Sanders heads South...Bridge protest...Lawmakers ending school food fight

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is trying to rally support in the Deep South. A crowd of more than 5,000 packed an event in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, late Monday to hear an appeal by the Vermont senator. Sanders hopes to spread his message of a higher minimum wage, free college tuition and paid family medical leave across regional lines.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A group of demonstrators has been able to temporarily shut down one direction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in a police-brutality protest tied to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Protesters chained themselves and cars together to form a line. They laid signs reading "BLACK HEALTH MATTERS" across the roadway. Traffic was clogged for more than a half hour.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is being dogged by his handling of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Snyder said Monday that political comments by the Democratic presidential candidates aren't helpful. Flint's water became tainted with lead after the source of its water supply was switched by state-appointed officials from the Detroit system to the Flint River. Lead can cause serious health problems in children and adults.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says that all its deals with Israel must "unequivocally and explicitly" show that they cannot apply to occupied territories. That's a follow-up to a November decision by the EU to label Israeli products made in the West Bank. But the 28 EU foreign ministers are stressing they are not engaging in a boycott of Israel. Israel says the policy discriminates.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After more than two years of public quarreling, Congress appears to be coming to terms on a bill that would revise healthier school meal standards. A Senate measure would give schools more flexibility in what they serve. Requirements on whole grains and cutting sodium levels would be eased. The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to vote on the measure on Wednesday.