Lynch confirmed...Family mourns hostage who died in drone strike...State troopers go to Baltimore

WASHINGTON (AP) — Loretta Lynch has won confirmation to serve as the nation's attorney general, ending months of delay. The vote was 56-43 in the Senate. Lynch will replace Eric Holder and become the first black woman in the nation's top law enforcement post. She currently serves as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Her confirmation was delayed for months for a variety of reasons, most recently a lengthy dispute over abortion on an unrelated bill to address sex trafficking.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The wife of Warren Weinstein (WYN'-steen) says her family is devastated to learn that the American man and an Italian man who was also being held hostage by al-Qaida were killed in a CIA drone strike in Pakistan earlier this year. In a statement, Elaine Weinstein says the family had hoped that U.S. and Pakistani officials "would have done everything possible" to win his release. But she says those who took him captive bear the "ultimate responsibility."

BALTIMORE (AP) — The governor of Maryland is sending state troopers to Baltimore to help with protests following the police-custody death of Freddie Gray. There have been demonstrations for nearly a week -- and a confrontation between protesters and police last night. Meanwhile, a civil rights group says it will conduct its own investigation into the death of Gray, a black man who died of a mysterious spinal injury he suffered after he was arrested by Baltimore police. The Baltimore chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said Thursday that a former Philadelphia police officer will conduct the investigation for the group.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge is denying parole for a former Charles Manson follower who has been imprisoned for more than 40 years for two murders. The judge today upheld the governor's reversal of a parole board decision last year to release Bruce Davis. Davis was convicted in the 1969 slayings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Shorty Shea. The judge says there's some evidence Davis is dangerous and shouldn't be freed.

BEIJING (AP) — In rural parts of China, many people believe that a large turnout at a funeral is a sign of honor for the deceased. But Chinese officials are objecting to some of the ways family members are making sure there will be a large number of mourners. They say stripteases and other lewd shows are becoming popular at funerals in some rural areas. People on social media have reported that groups who were hired to play funeral dirges suddenly changed their tune and began to peel off their clothes. Chinese officials are launching a crackdown on the practice.

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