Liz Weston: Take control now with advance medical directives

If you get COVID-19 and struggle to breathe, would you want to be put on a ventilator? Whatever your answer, ask yourself another question: Who would make your wishes clear if you couldn’t speak for yourself?

The Latest: Seattle ends city-wide curfew ahead of schedule

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

Legals for June, 4 2020

Syria's Assad seeks to control economy, goes after cousin

BEIRUT (AP) — On a summer day last year, presidential guards drove out of the charity organization founded by Syria’s wealthiest businessman and a close cousin of President Bashar Assad, carting away boxes of documents and computers. At the same time, the charity’s director was being questioned at the palace on suspicion of corruption.

The Latest: Seattle ends city-wide curfew ahead of schedule

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

The Latest: Peaceful protesters march to U.S. Capitol

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

The Latest: Washington protests peaceful amid show of force

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

The Latest: Floyd tested positive for COVID-19 in April

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

The Latest: Show of force from law enforcement in Washington

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

California lawmakers agree to close $54.3 billion budget gap

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's Legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected billions of dollars in budget cuts to public schools and health care services that Gov. Gavin Newsom had proposed, setting up a fight with the governor over how to close the state's estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit.

The Latest: Police department in Charlotte under criticism

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

Police: Man had hammer, not a gun, when he was fatally shot

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A man suspected of looting a pharmacy in the San Francisco Bay area was fatally shot by officers who thought he was carrying a firearm in his waistband, but it turned out to be a hammer, police said Wednesday.

Pentagon-Trump clash breaks open over military and protests

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief shot down his idea of using troops to quell protests across the United States, then reversed course on pulling part of the 82nd Airborne Division off standby in an extraordinary clash between the U.S. military and its commander in chief.

'Splash,' 'Stern' writer Bruce Jay Friedman dead at 90

NEW YORK (AP) — Bruce Jay Friedman, an Oscar-nominated screenplay writer and popular playwright and author known for the wry comedy and subtle pathos of such novels as “Stern” and “About Harry Towns” and for his scripts for “Splash” and “Stir Crazy," has died at age 90.

Democratic governors to GOP counterparts: oppose deployment

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic governors on Wednesday called on their Republican counterparts to join them in opposing President Donald Trump's threatened deployment of the U.S. military to quell bouts of violence that have arisen from protests over the death of George Floyd.

Louisiana governor praises state's peaceful Floyd protests

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday thanked the people of Louisiana for holding peaceful demonstrations in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. The state has avoided the violence and property damage seen in other parts of the country.

Handling of street protests creates crisis for Pentagon boss

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Mark Esper is facing the most politically charged crisis of his tenure, criticized for calling protester-filled streets a military “battle space” and accused of failing to keep the military out of politics.

Report: 3 more officers to be charged in Floyd's death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The three other police officers on the scene when a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck are being charged with aiding and abetting a murder, and the case against the main officer is being upgraded to second-degree murder, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Newspaper: Charges for 3 officers involved in Floyd's death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The three other officers on the scene when a member of the Minneapolis police force pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck are being charged with aiding and abetting a murder, and the murder case against the main officer is being upgraded to second-degree, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

AP News Digest 2 p.m.

EDS: Re-sending to delete GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS-CHIEF. Story will not move this cycle.