American, Italian hostages killed in US drone strike
WASHINGTON (AP) — An American and an Italian held hostage by al-Qaida, as well as two Americans working with the terror group, were inadvertently killed by U.S. drone strikes earlier this year, the government revealed Thursday. President Barack Obama said he took “full responsibility” for the counterterror missions and offered his “grief and condolences” to the families of the hostages.
Ex-CIA chief will be sentenced for leaking military secrets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former CIA Director David Petraeus, whose career was destroyed by an extramarital affair with his biographer, was expected to be sentenced Thursday in federal court in Charlotte for giving her classified material while she was working on the book. Petraeus will appear at the sentencing, which comes two months after he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.
Impoverished Africans sail to Europe despite the deadly toll
NIAKHAR, Senegal (AP) — Some sea voyages took Senegalese fisherman Samba Ngom away for up to three weeks at a time, but eventually he began dreaming of going further, to a place where he could make more money in a month than most compatriots make in a year. He and his brother Diam, who was also involved in the fishing industry, set off in separate overloaded wooden boats bound for Spain. On the seventh day, Samba arrived in Spain. On the 10th day, the phone rang: Diam was dead.
EU leaders commit ships, aid for action on Med migrants
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders on Thursday started committing new resources to save lives in the Mediterranean at an emergency summit convened after hundreds of migrants drowned in the space of a few days, and discussed action to destroy vessels that could be used for trafficking. “First and foremost now, we have to save lives and take the right measures to do so,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she arrived.
Report: Alarm at G.H.W. Bush home broken for 13 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — The alarm at former President George H.W. Bush’s Texas home was broken for at least 13 months before the Secret Service fixed it, according to a report released Thursday by the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general. Inspector General John Roth said Secret Service agents assigned to protect Bush noticed a failure in the alarm system at the former president’s Houston home in September 2013. A temporary alarm wasn’t installed until April 2014.
Few vets getting care through $10 billion VA program
NEW YORK (AP) — A new program that was supposed to get patients off waiting lists at Veterans Affairs medical centers by letting them switch to private-sector doctors is proving to be an even bigger disappointment than initially thought. The Veteran’s Choice program launched on Nov. 5 with $10 billion in funding and the expectation that it would instantly relieve backlogs at VA hospitals and clinics. But after a hurried rollout that has led to confusion as to exactly who is eligible and what they need to do to coordinate treatment, officials now say only 37,648 medical appointments have been made through April 11.
Arizona sheriff drops tough-talking persona on the stand
PHOENIX (AP) — The self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” will return to the stand in federal court Thursday after the Arizona lawman delivered unusually meek responses to questions about why he defied a judge’s orders to stop carrying out his signature immigration patrols. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio testified Wednesday that he accepts responsibility for disobeying a 2011 order in a racial profiling case, but he repeatedly said he delegated its enforcement to his lawyers and staff.
Some officers looking to body cameras on their own
NEW RICHMOND, Ohio (AP) — The dramatic body camera video shows the slaying suspect charging at the officer, screaming — pleading, even — for him to open fire. “Shoot me!” yells Michael Wilcox to the backpedaling officer, who keeps the suspect at bay until he ultimately surrenders when backup arrives.
Passenger: Shortness of breath on flight diverted to Buffalo
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A passenger on the SkyWest airlines flight to Connecticut that made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday described a lack of air in the cabin and shortness of breath as others on board lost consciousness. The flight, carrying 75 passengers, departed from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and had been bound for Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo at about 11:40 a.m.
For asylum seekers, a novel (and odd) solution: Cambodia
BANGKOK (AP) — Still haunted by the Vietnam War next door and the 1970s genocide that followed, Cambodia is not exactly the place that the world’s refugees dream of reaching. Plagued by poverty, corruption and human rights abuses, it has been run by a strongman prime minister who has held power for 30 years. It’s a nation where medical care outside main cities is nonexistent, where decent jobs are so scarce that more than 800,000 of its own people have left to find work abroad.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
