WASHINGTON (AP) – Barney Frank, the longtime Democratic congressman and leading liberal who brought new visibility to gay rights and crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation, has died. He was 86.

As storm chaser Ashton Lemley picked his way through a tornado-ravaged Mississippi trailer park, he heard the unmistakable meow of a kitten pierce the predawn darkness.

BOGUE CHITTO, Miss. (AP) – Powerful storms that spawned at least three tornadoes tore through several Mississippi counties, damaging around 500 homes, uprooting trees and injuring at least 17 people, authorities said Thursday.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – At 16, Edward Blackmon Jr. was arrested during a protest for voting rights in his Mississippi hometown. He was loaded with schoolmates into a truck once used to haul chickens and was left in the summer heat before spending three nights in an overcrowded jail cell without a bed.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – It’s not every day – or even every decade – that voters are presented a decision like this: Should the state’s individual income tax be eliminated?

A notebook with meeting minutes and a ledger are among Ku Klux Klan-related items that the Mississippi state government uncovered while clearing out an office, offering new glimpses into the violent white supremacist group known for its secrecy and links to law enforcement.

At a House Homeland Security committee hearing that stretched over three hours on Wednesday, lawmakers and Transportation Security Administration officials stressed the urgency of the ongoing government shutdown as TSA workers scrape by without pay and long security lines wind through some airports.

As states that already ban abortion look to further restrict access this year, much of the focus is on pills sent by out-of-state providers. A survey released Tuesday helps explain the emphasis. It suggests that more women in states with bans obtained abortions last year using the pills prescribed via telehealth than by traveling to places where it’s legal.