Grassley Says FBI Doesn’t Need to Investigate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her decades ago (all times local): 12:10 p.m. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley says the FBI does not need to look into the sexual-assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because Republicans…

Florence Death Toll Climbs to 37; Trump Visits Stricken Area

WILMINGTON, NC (AP) — The death toll from Hurricane Florence climbed to at least 37, including two mental health patients who drowned when a sheriff’s van was swept away by floodwaters, and North Carolina’s governor pleaded with thousands of evacuees not to return home just yet. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, arrived in storm-ravaged North Carolina…

Trump says ‘hard’ to Imagine Kavanaugh did Wrong

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her decades ago (all times local): 10:05 a.m. President Donald Trump says “we’ll have to make a decision” if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual-assault accuser “makes a credible showing” before the Senate Judiciary Committee.…

Ford: FBI Should Investigate Kavanaugh Claim Before Hearing

By ALAN FRAM and LISA MASCARO ,  WASHINGTON (AP) — Christine Blasey Ford wants the FBI to investigate her allegation that she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before she testifies at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing next week, her lawyers said in a letter to the panel. The lawyers wrote that Ford,…

Trump Feels ‘Terribly’ For Kavanaugh; Dems Want FBI Probe

By ALAN FRAM and LISA MASCARO , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump showered sympathy Tuesday on Brett Kavanaugh, his embattled Supreme Court nominee who is accused of sexual assault, as Senate Republicans and Democrats fought determinedly over who should testify at a high-stakes hearing on the allegation just six weeks before major…

Putin Seeks to Defuse Downing of Russian Plane Off Syria

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, killing all 15 people aboard, in what President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday was “a chain of tragic accidental circumstances.” The downing of the Il-20 highlighted the dangers posed by the conflicting interests of various powers in the…

Wilmington Isle: Food, Water Handouts Set In Isolated City

By CHUCK BURTON and MARTHA WAGGONER , Associated Press WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — With one of North Carolina’s largest cities still mostly cut off by floodwaters from Hurricane Florence, officials prepared to begin distributing food, water and tarps to Wilmington residents as yet more people were rescued from submerged inland neighborhoods. Workers will begin handing…

President Trump Declassifies Documents Related To FBI Russia Probe

By CHAD DAY , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday declassified a trove of documents related to the early days of the FBI’s Russia investigation, including portions of a secret surveillance warrant and former FBI Director James Comey’s text messages. Trump made the extraordinary move in response to calls from his…