Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., has hosted funerals for Rosa Parks and Frederick Douglass and welcomed American presidents. It made history again this year: Thanks to a lawsuit, Metropolitan AME now controls the trademark to the far-right group known as the Proud Boys. After a pro-Donald Trump rally in December 2020, Proud Boys destroyed the church's Black Lives Matter sign. A judge awarded Metropolitan $2.8 million in damages in 2023. In February the church won use of the groups name and symbols. The Rev. William Lamar sees the lawsuit as part of his church's civil rights work and legacy.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he will pull out of the citys Democratic primary and will instead run for reelection as an independent candidate. He's arguing that his federal bribery charges had made it impossible to mount a primary campaign. Adams' criminal case was dismissed Wednesday. He said in a video Thursday he will not run in the Democratic primary in June because the case dragged on too long while the false accusations were held over me. The decision came after intense speculation over whether Adams would remain in the Democratic primary, which has attracted a several serious opponents, including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

President Donald Trumps dramatic changes to the federal government havent emerged as an obvious political winner or loser. That's according to a new poll that indicates some Americans may be giving Trump the benefit of the doubt for now on the disruptive sprint by his Department of Government Efficiency. The Associated Press-NORC survey finds about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of Social Security. A similar share approve of the way the Republican president is managing the federal government. Those numbers are almost identical to Trump's overall presidential approval, suggesting his administrations moves to slash government spending havent created an independent backlash so far.

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FILE - Elon Musk speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)