Midday Roundup: Arrested militia leader tells last protesters to go home

Winding down Three more members of a militia in Oregon turned themselves in Wednesday after their already-jailed leader urged them to stand down. The group, which opposes federal control of lands in the American West, had occupied the Malheur Wildlife Refuge since Jan. 2. Authorities on Tuesday arrested leader Ammon Bundy and some of his fellow protesters during a traffic stop. One of the group’s members, LaVoy Finicum, was shot and killed during the encounter. The FBI then set up a roadblock outside the refuge and urged Bundy’s remaining followers to surrender. Bundy told the group through his lawyer to “Go home and hug your families.” A few holdouts still remain at the refuge, though it’s unclear how many are there or how long they plan to stay.

Somber anniversary. Thirty years ago today, a rocket booster propelling the shuttle Challenger into space exploded in a giant fireball as many of the nation’s school children watched. The seven crewmembers included teacher Christa McAuliffe, the first non-astronaut on a U.S. space mission as part of NASA’s Teacher in Space Program. McAuliffe, who died in the disaster with the rest of the crew, was supposed to teach American children four televised lessons from space. An investigation found a seal on the rocket booster failed in the cold temperatures the morning of the launch, causing the explosion. Some of McAuliffe’s students went on to become teachers themselves after the disaster. “She knew that teaching was way more than just imparting information and that it was really important to know students,” said Joanne Walton, who teaches grades four through six in Fairfax, Va.

Childcare available. Under pressure from major charities to do more about the European migrant crisis, the British government said Thursday it would take in unaccompanied migrant children. Save the Children has called on Britain to accept 3,000 children who are at risk for trafficking and sex abuse. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said Britain would work with the United Nations refugee agency to identify “exceptional cases” in which unaccompanied children would benefit by receiving shelter in Britain. He said in most cases, however, children displaced by the war in Syria should stay near their home country. “The vast majority are better off staying in the region so they can be reunited with surviving family members,” he said. Meanwhile, Sweden warned that up to 80,000 migrants should expect to be deported this year. The country plans to be consistent in its review of asylum applications, and it typically rejects 45 percent of refugees who apply to stay in the country.

Close call. The mayor of Milwaukee is praising law enforcement for preventing an Islamic terror attack. The FBI on Tuesday arrested Samy Mohamed Hamzeh and charged him with possession of automatic weapons. Hamzeh allegedly told undercover agents he was planning a massacre at a Milwaukee Masonic temple. At a court hearing Tuesday, Hamzeh told a judge the charges against him were not true. “We should be incredibly thankful to the FBI and the US Attorney’s office for acting so decisively and so quickly to apprehend this individual,” Mayor Tom Barrett said.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report.