Midday Roundup: NYPD, mayor face off at second officer's funeral

Tense memorial. Thousands gathered Sunday to honor slain New York police officer Wenjian Liu. FBI Director James Comey spoke at the funeral service honoring Liu, one of two officers slain in an ambush attack last month. Liu was 32 years old and newly married at the time of his death. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also spoke amid ongoing controversy. “Let us rededicate ourselves to those great New York traditions of mutual understanding and living in harmony,” he said. Once again, thousands of police officers turned their backs to de Blasio in continued protest of comments he made suggesting the NYPD treats minorities unfairly. Some feel the mayor’s rhetoric contributed to recent hostilities toward police.

Back to the Hill. Lawmakers get back to work this week with Republicans at the wheel. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said on Fox News Sunday that approval of the Keystone Pipeline expansion will be among the first items on the agenda for the new GOP-controlled Senate. Thune also said Republicans do not want to see another partial government shutdown. The new chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Thune is in the class of new committee leaders who will help shape the next Congress. Some other notable chairmen are: Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who will lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., of the House Ways and Means Committee; and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, faces a reelection vote this week. At least two more conservative Republicans have said they will challenge him.

Proportional response. North Korea expressed its anger at new U.S. sanctions, part of the “proportional response” U.S. President Barack Obama promised in retaliation for the country’s suspected cyberattack on Sony. The row over the Sony Pictures Entertainment film The Interview, which depicts the fictional assassination of leader Kim Jong Un, led to the latest economic hit against some North Korean officials. The move was largely symbolic since the United States already has no diplomatic relations with the country and severe sanctions already are in place. But North Korea got the message and responded with fury, saying it would further build up its military to ward off U.S. hostility.

Off the air. One of the most recognizable voices in all of sports has been silenced. Longtime ESPN anchor Stuart Scott died after a seven-year battle with a rare form of cancer. He was 49. In July 2014, he delivered a moving speech at ESPN’s ESPY Awards. “When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live,” Scott said. A father of two, he spent 21 years with ESPN.

Stumbling block. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is pitching a fit after a picture on social media showed Sarah Palin’s son standing on their dog to reach the kitchen counter. PETA and Palin slung snarky statements back and forth over the weekend, sparring over everything from Alaska’s Iditarod dogsled race to U.S. relations with Russia.

WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington and Jim Henry contributed to this report.