American, Italian hostages killed in US drone strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — Blaming the “fog of war,” President Barack Obama revealed Thursday that U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan inadvertently killed an American and an Italian, two hostages held by al-Qaida, as well as two other Americans who had leadership roles with the terror network. Obama somberly said he took full responsibility for the January CIA strikes and regretted the deaths of hostages Warren Weinstein of Rockville, Maryland, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian aid worker. The president cast the incident as a tragic consequence of the special difficulties of the fight against terrorists.

Petraeus sentenced to 2 years’ probation for military leak

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former CIA Director David Petraeus, whose career was destroyed by an extramarital affair with his biographer, was sentenced Thursday to two years’ probation and fined $100,000 for giving her classified material while she was working on the book. The sentencing came two months after he agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.

Loretta Lynch wins confirmation as attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — Loretta Lynch won confirmation as the nation’s first black woman attorney general Thursday from a Senate that forced her to wait more than five months for the title and remained divided to the end. The 56-43 vote installs Lynch, now U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, at the Justice Department to replace Eric Holder. Holder has served in the job throughout the Obama administration, becoming a lightning rod for conservatives who perceived him as overly political and liberal, and even getting held in contempt of Congress.

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.

Rough ride? Lawyer says fatally injured arrestee lacked belt

BALTIMORE (AP) — No video captured what happened to Freddie Gray inside the police van where officers heaved him into a metal compartment after pinning him to a sidewalk. The cause of the fatal spinal injury he suffered in custody has not been revealed. But a troubling detail emerged as protesters converged on Baltimore’s City Hall Thursday: He was not only handcuffed and put in leg irons, but left without a seat belt, according to a police union’s lawyer.

Arizona sheriff describes investigation into judge’s wife

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio dropped a bombshell in court Thursday when he said his former lawyer had hired a private investigator to look into the wife of the federal judge presiding over a contempt of court case against the sheriff. The hearing took the strange turn after Arpaio had finished his testimony and Judge Murray Snow began asking him questions, including whether the sheriff was investigating his family.

Michael Brown’s parents file lawsuit against Ferguson

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Michael Brown’s parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson on Thursday, opening a new chapter in the legal battle over the shooting that killed their son and sparked a national protest movement about the way police treat blacks. Attorneys for Brown’s parents promised the case would bring to light new forensic evidence and raise doubts about the police version of events. Some of that evidence, they said, had been overlooked in previous investigations.

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.

Profiles of 4 killed by drones: aid workers, terror suspects

WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at the lives of four men — two Western hostages and two American terror suspects — who were killed by CIA drone strikes in Pakistan. The American and Italian aid workers were killed inadvertently in a drone attack targeting al-Qaida in January, U.S. officials said.

Rubber dinghies, old fishing boats feed Europe migrant rush

MADRID (AP) — The hottest commodity in the saga of migrants risking death to reach European shores: decrepit wooden fishing boats. And Italy is asking the United States to supply drones that can identify them before they’re packed with refugees and sent across the Mediterranean. Anticipating every European move, however, the nimble smugglers are turning now to a newer, cheaper and more dangerous tactic — launching rubber dinghies crammed with migrants that sometimes start deflating even before they reach Italy.