Combined briefs package

A rising star in the Democratic Party and a Republican former mayor won their parties’ primaries on Tuesday as they seek to fill the final 15 months of the term of the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Newark Mayor Cory Booker defeated three experienced politicians — U.S. Reps. Rush Holt and Frank Pallone, who had the support of Lautenberg’s family, and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver — in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan won handily over Franklin Township physician Alieta Eck, who had never run for office before, even though she received support of some tea party organizations. A special election is scheduled for Oct. 16.

OREGON

Climber dies on Mount Hood

A Polish military officer visiting the United States for training with a drone manufacturer fell about 1,000 feet to his death while recreationally climbing Oregon’s Mount Hood, authorities said. The body of Sebastian Kinasiewicz, 32, was spotted from the air Tuesday by a National Guard helicopter, ending a search that started a day earlier. Sgt. Pete Hughes of the Hood River County sheriff’s office said it was too dangerous to immediately recover the body because boulders were falling nearby. He could not provide an estimate for when it would be safe.

ALABAMA

Man takes poison after conviction

An Alabama businessman convicted on a child sex charge died after he apparently swallowed poison following the reading of the verdict, a medical official said Tuesday. William Thomas Moore Jr., 42, was being booked into jail in Tuscaloosa on Monday when he told officers he had swallowed a cyanide pill, said Travis Parker, emergency medical chief for the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service. Moore was dead before rescuers a few blocks away could arrive. Moore faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

TUNISIA

People rally for women’s rights

Thousands of people rallied in Tunisia in support of women’s rights amid national debate about a landmark constitution for the Arab world. Two competing demonstrations were held in Tunis on Tuesday to mark a national day celebrating women. Tunisia is building its first constitution since an uprising that led to the Arab Spring democratic revolts. Its language on women’s rights is among sensitive issues.

HAWAII

Mars food researchers exit dome

Six researchers who spent the past four months living in a small dome on a barren Hawaii lava field at 8,000 feet, trying to figure out what foods astronauts might eat on Mars and during deep-space missions, emerged Tuesday. They left the dome with their recipes and without the space suits they were required to wear each time they ventured onto the northern slope of Mauna Loa. The researchers were selected by the University of Hawaii and Cornell University for the NASA-funded study to prepare meals from a list of dehydrated, preserved foods that are not perishable. They examined pre-prepared meals similar to what astronauts currently eat, and concocted meals themselves in an attempt to combat malnourishment and food boredom.

FLORIDA

Killers’ DNA not linked to case

The best chance to solve a decades-old quadruple murder in Florida ended Tuesday when sheriff’s deputies said they could not link DNA to the two killers profiled in the book “In Cold Blood.” The convicted killers, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, were long suspected in the slayings of Cliff Walker, his wife, Christine, and their two children. The family was killed in December of 1959, about a month after Smith and Hickock murdered a Kansas farmer and his family.

BRAZIL

Officials demand NSA clarifications

Brazil demanded answers Tuesday from the U.S. about National Security Agency spying in the country and warned that trust between the two nations would be damaged if U.S. explanations about the program were not satisfactory. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was visiting Brasilia, sought to allay Brazil’s concerns about the program, saying the U.S. would work to provide answers to Brazil and other Latin American nations rankled by the NSA surveillance revealed by systems analyst Edward Snowden.