Obama to cut short European trip to travel to Dallas early next week

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will cut short European trip and visit Dallas early next week, at the invitation of the mayor, in the wake of the shootings that killed five officers and left others wounded, the White House announced Friday.

"The president will return to Washington on Sunday night – one day earlier than planned," the White House statement said. Obama met with NATO counterparts and is to travel to Spain this weekend to meet with officials there and U.S. troops.  He had planned to stop in Seville, Spain, but is now canceling that trip.

"The president has accepted an invitation from Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to travel to Dallas early next week," the White House said.

"Later in the week, at the White House, the president will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system. We’ll have more details about next week’s activities as soon as they are available."