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WASHINGTON -- New research released Friday captures a fossilized snapshot of the day nearly 66 million years ago when an asteroid smacked Earth, fire rained from the sky and the ground shook far worse than any modern earthquake. It was the day that nearly all life on Earth went extinct, including the dinosaurs. The researchers say they found evidence in North Dakota of the asteroid hit in Mexico, including fish with hot glass in their gills from flaming debris that showered back down on Earth. They also reported the discovery of charred trees, evidence of an inland tsunami and melted amber. Separately, University of Amsterdam's Jan Smit disclosed that he and his colleagues even found dinosaur footsteps from just before their demise. Smit said the footprints -- one from a plant-eating hadrosaur and the other of a meat eater, maybe a small Tyrannosaurus Rex -- is "definite proof that the dinosaurs were alive and kicking at the time of impact … They were running around, chasing each other" when they were swamped. "This is the death blow preserved at one particular site. This is just spectacular," said Purdue University geophysicist and impact expert Jay Melosh, who wasn't part of the research but edited the paper released Friday by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Melosh called it the field's "discovery of the century." But other experts said that while some of the work is fascinating, they have some serious concerns about the research, including the lack of access to this specific Hell Creek Formation fossil site for outside scientists. Hell Creek -- which spans Montana, both Dakotas and Wyoming -- is a fossil treasure trove that includes numerous types of dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles and fish trapped in clay and stone from 65 to 70 million years ago.
Trump threatens to shut border
PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Threatening drastic action against Mexico, President Donald Trump declared on Friday he is likely to shut down America's southern border next week unless Mexican authorities immediately halt all illegal immigration. Such a severe move could hit the economies of both countries, but the president emphasized, "I am not kidding around." "It could mean all trade" with Mexico, Trump said when questioned by reporters in Florida. "We will close it for a long time." Trump has been promising for more than two years to build a long, impenetrable wall along the border to stop illegal immigration, though Congress has been reluctant to provide the money he needs. In the meantime, he has repeatedly threatened to close the border, but this time, with a new surge of migrants heading north , he gave a definite timetable. A substantial closure could have an especially heavy impact on cross-border communities from San Diego to South Texas, as well as supermarkets that sell Mexican produce, factories that rely on imported parts, and other businesses across the U.S. The U.S. and Mexico trade about $1.7 billion in goods daily, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said closing the border would be "an unmitigated economic debacle" that would threaten 5 million American jobs.
UK faces new Brexit crisis
LONDON -- British lawmakers on Friday rejected the government's Brexit deal for a third time, leaving the U.K. facing the stark prospect of a chaotic departure from the European Union in just two weeks, with political leaders in turmoil and the country ill-prepared for the shock. It's either that, or a long delay to the country's exit from the EU. The alternatives are dwindling. The House of Commons voted 344-286 against the withdrawal agreement struck between Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU, rebuffing her plea to "put aside self and party" and deliver the Brexit that Britons voted for. Amid business warnings that a no-deal Brexit could mean crippling tariffs, border gridlock and shortages of goods, a visibly frustrated May said the vote had "grave" implications. "The legal default now is that the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union on 12 April -- in just 14 days' time," she said. "This is not enough time to agree, legislate for and ratify a deal, and yet the House has been clear it will not permit leaving without a deal. And so we will have to agree an alternative way forward."
Redacted report due by mid-April
WASHINGTON -- A redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation will be sent to Congress by mid-April and will not be shared with the White House beforehand, Attorney General William Barr said Friday. Barr's timeline, included in a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees, sets up a possible showdown with House Democrats, who are insisting they see the full report next week. In his letter, Barr said he shares a desire for Congress and the public to be able to read Mueller's findings, which are included in the nearly 400-page report the special counsel submitted last week. Barr said President Donald Trump would have the right to assert executive privilege over parts of the report. But he noted that Trump "has stated publicly that he intends to defer to me and, accordingly, there are no plans to submit the report to the White House for a privilege review."
Pressure mounts on Boeing
Boeing is facing mounting pressure to roll out a software update on its best-selling plane in time for airlines to use the jets during the peak summer travel season. Company engineers and test pilots are working to fix anti-stall technology on the Boeing 737 Max that is suspected to have played a role in two deadly crashes in the last six months. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that investigators have determined that the flight-control system on an Ethiopian Airlines jet automatically activated before the aircraft plunged into the ground on March 10. The preliminary conclusion was based on information from the aircraft's data and voice recorders and indicates a link between that accident and an earlier Lion Air crash in Indonesia, the newspaper said. Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment on the report. Also on Friday, The New York Times reported that the Ethiopian jet's data recorder yielded evidence that a sensor incorrectly triggered the anti-stall system, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS. Once activated, the MCAS forced the plane into a dive and ultimately a crash that killed everyone on board, the newspaper said.
