Nation briefs 7/14/2015

Pentagon to lift transgender ban

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon leaders are finalizing plans aimed at lifting the ban on transgender individuals in the military, with the goal of formally ending one of the last gender- or sexuality-based barriers to military service, senior U.S. officials said. An announcement is expected this week, and the services would have six months to assess the effect of the change and work out the details, the officials said Monday. Military chiefs wanted time to work through the legal, medical and administrative issues and develop training to ease any transition, and senior leaders believed six months would be sufficient.

$5.9M settlement in chokehold case

NEW YORK -- New York City reached a settlement with the family of Eric Garner for $5.9 million, almost a year after the 43-year-old died in police custody. The family filed a notice of claim in October, the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city, asking for $75 million. Garner was stopped July 17 outside a convenience store for selling loose cigarettes. A video shows Garner telling the officers to leave him alone and refusing to be handcuffed. Garner is taken to the ground in what appears to be a chokehold, banned by police policy. Garner, who had asthma, is heard gasping, "I can't breathe!" 11 times before he loses consciousness and later dies.

Suspect in Boehner threats ruled insane

CINCINNATI -- A former Cincinnati-area bartender who said he believed House Speaker John Boehner was the devil was found not guilty by reason of insanity Monday of threatening to kill the Republican lawmaker. Federal Judge Timothy Black found Michael Hoyt not guilty of a charge of threatening to kill a U.S. official. Authorities had accused Hoyt of threatening to kill Boehner, either with a gun or by poisoning his drink. The judge found Hoyt was insane and has ordered him back to a federal medical facility for evaluation.

Scout panel OKs end to gay-leader ban

NEW YORK -- The executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America unanimously approved a resolution that would end the organization's blanket ban on gay adult leaders and let individual scout units set their own policy on the issue. In a statement Monday, the BSA said the resolution was approved by the executive committee Friday and would become official policy if ratified by the organization's larger National Executive Board at a meeting July 27. The action followed a speech in May by the BSA's president, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, declaring the ban no longer was sustainable.

Cosby accusers seek transcript release

LOS ANGELES -- Two of Bill Cosby's accusers have joined a court bid to have his full testimony from a 2005 sexual-battery lawsuit unsealed. Beth Ferrier and Rebecca Neal say the deposition excerpts released last week mention them but don't paint the whole picture. Lawyer Gloria Allred, speaking on their behalf Monday in Los Angeles, says they want to challenge defense comments that Cosby's accusers have been "discredited."

-- From wire reports