Midday Roundup: Midwestern train derailment injures dozens

Off the tracks. At least 29 people were hospitalized after an Amtrak train on a long-distance trip derailed in southwest Kansas early today. The train was carrying 128 passengers and 14 crew members from Los Angeles to Chicago when it crashed just after midnight about 20 miles outside Dodge City, Kan. No one was killed in the derailment, and the cause remains under investigation.

Infighting. Turkey is bombing Kurdish positions in Iraq after a suicide bomb went off in the capital city Ankara on Sunday, killing 37 people. Internal strife between Turkey and its Kurdish population complicates efforts to stop Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq. The United States is allied with the Syrian Kurds in the fight against ISIS, but it is bound to also protect its NATO ally Turkey. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey is getting bolder, with attacks on civilians and larger population centers like the one Sunday in Ankara.

Dangerous silence. Authorities are calling for changes to medical confidentiality rules that kept doctors from warning Germanwings airlines one of its pilots had a dangerous mental illness. Andreas Lubitz, the suicidal co-pilot who flew a passenger plane into the French Alps nearly a year ago, saw multiple doctors for depression and possible psychosis in the months before the crash, which killed 150 people. None of those doctors reported Lubitz’s condition to his employer, and they also refused investigators’ requests to interview them after the crash. A report released Sunday by the French investigation team calls for more balance in confidentiality laws so doctors can warn the public of dangerous patients without fear of losing their medical licenses.

Waterlogged. Widespread flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi has damaged thousands of homes and prompted evacuations. The National Guard rescued nearly 3,300 residents during a week of heavy rain. “At this point, any rain will aggravate the flooding situation,” said Davyon Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La. Emergency officials said more than 4,958 homes were damaged in Louisiana, and many residents did not have flood insurance.

Early voting. An Ohio judge on Friday gave 17-year-olds the right to vote in Tuesday’s presidential primary if they will turn 18 before the general election. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., considered the ruling a victory since he has attracted many more young voters than his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The law in Ohio allows 17-year-olds with birthdays before the general election to vote on the nomination of candidates, but Republican Secretary of State John Husted said the law didn’t apply to the presidential election. After being overruled, Husted said he would not appeal the decision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.