Biggest news you missed this weekend
Charleston church holds first service since killings
In Charleston, S.C., the iconic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church held an emotionally charged service Sunday as its members, the city and the nation continued a painful healing process four days after a white gunman's rampage left nine worshipers dead. The church's pastor and state senator, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed Wednesday. The church's interim pastor, the Rev. Norvel Goff, said his congregation would not succumb to vengeance despite the attack by Dylann Roof, whose website espousing white supremacy surfaced on Saturday. "A lot of people expected us to do something strange and to break out in a riot," said Goff. "Well, they just don't know us. We are people of faith."
Republicans grapple with Confederate flag issue
The mass murder in Charleston stoked the debate this weekend over the presence of the Confederate battle flag at the South Carolina State House, and Republican presidential candidates found themselves under pressure to weigh in. Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee in 2012, triggered the latest round of GOP questions with a Saturday tweet calling for the removal of the flag from the S.C. Capitol grounds. President Obama seconded the notion, tweeting "Good point, Mitt." Most of the GOP 2016 candidates generally expressed sympathy to the families while saying the decision about the flag should be made at the state level. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush came out for its removal. "In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged," he said.
Possible sighting of escaped prisoners jumpstarts search
The manhunt for two killers who escaped a northern New York state prison more than two weeks ago focused on an area along the Pennsylvania border Sunday after a local resident told authorities she might have seen the men walking along railroad tracks. Investigators said a witness early Saturday afternoon spotted two men who matched the description of escapees David Sweat and Richard Matt. Troopers said it was a credible, though unconfirmed, sighting more than 350 miles from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., from which the two men escaped. New York state is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the capture of either suspect ($100,000 for both). The state police hotline is 1-800-GIVETIP.
Golf course controversy at the U.S. Open
The leaderboard was bunched at the top as the U.S. Open wound down Sunday afternoon. But whoever prevails at the 115th Open, the real story of the weekend wasn't the play of the world's top golfers but the unplayableness of the parched, ultra-fast Chambers Bay course, which Henrik Stenson called "borderline laughable." Stenson described its bumpy greens as "pretty much like putting on broccoli." The 1965 U.S. Open champion, Gary Player, was even more scathing. "The worst golf course I might've ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer. ... They've got pros putting from 20 feet and hitting the ball 20 foot to the right, a man misses the green by a yard and he's 50 yards down in the valley. I mean I don't understand it."
Jurassic Park rules box office again
Jurassic World continued to chomp into all-time records with its second week at the top of the box office. The dinosaur blockbuster roared to No. 1 and $102 million in its second week, taking its total to $398.2 million in just 10 days, according to tracking firm Rentrak. It is now the fastest film to ever reach that milestone in the USA, stomping past The Avengers' 10-day total of $373.1 million in 2012. World is now closing in on a jaw-dropping $1 billion worldwide, with $981.3 million to date.
Taylor to Apple Music: Pay me to play me
Two days after Taylor Swift announced she'll hold back her 1989 album from Apple Music, the pop superstar took to Tumblr to explain her decision: "This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success," she wrote. "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for free." 1989 has sold nearly 5 million copies since its release last October, and was the top-selling album of 2014 and 2015 to date.
Nationals' Max Scherzer throws no-hitter vs. Pirates
Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter and came agonizingly close to a perfect game, hitting a batter with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday in the Washington Nationals' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired the first 26 hitters, and came within one strike of throwing the 22nd perfect game in major league history since 1900. In a special Father's Day coincidence, Scherzer's family was in town to watch the game. "It was great to be able to share last night with them," he said Sunday.
Dad Rock listeners share songs for Father's Day
Listen up, dads. For Father's Day, Paste BN's Dad Rock podcast asked its listeners to share stories about songs with special meaning in their family. Hosts Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan culled through the submissions — collected in voice messages and email — and featured the best stories in this week's episode.