48 hours in line to see the queen

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a new national abortion restrictions bill. Queen Elizabeth II's remains returned to London. And a Las Vegas reporter was dedicated to the underdog. Did it get him killed?

👋 It's Laura Davis. It's Tuesday. Let's do the news thing!

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48 hours in a line to be the first to see the queen lying in state

Across the River Thames, over a bridge, around a corner, down some steps, in London's on-and-off rain, Vanessa Nathakumaran is waiting to see the queen. She's hoping to be the very first. A small group of people lined up directly across from Westminster Hall to see the queen's casket more than 48 hours before it's due to be placed inside Westminster Hall. British authorities are preparing for millions of people to travel to central London to pay their respects to the late monarch. Her body will lie in state in Westminster Hall from Wednesday until her funeral on Monday.

National Archives still not certain it has all Trump records

Did Trump return everything? All the presidential records? Y'all sure that was it? A letter from the head of the Oversight and Reform Committee on Tuesday revealed that it's uncertain whether all of former President Donald Trump’s administration documents have been returned to the government. In the letter, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., urged the National Archives and Records Administration to seek a personal certification from Trump that he surrendered all his presidential records. National Archives staffers notified the committee on Aug. 24 that they couldn't provide assurances the archives have all of his administration's records. Here's what we know.

What was already found: 

  • January: Trump surrendered 15 boxes of documents to the National Archives, which included classified records.

  • June 3:  After federal officials seized more classified documents under subpoena, a Trump lawyer, Christina Bobb, signed a certification that said all classified documents had been returned.

  • Aug. 8: At Mar-a-Lago, FBI agents found 11,000 documents, including 54 marked “secret” and 11 marked “top secret.” Another 48 empty folders had “classified banners,” and 42 folders were marked with “return to staff secretary/military aide.”

From a letter written by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the head of the Oversight and Reform Committee, to the National Archives and Records Administration.
From a letter written by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the head of the Oversight and Reform Committee, to the National Archives and Records Administration.

What everyone's talking about

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GOP senator proposes new national abortion restrictions bill

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is introducing a national abortion ban that would prohibit the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy and provide a Republican response to a politically charged issue that could be galvanizing for Democrats this fall.

  • What's in the bill? The "Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act," would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and mother's health, plus criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions, including prison time.

  • Timing: Graham is introducing the bill eight weeks before midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress.

  • The message: Democrats control the Senate and are unlikely to bring this legislation to a floor vote. But Graham said this bill could give Republicans a counterargument on abortion in their midterm runs.

👉 What about states' rights? How could this help Republicans or Democrats? And why 15 weeks? Take a deeper look here.

  • Graham mansplains his abortion ban: 'I picked 15 weeks.'  |  Opinion

  • With new abortion restrictions, Americans need to open their hearts – and checkbooks.  |  Opinion

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a news conference to announce a new bill that would enact a national ban on abortions after the 15-week mark.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a news conference to announce a new bill that would enact a national ban on abortions after the 15-week mark.

Did a reporter's work lead to his slaying?

In a community known for constant change, journalist Jeff German stood out: Born in the Las Vegas area, he spent virtually all of his professional life covering the city. His work touched on almost every facet of what makes Vegas, Vegas: corruption, the mob, murder and gambling, government incompetence, and the billions of dollars flowing through the casinos. In a city known for transience, German was an institution. Did his reporting on public corruption get him killed?

Earlier coverage: 

On Sept. 3, Jeff German (pictured), an investigative journalist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, was found stabbed to death outside his home. Lisa Rasmussen, a local criminal defense lawyer who knew German for 20 years said, "Jeff, in a million years, would never have thought that this would be the case that he’d be killed over."
On Sept. 3, Jeff German (pictured), an investigative journalist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, was found stabbed to death outside his home. Lisa Rasmussen, a local criminal defense lawyer who knew German for 20 years said, "Jeff, in a million years, would never have thought that this would be the case that he’d be killed over."

Real quick

Soaring consumer prices not fading as quickly as hoped

Even though a drop in gas prices eased the pain a little, inflation in August remained near 40-year highs, defying forecasts of a sharper decline and squeezing the budgets of millions of Americans who are struggling to cover basic costs like food, fuel and rent, a government report Tuesday showed. While inflation did ease, the drop from a year earlier wasn't as large as economists predicted. And two other key gauges – the month-over-month change in prices, and a measure of inflation that excludes volatile food and energy costs – did just the opposite: They rose. Here's what it all means.

U.S. stocks opened lower Tuesday and closed significantly low with the Dow Jones dropping over 1,200 points after the release of an inflation report that showed prices rising more than expected in the last month. The Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed prices rising 8.3% over the last year, for which economists had predicted an 8.1% increase.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Queen Elizabeth's funeral, Lindsey Graham abortion ban bill, Trump presidential records, inflation. It's Tuesday's news.