Girl weighed as much as apple

SAN DIEGO -- When she was born, the baby girl weighed about the same as an apple. A San Diego hospital on Wednesday revealed the birth of the girl and said she is believed to be the world's tiniest surviving micro-preemie, who weighed just 8.6 ounces when she was born in December. The girl was born 23 weeks and three days into her mother's 40-week pregnancy. Doctors told her father after the birth that he would have about an hour with his daughter before she died. "But that hour turned into two hours, which turned into a day, which turned into a week," the mother said in a video released by Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. More than five months have passed, and she has gone home as a healthy infant, weighing 5 pounds. The baby's family gave permission to share the story but wanted to stay anonymous, the hospital said. They allowed the girl to go by the name that nurses called her: "Saybie." Her ranking as the world's smallest baby ever to survive is according to the Tiniest Baby Registry maintained by the University of Iowa. The hospital said the girl officially weighed 7 grams less than the previous tiniest baby, who was born in Germany in 2015.

The big flag might stay

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Maybe television's "The Profit" won't have to make business deals behind bars after all.

Marcus Lemonis, star of CNBC's so-named reality television show, had said Wednesday that he would go to jail before he'd remove an enormous flag that flies at a recreational vehicle store in violation of the city of Statesville's size ordinance. But later in the day, the city said in a news release that its leaders will consider a change that would allow the flag displayed at Gander RV along Interstate 77 to continue flying. Mayor Costi Kutteh said the matter should be resolved at the council's meeting on July 15. But that's not enough for Lemonis, who's the chief executive officer of Camping World, which owns Gander. He wants no restrictions on the size of an American flag, provided neither it nor its pole poses a safety hazard for people or air travel. "I don't think there should be any ordinance of any kind regulating the size of the American flag" unless it poses a hazard, he said. The flag in question, which measures 40 feet by 80 feet on a 130-foot flagpole, is in Statesville, North Carolina. The city had sued the company because city code limits flags to 25 feet by 40 feet. Before the city's change of heart, Lemonis had said that he understands that Gander RV isn't complying with the city's ordinance -- but he said the flag would stay even if he's jailed for contempt of court. "I would prefer not to (go to jail)," he said. "It's not a super-favorable outcome. But that's how big a line in the sand this is for me."

Feds repay $13.4M to team

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings say the U.S. government is repaying the basketball team $13.4 million that a former official stole to buy luxury beachfront homes. The team announced Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department is providing full restitution. The government is using money it got from selling the homes purchased by Jeff David, the Kings' former chief revenue officer. David diverted money that Golden 1 Credit Union and Kaiser Permanente paid to the team for stadium naming rights and sponsorship deals. David pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He's scheduled for sentencing next month and could face up to 20 years in prison, but prosecutors are expected to ask for 8.5 years.

Bat hiding between iPad, case

SOUTH HAMPTON, N.H. -- A man got a big surprise as he went to close up his iPad. A bat was wedged between the back of the device and its cover and bit his finger. Roy Syvertson said it felt like a bee sting at first. When he realized he was dealing with a bat, he pressed down on the cover to keep it from flying away. The 86-year-old managed to get the bat outside but later found him dead. It turned out that the bat was rabid. Syvertson went to the hospital for rabies treatments. When asked how the bat got into his house and iPad case last week, Syvertson had a ready-made response. He quipped: "My joke of, 'He probably knew my password,' won't last forever."

Trump gives warning to Iran

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- President Donald Trump's national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a "very strong response" from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn't "looking to hurt Iran at all." John Bolton's comments are the latest amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran that have been playing out in the Middle East. Bolton spoke to journalists in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which only days earlier saw former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warn there that "unilateralism will not work" in confronting the Islamic Republic. The dueling approaches highlight the divide over Iran within American politics. The U.S. has accused Tehran of being behind a string of incidents this month, including the alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the Emirati coast, a rocket strike near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and a coordinated drone attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

Actor loses MTV awards bid

LOS ANGELES -- MTV on Wednesday cut Jason Mitchell from contention at next month's MTV Movie & TV Awards following reports of alleged misconduct by "The Chi" actor. MTV said in a statement Mitchell was removed as a nominee for best performance in a show in light of recent developments. The channel did not expand on the statement. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Mitchell has been dropped from Showtime's "The Chi" after he was fired in late April from the upcoming Netflix movie "Desperado." The trade paper reported that Mitchell's agent, manager and lawyer cut ties with him after he was dropped from "The Chi." In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, "The Chi" showrunner Ayanna Floyd said there were multiple human resources complaints against Mitchell, including one she filed against the actor, after she became what she described as "a target of his rage and inappropriateness." Mitchell drew critical acclaim for his work in the 2015 film "Straight Outta Compton" and in 2017's "Mudbound." He played Brandon Johnson in "The Chi's" first and second seasons, the latter airing now.

