a nearly 24-hour hostage standoff involving inmates armed with sharpened ob- jects. One hostage — a guard — was found dead. A second hostage, a fe- male counselor, was safely rescued minutes after the tactical teams forced their way into the all-male, 2,500-prisoner James T. Vaughn Correctional Cen- ter. Some inmates had shielded her from harm, of- ficials said. Gov. John Carney called the uprising a "torturous" ordeal. Authorities did not im- mediately explain how 47-year-old Sgt. Steven Floyd died, but the head of the guards union said the 16-year veteran of the prison was forced into a closet and killed by his cap- tors at some point. During the takeover, Floyd yelled to other guards who were coming to help him that the inmates had set a trap, saving some of his fellow officers' lives, said Geoffrey Klopp, union pres- ident. The uprising began Wednesday when inmates with homemade weapons overpowered staff mem- bers, seized Building C and took three guards and a counselor hostage. One inmate told a local newspaper via phone that they were demanding bet- ter education and rehabil- itation programs and were also upset over President Donald Trump and "all the things that he's doing now." "We know that the insti- tution is going to change for theworse,"hetoldTheNews Journal in Wilmington. During negotiations con- ducted for a while via an of- ficer's walkie-talkie, the in- mates released two hos- tages and got authorities to turn the water back on, saying they needed it for drinking and washing. In- stead, they filled up metal footlockers and built barri- cades. Officers finally went in with heavy equipment around 5 a.m. and found Floyd unresponsive, au- thorities said. He was pro- nounced dead about a half- hour later. The guards who were taken hostage were beaten severely by their captors and suffered broken bones, cuts and eye injuries, Klopp said. DELAWARE Policestormprison,endhostagestandoff By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Donald Trump likes to go with his gut. But when it came to picking a Supreme Court nominee, he forced himself to go by the list. Trump's campaign prom- ise to pick from a list of 21 prominent conservative judges became the driving force behind the selection process that culminated Tuesday in the nomination of Neil Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge. The list was crucial in solidifying support from evangelicals and calming broader wor- ries that the unorthodox politician might go rogue on a lifetime appointment. As a result, the decision- making was perhaps more orderly and ordinary than typical for the improvisa- tional businessman and ex- reality TV star, according to a half-dozen White House aides and associates. They spoke on condition of ano- nymity about the search be- cause they were not autho- rized to publicly discuss pri- vate deliberations. Trump, at times, chafed under the restraints; at one point he flirted with search- ing for other options. He de- cided against his vice pres- ident's initial choice. And, along with jurisprudence and intellect, Trump fac- tored in a qualification he applies to many of his per- sonnel decisions. The young, clean-cut Gorsuch just looked the part, Trump told an asso- ciate. He's "perfect in just about everyway,"TrumpsaidTues- day night, during the prime- time introduction of Gor- such at the White House. The moment was a year in the making. Justice Antonin Scalia died last February, creat- ing an unexpected opening on the nine-member court. Weeks later, Trump met with several prominent con- servatives, including Heri- tage Foundation head Jim DeMint, at the offices of the Jones Day law firm in Wash- ington. The group decided the conservative think tank would suggest a list of pos- sible judges to the cam- paign staff, said John Mal- colm, director of the Heri- tage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Malcolm published the suggested list shortly af- terward. Trump, in an un- precedented move for a pre- sumptive nominee, culled his own list from those names, made it public and pledged to choose one of them. Scalia's seat was be- ing held open by Senate Ma- jority Leader Mitch McCo- nnell, R-Ky., who refused to hold a hearing on Presi- dent Barack Obama's nom- inee, federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland. Eleven more names, in- cluding Gorsuch's, were added weeks later. Trump said he would keep his promise and even urged Republicans "who don't like me" in the race against Democrat Hillary Clinton to come home if for no other reason than to put a conservative on the court. JUDICIARY Tr um p, a er d el ib er at io n, sticks to Supreme Court list CAROLYNKASTER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch in East Room of the White House on Tuesday. By Catherine Lucey The Associated Press WASHINGTON Declar- ing that religious freedom is "under threat," Presi- dent Donald Trump vowed Thursday to repeal a rarely enforced IRS rule that says pastors who endorse candi- dates from the pulpit risk losing their tax-exempt sta- tus. "I will get rid of and to- tally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution," Trump said during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event bring- ing together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries. Trump also defended his recent executive order on immigration, decrying "generous" immigration policies and arguing that there are people who seek to enter the country "for the purpose of spreading vio- lence or oppressing other people based upon their faith." He also pledged to take more immigration ac- tion in the name of religious liberty. "In the coming days we will develop a system to help ensure that those ad- mitted into our country fully embrace our values of religious and personal lib- erty and that they reject any form of oppression and dis- crimination," Trump said. He did not detail how he might scrap the IRS rule, which he has previ- ously pledged to do away with. The rule, named af- ter then-Sen. Lyndon John- son, has been in place since 1954, but it is very rare for a church to actually be penal- ized. And while some con- servative Christians would like to see it abolished, oth- ers, especially the younger generation, support a clear separation of church and politics. Repeal does not appear to have widespread public support. Eight in 10 Ameri- cans said it was inappropri- ate for pastors to endorse a candidate in church in a poll released last Septem- ber by Lifeway Research, a religious survey firm based in Nashville. For many religious con- servatives, whose over- whelming support helped propel Trump to the White House, a more pressing is- sue they hope he will ad- dress is protection for faith- based charities, schools and ministries who object to same-sex marriage and abortion. The president made no mention at the prayer breakfast of other steps he may take, saying only that religious freedom is a "sa- cred right." During his remarks, Trump also took a dig at Arnold Schwarzenegger, the new host of "The Appren- tice," the reality TV show Trump previously head- lined. Trump said that since Schwarzenegger took over, the show's ratings have been down, and he asked the audience to "pray for Arnold." Schwarzenegger tweeted in response that he and Trump should switch jobs and Americans would sleep better. LGBTQ groups have been anxious that the president could use his executive pow- ers to curb legal advances they have made. "We think it is entirely possible there could be an executive order that creates religious exemptions," said James Esseks, LGBT proj- ect director for the Amer- ican Civil Liberties Union. He added that the "nar- rative" that Trump won't harm the LGBTQ commu- nity was "not correct." Earlier this week, the Trump administration an- nounced that the president would leave intact a 2014 executive order that pro- tects workers for federal contractors from anti-LG- BTQ discrimination, saying in a statement that Trump "continues to be respect- ful and supportive of LG- BTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election." RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Tr um p vo ws t o re pe al p ol it ic al l im it s on churches: they're 'under threat' FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B