Former US Presidential Candidate George McGovern Dies

George McGovern, a former U.S. lawmaker best known for a devastating defeat in the 1972 presidential election, has died. McGovern passed away at age 90 on Sunday in his native South Dakota. Family members say he had been suffering from a “combination of medical conditions.”

McGovern served terms as a Democratic Congressman and a Senator between 1957 and 1981.

In 1972, he campaigned on a platform opposing the Vietnam war as he challenged then-President Richard Nixon. He suffered one of the most severe defeats in a U.S. presidential election, winning a majority of votes in only one of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia.

In a 2006 interview, McGovern said his views on the Vietnam War were shaped by the time he spent as a World-War-Two combat pilot.

“I came out of that war, especially after the atomic bomb was set off — destroying two great cities in Japan — with the feeling that we have got to do something to halt this kind of barbaric enterprise. So, I think almost from the end of World War Two, I have been doing what I can to settle our disputes with other countries, where possible, without going to war.”

McGovern said he saw parallels between the Vietnam War and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“I think it was a great mistake to go into Vietnam, a country that was no threat to the United States and wanted nothing much other than to be recognized as a legitimate government. It was a mistake to go into Iraq, another country that was no threat to us and had nothing to do with the 9-11 attack. Our leaders, some of them, seem to think we are fighting terrorism in Iraq. I think we're causing it.”

In later life, McGovern served as a lecturer, teacher and the U.N. Global Ambassador on World Hunger.

President Barack Obama called McGovern a “statesman of great conscience and conviction.” Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they were deeply saddened to learn of their friend's passing and that “we must continue to draw inspiration from his example and build the world he fought for.”

US Representative Donald Payne Dead at 77

Representative Donald Payne, the U.S. state of New Jersey's first black congressman, and a dedicated advocate for democracy in Africa, has died after a battle with colon cancer.

Sources close to the 77-year-old Payne say he died Tuesday at a New Jersey hospital. Payne announced last month that he was undergoing cancer treatment.

The Democratic lawmaker had held his congressional seat since 1988 and was elected to a twelfth term in 2010.

Payne was well-known for his work on African issues, serving as ranking member of the House subcommittee on Africa and previously, chairman.

Payne visited the African continent many times for foreign affairs matters. During a visit to Somalia in April 2009, insurgents fired mortar shells toward the Mogadishu airport as he was departing the capital city by plane.

Payne left the airport safely, but there were civilian injuries from the mortar fire.

Payne had been in Somalia to meet with the president and prime minister on piracy, security and cooperation.

About a month later, he led a fast for Sudan's Darfur region, calling on Congress and the Obama administration to increase opposition to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whom he accused of “unspeakable atrocities.”

In 2004, Payne helped win passage of a resolution declaring the killing in Darfur genocide, and he also authored the Sudan Peace Act, facilitating famine relief efforts.

Payne also was a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and headed the group's nonprofit foundation.