Mueller: did not exonerate Trump

WASHINGTON -- Special counsel Robert Mueller said Wednesday that charging President Donald Trump with a crime was "not an option" because of federal rules, but he used his first public remarks on the Russia investigation to emphasize that he did not exonerate the president. "If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so," Mueller declared. The special counsel's remarks stood as a pointed rebuttal to Trump's repeated claims that he was cleared and that the two-year inquiry was merely a "witch hunt." They also marked a counter to criticism, including by Attorney General William Barr, that Mueller should have reached a determination on whether the president illegally tried to obstruct the probe by taking actions such as firing his FBI director. Mueller made clear that his team never considered indicting Trump because the Justice Department prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president. "Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider," Mueller said during a televised statement . He said he believed such an action would be unconstitutional.

Body believed to be Utah girl

SALT LAKE CITY -- A body believed to be a missing 5-year-old Utah girl was found Wednesday less than a block from her home, bringing a wide-ranging search to a grim close five days after the child was taken from her home and killed by her uncle, police said. The body believed to be Elizabeth "Lizzy" Shelley was found hidden under trees and brush after 21-year-old Alex Whipple told his lawyer where he had hidden her, Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen said. The discovery came hours after Whipple was charged with murder and other counts. He provided the map in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table, Jensen said. Jensen said the discovery was disappointing but "nevertheless is closure and helps us be able to now deal with the investigation and help the family through their grief." In a statement read by a victim's advocate, the girl's mother Jessica Whipple said: "There are not words to express the sadness and heartbreak we feel today. This did not end the way we wanted to do but in the sadness we are comforted by the effort people put in to find Lizzy. We would never have expected this outpouring of love and support. It was beautiful."

Louisiana OKs abortion ban

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday passed a strict new abortion ban that would prohibit the procedure before some women even know they are pregnant, joining a half-dozen conservative states with similar measures. In a 79-23 vote, the Louisiana House gave final passage to a bill barring abortion once there's a detectable fetal heartbeat, as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Gov. John Bel Edwards, the Deep South's only Democratic governor, supports the ban and intends to sign it into law despite opposition from national party leaders who say such laws are attacks on women. "I know there are many who feel just as strongly as I do on abortion and disagree with me -- and I respect their opinions," Edwards said in a statement after the ban's passage. "As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone."

Pilot pleaded for training

NEW YORK -- Just days after a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max nosedived in Indonesia and killed all 189 people aboard, an Ethiopian Airlines pilot began pleading with his bosses for more training on the Max, warning that crews could easily be overwhelmed in a crisis and that one of their planes could be the next to go down. "We are asking for trouble," veteran pilot Bernd Kai von Hoesslin wrote in a December email obtained by The Associated Press, adding that if several alarms go off in the cockpit at once, "it will be a crash for sure." That prediction proved all too accurate. What Ethiopian Airlines did in response to his warnings is unclear, and whether it made any difference is a matter of dispute. But within weeks, an Ethiopian Max indeed went down, killing all 157 people on board. It slammed into the ground amid a flurry of alarms as the pilots struggled to control a malfunction in the automatic anti-stall system. While the anti-stall system has gotten most of the scrutiny in the two Max crashes five months apart that have led to a worldwide grounding of the planes, the concerns raised by von Hoesslin have added to a debate on the role pilot error played, and whether Ethiopian's pilots were as prepared as they could have been to avert disaster.

D-Day memories come alive

WASHINGTON -- Seventy-five years ago, Hollywood director George Stevens stood on the deck of the HMS Belfast to film the start of the D-Day invasion. The resulting black-and-white films -- following Allied troops through Normandy, the liberation of Paris, Battle of the Bulge, the horror of the Dachau concentration camp -- form the basis of Americans' historical memory of World War II, and were even used as evidence in Nazi war crimes trials. But the director was also shooting 16-millimeter color film for himself of the same events, creating a kind of personal video journal of his experiences. As veterans and world leaders prepare to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day next week, Stevens' surprising color images bring an immediacy to wartime memories, a powerful reminder of the war's impact and its heros as those who witnessed the war are dying out . "You've seen it in black and white. And when you see it in color, all of a sudden it feels like today," his son George Stevens Jr. said in an interview. "It doesn't seem like yesterday. And it has a much more modern and authentic feeling to it."

What could possibly go wrong

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Salt Lake City ax-throwing business has been granted a license to sell beer after adding pool and billiard tables to the venue. A new liquor law that took effect May 14 raised questions about whether some locations could serve alcohol. It listed businesses that can have recreational beer licenses, including bowling alleys, concert venues, miniature golf courses and pool parlors, but did not include ax throwing or karaoke. The commission last month denied license requests from Social Axe and Heart and Seoul Karaoke, both in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, Utah alcohol commissioners approved the license for Social Axe Throwing after finding that the addition of the pool and billiard tables on the premises satisfied a new law's definition of a "recreational amenity." At the Tuesday meeting, Social Axe co-owner Mark Floyd told commissioners that they have "done everything" to comply with the law. The business also plans to host nine-ball and three-ball tournaments on the three tables, he said. Commissioner Thomas Jacobson questioned whether just adding pool tables followed the spirit of the law, noting that other businesses might take this approach as a way to sell beer to customers. "In my mind, Social Axe has gone above and beyond to show good faith to comply with the intent of the Legislature," Commissioner Jacquelyn Orton said. "At some point, I think we have to be reasonable."