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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — New Idaho GOP Chairman Tom Luna says Republicans in the state have an opportunity to unite by focusing more on what they have in common and less on their differences. Republicans elected Luna chairman at their state GOP convention in Nampa in June. Luna inherits a party with growing fractures, including disagreement over the state’s response to the coronavirus. Much of the animus has focused on Gov. Brad Little and state health officials but Luna tells the Idaho Statesman he thinks Little has done a “stellar job.” Luna says he plans more outreach for the party, especially among newcomers to the state.
BOSTON (AP) — Dozens of U.S. colleges are announcing plans to test students for the coronavirus this fall, but their strategies vary widely. Colby College in Maine plans to test all students every other day for two weeks and then twice a week. Harvard University will test students on campus three times a week. But some plan to test students only if they show symptoms or come into contact with a positive case, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Federal health officials discourage widespread testing on college campuses, but some researchers say it's necessary to prevent outbreaks. Cornell and Yale university researchers say that without widespread testing, COVID-19 could be spread by infected students who don't show symptoms.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal agents again repeatedly fired tear gas to break up rowdy protests in Portland, Oregon, that continued into the early morning Saturday as demonstrations that have happened every night for two months showed no signs of letting up. Thousands of people gathered in front of the downtown federal courthouse beginning Friday evening. Authorities say six federal officers were injured and one person was arrested. Demonstrations have happened in Oregon’s largest city nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May. President Donald Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest but local officials say they are making the situation worse.
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police declared a riot following large demonstrations in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and deployed flash bangs and pepper spray to try to clear an area near where weeks earlier people had set up an “occupied protest zone” that stretched for several blocks. Via Twitter, police said they had made some arrests Saturday and were “investigating a possible explosive damage” to the walls of the city’s East Precinct police station. Authorities said rocks and bottles were thrown at officers. More than two dozen people were arrested. Thousands of protesters had initially gathered peacefully near downtown Seattle on Saturday in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland, Oregon.
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