Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : GOP Assailed for Not Attending Rites

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said presumptive Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole insulted black Americans by failing to attend Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown’s funeral. “Where was Bob Dole this week? Where was [Republican House Speaker] Newt Gingrich? How could they insult basic decency, public service and African Americans by not paying even nominal respects to the family of Ron Brown, who died last week on a mission for his country,” Jackson said in a statement. Brown, who was black, was killed in a plane crash April 3 in Croatia along with 34 others. They had been on a visit to Bosnia to promote rebuilding efforts in the war-torn nation.