Regional News Briefs — Aug. 3, 2017

By MAURICIO SAVARESE SAO PAULO (AP) — Two explosions on Wednesday outside Brazil’s Supreme Court killed a man and forced the justices and staff to evacuate the building in the capital of Brasilia. The court said in a statement that two very strong blasts were heard at about 7:30 p.m. local time, shortly after Wednesday’s session finished.

By DAVID KLEPPER WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into U. S. telecommunications networks has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics, the FBI said Wednesday. Hackers affiliated with Beijing have compromised the networks of “multiple” telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals,” according to a joint statement issued by the FBI and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The FBI did not identify any of the individuals targeted by the hackers but said most of them “are primarily involved in government or political activity.” The hackers also sought to copy “certain information that was subject to U.

By MARC LEVY HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U. S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is headed for a statewide recount, as counties continued Wednesday to sort through outstanding ballots and the campaigns jousted over which ones should count. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick last week, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. A noon deadline passed Wednesday for Casey to waive his right to a statewide recount and Democratic Gov.

By MEG KINNARD In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump is looking to install a fierce loyalist who has been seen as divisive even within his own party. Not one of the top names seen as a likely pick for the job, Gaetz’s selection was first pushed out on Trump’s social media network instead of a more formal announcement from his transition team as with most of his choices. Here are some things to know about Gaetz. He’s had legal issues of his own The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. In June, the committee gave an unusual public update on its review, which it said also included whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. The committee announced that it was no longer reviewing four other allegations involving the congressman, including that he shared inappropriate images or videos with colleagues on the House floor or that he accepted a bribe or converted campaign funds to personal use. Gaetz has categorically denied all the allegations, which he has blamed on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a longtime nemesis, though the probe began before McCarthy and Republicans took the majority in the House. In 2023, the Justice Department ended a sex trafficking investigation with no charges against Gaetz. He’s been loyal to Trump and echoed his attacks on the ‘deep state’ Having just won his fifth term representing much of the Florida Panhandle, Gaetz, 42, has been a frequent defender of Trump on cable news. He traveled to New York earlier this year when Trump stood trial in his hush money case.

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins don’t have much wiggle room in their eight-game sprint to try to make the playoffs. But the Dolphins (3-6) host Las Vegas (2-7) on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium and they should win. In fact, conventional wisdom says this will be win No. 2 in a three-game winning streak that will boost the Dolphins’ record to 5-6 before their Thanksgiving game at Green Bay (the Dolphins host New England next week). Clearly the Dolphins aren’t good enough to overlook any opponent this season.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith asked a court Wednesday to pause prosecutors’ appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican’s presidential victory. Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in Washington before Trump takes office because of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. The case accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate had been seen as the most legally clear-cut of the four indictments against Trump, given the breadth of evidence that prosecutors say they had accumulated.