COLU @ CONCEPTS

Mississippi football coach Hugh Freeze resigned Thursday after university officials found a “pattern of personal misconduct” that started with the school’s investigation into a call to an escort service. Freeze’s resignation brings a stunning end to a five-year tenure that saw a Sugar Bowl victory, but also a wide-ranging NCAA investigation into rules violations. His ultimate downfall came after school officials investigated Freeze’s phone records and found misconduct. “In our analysis, we discovered a pattern of conduct that is not consistent with our expectations as the leader of our football program,” athletic director Ross Bjork said. “As of yesterday, there appeared to be a concerning pattern.” Bjork said the school’s investigation started last week after an outside Freedom of Information request revealed a concerning phone call that lasted less than a minute. The school then looked into the rest of his phone records and found more problems. Bjork said Freeze “admitte...

NEW YORK (AP) — AlphaBay, the  now-shuttered online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods, wasn’t all that different from any other e-commerce site, court documents show. Not only did it work hard to match buyers and sellers and to stamp out fraud, it offered dispute-resolution services when things went awry and kept a public-relations manager to promote the site to new users. Of course, AlphaBay was no eBay. It went to great lengths to hide the identities of its vendors and customers, and it promoted money-laundering services to mask the flow of bitcoin and other digital currencies from prying eyes. Such “darknet” sites operate in an anonymity-friendly internet netherworld that’s inaccessible to ordinary browsers. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering just how they really work, a  U.S. criminal case  unveiled Thursday offers an eye-opening look. ___ WHAT IS ALPHABAY? U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions...

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — She had no body to bury, so the grieving mother kneeled in the dirt outside her small hut, recited psalms and simply traced her finger over the uneven earth. It was December 2015, a year after Nyayan Koang’s boy was abducted by government soldiers at the age of just 14 to fight in South Sudan’s army. Now Koang was told that her James was dead, from a gunshot to his leg. She was so broken, she could hardly move. She invited just a few close friends, relatives and priests to the funeral. But people from across town poured in anyway to pay their respects to the mother of the fallen soldier, yet another casualty in a bitter civil war that has left more than 50,000 people dead. “We were all crying,” Koang said. “I didn’t believe he was gone.” It would take almost two years for Koang to discover that she was right — her son was alive. James was one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan, which has more child soldiers than any other c...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Friday urged North Korea to accept its offers for talks as Pyongyang continued to ignore Seoul’s proposal for a military meeting to ease animosities along their tense border. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it has become difficult to hold the meeting Seoul had originally proposed for Friday and called for the North to “quickly accept” the overture for talks. “Easing the military tension between the South and North and restoring the military dialogue channel are very urgent tasks for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry said in a statement. North Korea has yet to respond to South Korea’s proposal to hold the military meeting and a separate meeting next month to resume the temporary reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. If realized, the talks would be the first inter-Korean dialogue since December 2015. Ties between the Koreas have worsened since over North Korea’s expanding nuclear and mi...

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian army and members of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group have launched a major ground offensive in a border area between the two countries. Government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reports that military operations began Friday from two fronts on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and the Syrian village of Fleeta. The offensive was widely expected after negotiations with militants to leave the area failed over the past days. The region is a stronghold of Syria’s al-Qaida’s branch, known as Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group and the Levant People’s Brigades. Video released by SCMM shows Hezbollah’s artillery pounding militant positions. It was not immediately clear if the Lebanese army is taking part in the battles from the Lebanese side of the border. Source: www.apnews.com 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team, three people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The revelations come as Mueller’s investigation appears likely to probe some of the Trump family’s business ties. Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president’s external legal team, told The Associated Press that the lawyers “will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.” Two people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Mueller’s investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the president’s personal business ties. Mueller and congressional committees are investigating whether the president’s campaign coordinated ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The art of humiliation appears to be a key operating principle for President Donald Trump, and his remarks about Attorney General Jeff Sessions are the latest example of the ease with which the president is willing to air grievances about members of his team. Trump took on Sessions in an interview Wednesday with The New York Times, criticizing the former U.S. senator and early Trump campaign supporter for recusing himself from the FBI investigation into possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump called Sessions’ decision to step aside “very unfair to the president” and added that he would have chosen someone else to lead the Justice Department if he’d had any inkling that Sessions would take such a step. Sessions, who said Thursday he has no plans to resign, has plenty of administration company to compare notes with. A look at other team members and supporters Trump has taken shots at: JAMES COMEY Trump fired Comey as head of the FBI o...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The art of humiliation appears to be a key operating principle for President Donald Trump, and his remarks about Attorney General Jeff Sessions are the latest example of the ease with which the president is willing to air grievances about members of his team. Trump took on Sessions in an interview Wednesday with The New York Times, criticizing the former U.S. senator and early Trump campaign supporter for recusing himself from the FBI investigation into possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump called Sessions’ decision to step aside “very unfair to the president” and added that he would have chosen someone else to lead the Justice Department if he’d had any inkling that Sessions would take such a step. Sessions, who said Thursday he has no plans to resign, has plenty of administration company to compare notes with. A look at other team members and supporters Trump has taken shots at: JAMES COMEY Trump fired Comey as head of the FBI o...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The art of humiliation appears to be a key operating principle for President Donald Trump, and his remarks about Attorney General Jeff Sessions are the latest example of the ease with which the president is willing to air grievances about members of his team. Trump took on Sessions in an interview Wednesday with The New York Times, criticizing the former U.S. senator and early Trump campaign supporter for recusing himself from the FBI investigation into possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump called Sessions’ decision to step aside “very unfair to the president” and added that he would have chosen someone else to lead the Justice Department if he’d had any inkling that Sessions would take such a step. Sessions, who said Thursday he has no plans to resign, has plenty of administration company to compare notes with. A look at other team members and supporters Trump has taken shots at: JAMES COMEY Trump fired Comey as head of the FBI o...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The art of humiliation appears to be a key operating principle for President Donald Trump, and his remarks about Attorney General Jeff Sessions are the latest example of the ease with which the president is willing to air grievances about members of his team. Trump took on Sessions in an interview Wednesday with The New York Times, criticizing the former U.S. senator and early Trump campaign supporter for recusing himself from the FBI investigation into possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump called Sessions’ decision to step aside “very unfair to the president” and added that he would have chosen someone else to lead the Justice Department if he’d had any inkling that Sessions would take such a step. Sessions, who said Thursday he has no plans to resign, has plenty of administration company to compare notes with. A look at other team members and supporters Trump has taken shots at: JAMES COMEY Trump fired Comey as head of the FBI o...