October 18, 201712:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — The mother of an Army sergeant killed in Niger said Wednesday that President Donald Trump, in a call offering condolences, showed "disrespect" to the soldier's loved ones as they drove to the airport to meet his body. Trump, engulfed in controversy over the appropriate way for presidents to show compassion for slain soldiers, strongly disputed that account.

October 18, 201712:28 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday strongly defended President Donald Trump's firing of James Comey, linking the FBI director's abrupt dismissal to his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation. But he refused to discuss any private conversations he had with the president leading up to Comey's firing and would not say if he had discussed with the president an FBI investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.

October 18, 20171:54 PM ET

EDGEWOOD, Md. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a Maryland office park on Wednesday morning, killing three co-workers and wounding two others, authorities and the business owner said.

October 18, 20172:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Attorney General Jeff Sessions' appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee (all times local):