Sarah Palin’s family was thrust into the national spotlight in 2008 when Sen. John McCain picked her to be his GOP running mate in the campaign for president.

Now, after years of attention that accompanied Palin’s role as a popular and controversial conservative advocate and media personality, the family is once again under scrutiny, this time after her eldest son was arrested on suspicion of breaking into his parents’ home and beating his father.

Painful new details emerged Monday about the arrest of Track Palin, who at one point pleaded with his father to shoot him, according to a police affidavit. The document said his father, Todd, was brandishing a gun but refused to shoot.

After his arrest Saturday, Track Palin, 28, was charged with first-degree burglary, fourth-degree assault and criminal mischief. He remains in custody. The police affidavit, contained in a court filing, describes a chaotic scene at the family’s home in Wasilla, Alaska, when Palin confronted his father over a truck he wanted to pick up.

Army Sgt. La David Johnson was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire during an October ambush in Niger that killed three other soldiers, according to a newly revealed report.

The military investigation, reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, cited that Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla., was fighting to the end after fleeing an attack by an offshoot of the Islamic State and wasn’t captured or executed, as previously believed. U.S. officials familiar with the findings spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to describe details of the investigation, which has not been finalized or publicly released.

Johnson’s body was recovered by local forces two days after the Oct. 4 attack, found in thick brush where he tried to take cover, the AP said. His boots and other equipment were stolen, but he was still wearing his uniform.

Johnson’s death was at the center of a heated controversy between President Trump and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., after Trump told Johnson’s pregnant widow that the soldier “knew what he signed up for.” Wilson overheard the phone call and publicly denounced Trump’s remarks.

John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and Trump’s chief of staff, joined the controversy by saying he was stunned at Wilson’s remarks, calling the congresswoman an “empty barrel.”

The soldier’s widow, Myeshia Johnson, later told ABC’s Good Morning America that she was “very angry” at the tone of Trump’s voice during their call and how the president struggled with the slain soldier’s name.

She said she wanted to know more about how her husband died and why his body wasn’t recovered for 48 hours. She said she wasn’t allowed to look in his casket when it arrived.

“I need to see him so I know it’s my husband,” she said. “They won’t show me a finger, a hand; I know my husband’s body from head-to-toe and they won’t let me see anything.”

The Pentagon is investigating the incident and has not released details about the exact mission of Johnson’s commando team. U.S. officials have said the joint U.S.-Niger patrol had been asked to assist a second American commando team hunting for a senior Islamic State member, who also had former ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The team had been asked to go to a location where the insurgent had last been seen and collect intelligence.

After completing that mission, the troops stopped in a village for a short time to get food and water, then left. The U.S. military believes someone in the village may have tipped off attackers to the presence of U.S. commandoes and Nigerien forces in the area, setting in motion the ambush.

Military officials told the AP that a medical examination concluded that Johnson was hit by fire from M-4 rifles — probably stolen by the insurgents — and Soviet-made heavy machine guns. It is believed he died in the attack.

The bodies of the three other U.S. Green Berets were located the day of the attack but not Johnson’s, leading to speculation that he was carried away or executed by the enemy. The other Americans killed were: Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga.

Multiple agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have reportedly been told by the Trump administration that they cannot use certain phrases in official documents.  

Officials from two HHS agencies, who asked that their names and agencies remain anonymous, told The Washington Post that they had been given a list of “forbidden” words similar to the one given to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A second HHS agency was told not to use the phrases “entitlement,” “diversity” and “vulnerable,” in documents. It was also told to use “ObamaCare” as opposed to the “Affordable Care Act” and to refer to “marketplaces,” where people purchase health insurance, as “exchanges.”

The Post’s new report builds on its Friday report that the CDC had been told it could no longer use the phrases “evidence-based” and “science-based” in documents being prepared for the 2019 budget.

The list of “forbidden” words and phrases given to policy analysts at the CDC also included “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender” and “fetus.” 

The Health and Human Services Department has pushed back on the first report. 

“The assertion that HHS has ‘banned words’ is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,” HHS spokesman Matt Lloyd told The Hill on Saturday.

“HHS will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans. HHS also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions,” the statement continued. 

According to the Post, similar guidance on word choice has been issued at the State Department. Employees at the State Department have been told to call sex education “sexual risk avoidance,” which primarily refers to abstinence-only education. 

The Trump administration has been repeatedly scrutinized for declining to acknowledge scientific findings, particularly related to climate change. Trump has also repeatedly expressed doubts about the scientific consensus that humans are the main cause of a warming planet. Numerous members of his administration and his appointees have also denied aspects of the scientific consensus related to global warming.

9:01 PM ET

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, amid allegations of workplace misconduct, announced Sunday night in a letter on the team website that he plans to put the NFL team he founded up for sale after the 2017 season.

The letter came after Sports Illustrated published a story saying the Panthers settled with at least four former employees regarding inappropriate workplace behavior by Richardson.

“I believe that it is time to turn the franchise over to new ownership,” Richardson wrote. “Therefore, I will put the team up for sale at the conclusion of this NFL season. We will not begin the sale process, nor will we entertain any inquiries, until the very last game is played.”

The SI article detailed accusations made against Richardson that include sexual harassment of multiple women and the use of a racial slur toward a scout who has since left the team.

Report: Panthers settled claims against owner

The Panthers and team owner Jerry Richardson settled claims against him that include sexual harassment of multiple women and the use of a racial slur toward a team scout, according to a report.

The NFL on Sunday announced it was taking over an investigation the Panthers announce on Friday they were conducting into the allegations.

Richardson, 81, allegedly made verbal comments about women’s appearances, inappropriately touched female employees and made advances to women that included asking whether he could shave their legs and for them to give him foot rubs.

Along with the allegation of using a racial slur that led to a settlement with the scout, SI notes comments made by Richardson about black players’ appearances and his threat to discipline players who addressed social issues.

According to SI, Richardson and the Panthers reached confidential settlements with complainants that included nondisclosure and non-disparagement clauses. The SI report describes the settlements’ value as “significant.”

Richardson was awarded the franchise in October 1993. The Panthers played their first season in 1995. Richardson previously had a plan in place that called for the team to be sold within two years of his death.

Richardson reached a deal with Charlotte officials in 2013 when the city agreed to pay $87.5 million in upgrades to Bank of America Stadium that would keep the Panthers there through June 2019.

Bruton Smith, the owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc., that owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and other tracks on the NASCAR circuit, said last year he would be interested in purchasing the team.

Forbes placed the value of the Panthers at $2.3 billion in September. Richardson and investors paid $206 million for the team in ’93.

Charlotte-based sports marketing executive Max Muhleman, who helped Richardson bring the team to the Carolinas through the sale of personal seat licenses (PSLs) that financed the stadium, was sad to hear the news the team was being sold.

“If that is his wish, he will leave one of sport’s most remarkable legacies for, hopefully, generations of Carolinas to come,” Muhleman told ESPN.com.

The Panthers are 10-4 after Sunday’s 31-24 win over Green Bay and tied with New Orleans atop the NFC South. They are only two years removed from a 15-1 2015 regular-season in which they lost Super Bowl 50 24-10 to Denver.

Carolina also reached the Super Bowl following the 2003 season, losing to New England.

Richardson’s promised when purchased the team to bring the Carolinas a Super Bowl victory. He reiterated that in the letter.

“I hope everyone in this organization, both on and off the field, will be firmly focused on just one mission: to play and win the Super Bowl,” Richardson wrote. “While I will no longer be the team owner, I will always be the Panthers Number One fan.”