Midday Roundup: Democratic horse race heads to Kentucky

Bluegrass ballots. Hillary Clinton is stumping in Kentucky today, a state she easily won during the 2008 presidential primary when she ran against Barack Obama. But the former secretary of state’s chances of winning tomorrow’s Democratic primary are far less certain. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is polling well in the state, and a win there and in Oregon, which holds tomorrow’s other primary contest, would give him a boost going into the high-stakes primary in California next month. Despite a string of recent wins, Sanders still trails Clinton by nearly 300 pledged delegates. That lead is even wider when so-called superdelegates are counted, creating an almost insurmountable challenge for Sanders. Still, he has said he intends to stay in the race to the bitter end, a pledge preventing Clinton from turning her full attention to the general election in November and her opponent, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Fake bomb, real outrage. British officials are fuming over a fake bomb that created panic and canceled a soccer match Sunday. The “incredibly lifelike” device prompted police to evacuate the 75,000-seat Old Trafford stadium just minutes before the start of Manchester United’s last game of the season. The fake bomb, eventually destroyed by army bomb disposal experts, turned out to be left over from a training exercise conducted by a private security firm. Manchester’s mayor, Tony Lloyd, called the entire incident “shambolic.” And he’s looking for someone to pick up the tab for the large police and army deployment. The U.K.’s threat level remains at severe, meaning security experts believe a terror attack is “highly likely.”

Deadly crash. A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is on the scene of a deadly bus accident 50 miles south of Laredo, Texas. The single-vehicle crash killed eight passengers and sent 44 to the hospital with injuries. Conrad Hein with the Texas Department of Public Safety said multiple agencies responded to calls for help. Investigators will first look at the driver, who survived the accident. The bus was traveling from San Juan, Texas, to a casino in Eagle Pass when the accident occurred.

Speaking out. American missionary Kenneth Bae said he became “God’s ambassador” during the two years he was held prisoner in North Korea. Bae led tour groups into North Korea to pray and worship surreptitiously when a hard drive that authorities found in his briefcase exposed his missionary activity. Bae said when North Korean officials claimed his prayer tourism threatened the regime, he told them, “You don’t even believe in God. Why are you afraid of people coming to pray? Because you may have more faith than most Christians do.” Bae, who has written a book about his experience, also recalled sharing his faith with a prison guard: “He said he never in his life heard the name Jesus before.”

Money-makers. At the box office this weekend, PG-13 rated Captain America: Civil War won the top spot again for ticket sales, bringing in $73 million dollars. And PG-rated The Jungle Book again managed to hang on to the No. 2 spot, bringing in $18 million in receipts. The R-rated thriller Money Monster debuted in third place, with $15 million in ticket sales over the weekend.

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