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In Jan. 6 cases, 1 judge stands out as the toughest punisher
An Ohio couple climbed through a broken window of the U.S. Capitol and livestreamed a video of themselves inside. A Texas mortgage broker posed for a selfie in front of rioters breaching the building. An Indiana hair salon owner celebrated on Facebook a day after she joined the pro-Donald Trump mob.
Federal prosecutors did not seek prison time for any of them after they pleaded guilty to petty offenses for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
The judge had other ideas.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan put them all behind bars, describing it as the appropriate punishment for their participation in the riot that halted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory, sent lawmakers running for their lives and left dozens of police officers beaten and bloodied.
As the number of people sentenced for crimes in the insurrection nears 200, an Associated Press analysis of sentencing data shows that some judges are divided over how to punish the rioters, particularly for the low-level misdemeanors arising from the attack.
Brookings president resigns amid FBI foreign lobbying probe
The president of the Brookings Institution resigned Sunday amid a federal investigation into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.
Retired Gen. John Allen wrote in a letter to the think tank that he was leaving with a "heavy heart" but did not offer a direct explanation.
"I know it is best for all concerned in this moment," Allen's letter said.
A retired four-star Marine general who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Allen's announcement came less than a week after the Associated Press was first to report on new court filings that showed the FBI had seized Allen's electronic data as part of the lobbying probe.
Allen has not been charged with any crimes and, through a spokesman, has denied any wrongdoing.
French projections: Macron's centrists will keep a majority
PARIS (AP) -- French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance is expected to keep its parliamentary majority after the first round of voting Sunday, but will likely have far fewer seats than five years ago, according to projections.
Projections based on partial election results showed that at the national level, Macron's party and its allies got about 25%-26% of the vote. That was neck-and-neck with estimates for a new leftist coalition composed of hard-left, Socialists and Green party supporters. Yet Macron's candidates are projected to win in a greater number of districts than their leftist rivals, giving the president a majority.
More than 6,000 candidates, ranging in age from 18 to 92, ran Sunday for 577 seats in France's National Assembly in the first round of the election.
France's two-round voting system is complex and not proportionate to the nationwide support for a party. For races that did not have a decisive winner on Sunday, up to four candidates who got at least 12.5% support each will compete in a second round of voting on June 19.
Following Macron's reelection in May, his centrist coalition was seeking an absolute majority that would enable it to implement his campaign promises, which include tax cuts and raising France's retirement age from 62 to 65.
Ukraine hails drone operator who spied Russian armor
KOLONSCHYNA, Ukraine (AP) -- As Russian tanks and trucks rumbled close to their village, a Ukrainian teenager and his father stealthily launched their small drone into the air.
Working as a team, they took bird's-eye photos of the armored column moving toward Kyiv and pinpointed its coordinates, swiftly messaging the precious information to the Ukrainian military.
Within minutes, artillery batteries rained shells down on the invading forces, with deadly effect.
Andriy Pokrasa, 15, and his dad, Stanislav, are being hailed in Ukraine for their volunteer aerial reconnaissance work in the early days of the invasion, when Russian troops barreling in from the north made an ultimately failed attempt to take the capital and bring the country to its knees.
For a full week after the Feb. 24 invasion, the pair made repeated sorties with their drone -- risking capture or worse had Russian troops been aware of their snooping.
#ChurchToo revelations growing, years after movement began
A withering report on sexual abuse and cover-up in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
A viral video in which a woman confronts her pastor at an independent Christian church for sexually preying on her when she was a teen.
A TV documentary exposing sex abuse of children in Amish and Mennonite communities.
You might call it #ChurchToo 2.0.
Survivors of sexual assault in church settings and their advocates have been calling on churches for years to admit the extent of abuse in their midst and to implement reforms. In 2017 that movement acquired the hashtag #ChurchToo, derived from the wider #MeToo movement, which called out sexual predators in many sectors of society.
Phoenix hits record as scorching heat grips the Southwest
Record high temperatures hit or were poised to land Saturday in California and Arizona as dangerous heat swept over the American Southwest.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix reported a temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius), tying the record high for the date set back in 1918.
Meanwhile temperatures in several inland areas of California reached triple digits by the afternoon, with a high of 123 F (50 C) expected in Death Valley.
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were issued for parts of Northern California through the Central Valley and down to the southeastern deserts.
The National Weather Service also predicted 114 F (46 C) in Palm Springs and temperatures around 100F (38 C) across the San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento area.
Heat was expected to extend to inland portions of the San Francisco Bay Area but most of the California coastal zones remained free of heat advisories.
The scorching heat in Northern California was expected to subside Saturday evening. Heat advisories in parts of Southern California were extended through Sunday.
Meteorologists warned of very high "heat risk" in south-central Arizona through the weekend. The high temperatures were likely to approach record-breaking territory -- anywhere between 110 F (43 C) and 115 F (46 C). They have urged the public to limit outdoor activities.
Las Vegas, parts of New Mexico and Texas also will see triple-digits.
Heat is part of the normal routine of summertime in the desert, but weather forecasters say that doesn't mean people should feel at ease. Excessive heat causes more deaths in the U.S. than other weather-related disasters, including hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.
Scientists say more frequent and intense heat waves are likely in the future because of climate change and a deepening drought.