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moment," Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison said. "But he's on his feet. He's talking to people about gun violence. He has truly harnessed his grief."
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• WASHINGTON (AP) -- After ducking comment for days, Sen. Robert Menendez is forcefully denying allegations he engaged with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, calling the claims false "smears."
• Menendez told reporters on Monday that he had done nothing wrong. His voice rose with anger as he described "anonymous, nameless, faceless individuals" who he said have driven false stories into the mainstream media.

• "That's what they've done successfully," he said his first public remarks since the allegations began to spread on Wednesday. "The bottom line is all of those smears are absolutely false."
• Menendez's public denial came after the FBI conducted a search of the West Palm Beach offices of a Florida doctor who also was the senator's biggest political donor in his re-election campaign last year. A week before the November election, The Daily Caller, a conservative website, reported that Menendez had used a business jet owned by Dr. Salomon Melgen to fly to the Dominican Republican for trysts with prostitutes. None of the allegations have been substantiated. It is unclear whether the FBI raid of Melgen's office was related to Menendez.
• The reports have dogged Menendez, 59, as he has assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, succeeding former Sen. John Kerry, who resigned last week to become secretary of state. The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating the case.
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• FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- The Iraq War veteran charged with gunning down two men on a Texas shooting range -- including a highly decorated former Navy SEAL sniper -- had been taken to a mental hospital twice in recent months and told authorities he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to police re

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