In brief: Michael Brown’s parents sue city of Ferguson

Clayton, Mo. – Michael Brown’s parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson on Thursday, opening a new chapter in the legal battle over the shooting that killed their son and sparked a national protest movement about the way police treat blacks.

Attorneys for Brown’s parents promised the case would bring to light new forensic evidence and raise doubts about the police version of events.

Brown’s parents, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., attended a news conference announcing the lawsuit outside the St. Louis County Courthouse. A tear rolled down McSpadden’s cheek as attorney Benjamin Crump spoke.

“It’s all part of the journey,” she said.

The case had been expected for months. If it comes to trial, the lawsuit could force a full review of all the evidence in the shooting and bring key witnesses to be questioned in open court, including Darren Wilson, the white officer who shot Brown. Wilson and former Ferguson police Chief Tom Jackson were also named in the complaint.

House asks to question Hillary Clinton

Washington – A Republican-led special House committee asked Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to answer questions in May and June on her use of private emails while secretary of state and her response to the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Representative Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican who leads the Select Committee on Benghazi, requested in a letter that Clinton appear before the committee to discuss the emails during the week of May 18 and to discuss the Benghazi attacks by June 18.

“Discussing Secretary Clinton’s exclusive use of private email with which to conduct public business” is necessary for “discussing the facts surrounding the terrorist attacks in Benghazi,” the letter from Gowdy to Clinton’s attorney said.

The investigation, which centers on the attack on the U.S. compound in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed, has widened after revelations that Clinton used a personal server and email to conduct official State Department business. Gowdy and other Republicans have questioned whether all relevant emails have been turned over.

Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the Libya attack, and Republicans have been trying for more than two years to prove that she failed to bolster security before the assault.