Sessions to appear before Senate committee

Sessions to appear before Senate committee

WASHINGTON

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whose contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential campaign have sparked questions, agreed Saturday to appear before the Senate intelligence committee as it investigates alleged Russian meddling in the election.

Sessions recused himself in March from a federal investigation into contacts between Russia and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump after acknowledging that he had met twice last year with the Russian ambassador to the United States. He had told lawmakers at his January confirmation hearing that he had not met with Russians during the campaign.

Sessions has been dogged by questions about possible additional encounters with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Former FBI Director James Comey raised additional questions at a hearing Thursday, saying that the FBI expected Sessions to recuse himself weeks before he actually did. Comey declined to elaborate in an open setting.

Pentagon: 3 US soldiers killed, in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.

An Afghan official said the deaths and injury stem from an attack by an Afghan soldier, who also died.

In a statement from Washington, the Pentagon didn’t provide details about what led to the deaths of the U.S. soldiers. It said the incident was under investigation.

A spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar province, Attahullah Khogyani, said in a statement that the attack took place in the Achin district.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says in a statement that a Taliban loyalist had infiltrated the Afghan army “just to attack foreign forces.”

Geese dump droppings on Disneyland guests

ANAHEIM, Calif.

Disneyland visitors got more adventure than they bargained for when a flock of geese let go in flight, fouling the guests.

Anaheim police and fire officials say 17 people, including six children, were hit by bird droppings Friday night.

A hazardous materials team was sent to Main Street near the Sleeping Beauty Castle after a report that feces had been thrown on people.

It was quickly determined the real culprit was a flock of geese flying overhead.

Authorities say the smeared visitors were taken to a private restroom to clean up and were given clean clothes.

Police reported that the guests were “healthy and happy” after the event.

Pittsburgh firefighters to get arson dog next year

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire is getting a new investigator next year – one with four legs and a keen sense of smell – to help firefighters sniff out suspicious blazes.

Officials say the bureau will be getting an arson dog with the aid of a scholarship from insurance company State Farm. The dog will be trained in April 2018 in Concord, N.H.

The “accelerant detection dog” will be trained to distinguish between scents at a fire scene and detect accelerants on property and people.

Associated Press