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The Associated Press | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 11 months AGO
by The Associated Press
| May 21, 2014 9:00 PM

• McConnell routs tea party rival in Kentucky

WASHINGTON - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell dispatched his tea party challenger with ease Tuesday night, and Democrats turned to two women, Alison Lundergan Grimes to oppose him in Kentucky and Michelle Nunn to fight for Georgia, in elections next fall with control of the Senate at stake.

Setting up a third high-profile race, Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and his Republican challenger, Rep. Tom Cotton, were unopposed for their parties' nominations.

On the busiest primary night of the year to date, Democrats eyeing a return to power in the Pennsylvania state Capitol nominated businessman Tom Wolf to oppose Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's bid for a second term.

Republican primary struggles between establishment-backed conservatives and tea party-favored rivals were a dominant feature of the evening, as they had been earlier in North Carolina and will be later in Mississippi, Kansas and Alaska. Republicans must gain six seats to win a Senate majority, and party leaders have made it a priority to avoid the presence of candidates on the ballot this fall who are seen as too conservative or unsteady - or both - to prevail in winnable races.

• Thai army intervenes in political crisis

BANGKOK - Thailand's powerful army chief intervened for the first time in the country's latest political crisis, declaring martial law and dispatching gun-mounted jeeps into the heart of the capital with a vow to resolve the deepening conflict as quickly as possible.

The army insisted it was not taking over, and it left the nation's severely weakened caretaker government intact. But a dozen official edicts announced throughout the day - which steadily expanded the military's power and included media censorship and threats to prosecute opponents - fueled speculation troops had carried out what Human Rights Watch described as "a de facto coup."

Despite Tuesday's dramatic events, life continued normally in most of the country, with residents largely unfazed by the declaration and tourist sites open. But the intervention, which follows six months of crippling protests that killed 28 people and injured more than 800, left the country at another precarious crossroads - its fate now squarely in the hands of the military.

• Judge overturns Pennsylvania's gay marriage ban

PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania's ban on gay marriage was overturned by a federal judge Tuesday in a decision that legalized the practice throughout the Northeast and sent couples racing to pick up licenses.

U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III called the plaintiffs - a widow, 11 couples and one couple's teenage daughters - courageous for challenging the constitutionality of the ban passed by lawmakers in 1996.

"We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history," the judge wrote.

The judge declined to put his ruling on hold for a possible appeal by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, so it went into immediate effect. The governor, who opposes gay marriage, did not issue a statement or indicate whether he would appeal. However, his state party chairman complained that an "activist" judge had usurped the power of the Legislature.

Amid a frenzy of celebration across the state, county offices in Philadelphia stayed open late to handle marriage applications, while officials in Pittsburgh were closed for election day but accepting them online. Couples must wait three days before getting married, unless a sympathetic judge grants a waiver.

• Police: Actor told 911 operator that he shot his wife

LOS ANGELES - Actor Michael Jace, who played a police officer on the hit TV show "The Shield," was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he called 911 and told an operator he shot his wife.

Detectives were investigating whether the couple's financial problems or other marital difficulties played a role in the killing that police said occurred during an argument Monday night while the couple's two sons, both younger than 10, were in the house.

Police were unsure if the children witnessed the argument or gunfire. They were placed with relatives.

April Jace, 40, was shot multiple times and was found dead in a hallway of the family home in the quiet, modest Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Police recovered a handgun believed to belong to her husband, Los Angeles police Detective Dean Vinluan said.

"She came home with the kids and then the dispute happened and the shooting happened," he said.

• GM recalls 2.4 million more vehicles

DETROIT - Another day, another recall from General Motors.

At least that's the way it seems as the automaker reviews safety issues across its lineup of cars and trucks in the wake of a mishandled recall of millions of older small cars.

The number of recalls issued this year by the nation's top carmaker rose Tuesday to 29 as GM announced four separate actions affecting 2.4 million cars and trucks. While no fatalities were involved in the latest recalls, the problems were serious enough that GM has temporarily halted sales of the vehicles.

GM has recalled 13.6 million vehicles in the U.S. since early February. That's more than the total number of cars it sold here in the last five years, and already surpasses GM's previous U.S. recall record of 10.75 million vehicles, set in 2004. By comparison, rival Ford has recalled 1.2 million vehicles in the U.S. this year, while Toyota has recalled 2.9 million, according to federal data and the companies.

The parade of bad news is part of the fallout from GM's recall of 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for defective ignition switches - and a consequence of government regulation. GM says it's redoubling efforts to resolve outstanding safety issues. It's hiring 35 new safety investigators and is issuing recalls one by one, as soon as a decision is made. GM can't wait and announce a group of recalls once a month; it's required by federal law to report defects to the government within five days of discovering them.

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