Midday Roundup: Feds to investigate Baltimore man's death after arrest

Seeking justice. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into how a Baltimore man suffered a fatal injury while in police custody. Protesters took to the streets last night to demand answers in the case of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man arrested April 12 after running from police in an area known for drug activity. Officers handcuffed Gray and put him in the back of a police transport van. At some point during the ride to the station, officers shackled his legs as well, saying he was becoming “irate.” He later asked for medical help and was eventually rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered a severe spinal cord injury. Gray died Sunday. Officials say they do not know how Gray was injured.

Attack thwarted. French security forces say they have foiled a terror plot targeting several churches. An unidentified 24-year-old Algerian man who has lived in Paris for several years planned the attack, stockpiling weapons in his car and home, officials said. Police arrested the man, known to security forces as an Islamic extremist, after he apparently shot himself on Sunday and called for an ambulance. He also is suspected of killing Aurelie Chatelain, 32, who was found shot in her car Sunday morning. Despite having militant sympathies, officials claim the man does not have any ties to specific terror groups.

Gulf standoff stalemate. Saudi Arabia declared an end to its campaign of air strikes against rebels in Yemen, saying it would focus instead on bringing humanitarian aid to civilians caught in the crossfire. Saudi allies in the West praised the decision, as did Iranian officials, who are backing the Houthi rebels who ousted President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and are working their way across the country. Shortly after the Saudi announcement, the rebels captured an army compound loyal to the Yemeni government, prompting another round of Saudi bombs. Meanwhile, a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile cruiser joined seven other U.S. warships already stationed off Yemen’s coast. U.S. officials say the ships are protecting shipping lanes vital to oil routes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. But they also could prevent Iranian cargo ships allegedly carrying arms for the rebels from docking in Yemen.

Win-win? After a contentious stalemate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced a deal Tuesday to move forward on a sex-trafficking bill. “I’m glad we can now say there is a bipartisan proposal that will allow us to complete action on this important legislation so we can provide help to the victims who desperately need it,”he said. Senate Democrats had objected to provisions that restricted federal dollars for abortions and allocated how fines paid by criminals would be used. Under the proposed compromise, the fines will not be used for healthcare services for sex-trafficking victims. Their medical needs will be paid for with federal dollars from another fund already subject to abortion funding restrictions. “This compromise is evidence that when Democrats and Republicans sit down together and work toward a solution, good things can happen,” Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. “The Senate needs more of this.” The deal also allows the Senate to move on to a vote over whether to confirm Attorney General-designee Loretta Lynch.

Bye-bye. The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Michele Leonhart, will reportedly step down soon in the wake of sex scandals at the agency. An inspector general’s report last month found agents had hired prostitutes and attended sex parties with women paid by drug cartels. On Tuesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest refused to confirm reports of Leonhart’s impending departure, but did not give Leonhart a vote of confidence: “The president, as you know, maintains a very high standard for anybody who serves in his administration, particularly when it comes to law enforcement officials, and the IG report raised serious concerns about that conduct.” Leonhart has served as administrator of the DEA since 2007.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry contributed to this report.