PEMBROKE, N.C. (AP) — Members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are awaiting the release of a Department of the Interior report that could light a path for federal recognition as a tribal nation. President Donald Trump issued a memo in January directing the department to create a plan to “assist the Lumbee Tribe in obtaining full Federal recognition through legislation or other available mechanisms, including the right to receive full Federal benefits.” The deadline for the plan is Wednesday. The Lumbee since the 1980s have had a difficult time convincing the federal government, members of Congress and some federally-recognized tribes that their claims to Native ancestry are legitimate.… Continue Reading