Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos
PHOENIX (AP) - A federal judge has ruled that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people. The decision by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow in Phoenix backs up years of allegations from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's critics who say his officers violate the constitutional rights of Latinos in relying on race in their immigration enforcement.

'Friend' of suspect in UK slaying arrested
LONDON (AP) - Counterterrorism police are questioning a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two men suspected of the savage killing of a British soldier. Abu Nusaybah was arrested following a BBC interview in which he said Adebolajo had changed after returning from a visit to Kenya where he claimed he had been physically and sexually abused in detention.

Syria regime unleashes artillery barrage on Qusair
BEIRUT (AP) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad unleashed on Saturday their heaviest artillery and rocket barrage in a week-long battle to dislodge rebels from a strategic western town, activists said. Pro-Assad troops, including fighters from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, have been trying to push rebels out of Qusair. They have gained ground, but rebels have clung to some positions.

16 children, 1 teacher dead in Pakistan bus fire
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - Police say that a teacher was among the 17 burned to death in eastern Pakistan when a minibus taking children to school suddenly caught fire. Police earlier said that all 17 who died in the Saturday morning blaze in Gujrat, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of Islamabad, were children aged between 6 and 12.

Improving economy alters political landscape
WASHINGTON (AP) - Alleged misbehavior by the Internal Revenue Service and other federal agencies gives the GOP something else to talk about and investigate as the economy clearly, if slowly, recovers on President Barack Obama's watch and robs Republicans of a central argument against Democrats. Amid a series of recent positive economic reports, the GOP is revving up its portrayal of the Obama administration as scandal-ridden and inept, while largely abandoning the party's where-is-the-recovery criticism.

No quick fix for downed bridge on holiday weekend
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - Washington state officials are scrambling to find a temporary fix for a bridge that collapsed on an important interstate highway and, incredibly, left just three motorists with injuries. Whatever the solution, it won't come in time to help with Memorial Day's highway hoards. Transportation experts are also working to find out whether the spectacular disintegration of the heavily used span over the Skagit River, 60 miles north of Seattle, was a fluke or a sign of a bigger problem.

Kerry makes sub-Saharan Africa visit
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Making his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday demanded that Nigeria respect human rights as it cracks down on Islamist extremists and pledged to work hard in the coming months to ease tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. Kerry, attending the African Union's 50th anniversary, backed the Nigerian government's efforts to root out Boko Haram, an al-Qaida-linked radical sect. But he said there is no excuse for abuses by armed forces in Nigeria's long neglected north, where President Goodluck Jonathan has declared emergency rule.

After vote on gay youth, Scouts face more turmoil
The Boy Scouts of America will get no reprieve from controversy after a contentious vote to accept openly gay boys as Scouts. Dismayed conservatives are already looking at alternative youth groups as they predict a mass exodus from the BSA. Gay-rights supporters vowed Friday to maintain pressure on the Scouts to end the still-in-place ban on gay adults serving as leaders.

Angel Flight crashes in NY, 2 killed, 1 missing
EPHRATAH, N.Y. (AP) - The crash of a volunteer Angel Flight in upstate New York that killed at least two people is under investigation, and the search for the missing pilot is ongoing, authorities said. Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey said the flight's two passengers were found dead near where the twin-engine plane crashed in a wooded area in Ephratah, about an hour west of Albany. He said the search for the pilot will continue Saturday morning. Officials did not immediately identify the passengers or pilot.

Pacers steal Game 2 from Heat, 97-93
MIAMI (AP) - David West punched two passes from LeBron James away in the final minute, then punched the air. He had plenty of reason to celebrate.