Boren accused of sex misconduct
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A former University of Oklahoma student alleges he was touched and kissed inappropriately by former university President David Boren on several occasions almost a decade ago when the man worked as a teaching aide for the onetime governor and senator. The allegations by Jess Eddy, now 29, appear to be at the center of an investigation being conducted for the university by Jones Day, one of the world's largest law firms, into whether Boren sexually harassed male subordinates. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has also opened an investigation. Boren, now 77, has denied any inappropriate conduct in statements released by his attorneys, who have confirmed the Jones Day investigation. Boren was a Democratic governor in the 1970s before serving in the U.S. Senate for more than 15 years. He was OU president from 1994 until stepping down last year and has been married to his second wife for more than 40 years. He has denied requests to be interviewed, citing poor health. Boren's attorney, Clark Brewster, said Eddy's newest account of his encounter with Boren, which he detailed in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, contradicts previous statements he gave to Jones Day investigators and to Brewster. In those earlier statements, he said he was not aware of any inappropriate behavior. Eddy's latest allegations were first reported Tuesday by the online news site NonDoc.
Captain feared death in hijacking
VALLETTA, Malta -- African migrants who hijacked an oil tanker after it rescued them in the Mediterranean Sea seized metal objects and began smashing the ship and threatening crew members after they realized they were being returned to Libya, the ship's captain said Friday. Nader el-Hiblu, the 42-year-old Libyan captain of the El Hiblu 1 ship, said he and five other crew members feared they could be killed during the "horror" that played out at sea this week. He said the threats by rioting migrants forced him to agree to their demand that he take them to Europe, not back to Libya. "They attacked the cockpit, heavily beating on the doors and the windows and they threatened to smash the boat," el-Hiblu said in an exclusive account given Friday to The Associated Press. He spoke by phone from the ship, which is now docked in Valletta, the capital of Malta. "They went nuts and they were screaming and shouting 'Go back! Go back! Go back!'" he said. For years, the Mediterranean Sea has been a place of drama and death as desperate people from Africa and the Middle East board unseaworthy smuggling boats with dreams of a better life in Europe. Last year, 2,299 people died in the sea trying to head to Europe, and the dangerous journey has also killed 311 people so far this year.
New rock hall inductees named
NEW YORK -- With the help of duet partners Don Henley and Harry Styles, Stevie Nicks became the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nicks, who was already in the hall as a member of Fleetwood Mac, was ushered into the hall on Friday with Janet Jackson and a quintet of British bands, including Radiohead and Def Leppard. Nicks opened the show with a four-song set. Henley joined her for "Leather and Lace," a song she wrote for Merle Haggard and Jessi Colter but kept for herself when their marriage crumbled. Styles filled in for the late Tom Petty on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Twenty-two men before her had been inducted twice -- people like all four Beatles as solo artists and band members. Nicks said she hoped to be an influence. "What I am doing is opening up the door for other women," she said.
Plan for Alaska road rejected
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Trump administration violated federal law with a proposed road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska, a federal judge ruled Friday, saying the project would have reversed previous policy without explanation. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason rejected an Interior Department land exchange that would have led to a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, an internationally recognized habitat for migrating waterfowl. Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land exchange agreement for the road more than a year ago. Nine environmental groups sued a week later. In her written decision, Gleason said Zinke was required to acknowledge that the road was a reversal of previous Interior Department policy and to provide an explanation. The decision is the latest development in a long dispute over access in Izembek. Congress created the 486-square-mile refuge in 1980. Residents say they were not properly consulted before their access to the area was limited. The road would split an isthmus as narrow as 3 miles on the southern border of Izembek Lagoon. It holds one of the world's largest beds of eelgrass, a rich food source for Pacific brant geese, endangered Steller's eider sea ducks and other migratory birds. The isthmus separates King Cove, a fishing community of about 900 people sandwiched between ocean and mountains, and an all-weather airport at Cold Bay.
UK indie duo killed in car crash
LONDON -- A record label says both members of British indie duo Her's have been killed in a car accident in Arizona. Heist or Hit says in a statement that Stephen Fitzpatrick and Audun Laading died alongside their tour manager Trevor Engelbrektson in a collision early Wednesday. They had performed in Phoenix, Arizona and were driving to a show in Santa Ana, California. Authorities in Arizona say a pickup truck and a van collided head-on about 75 miles west of Phoenix, killing the truck's driver and three people in the van.
Skirts only policy ruled illegal
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A North Carolina charter school promoting traditional values engaged in unconstitutional sex discrimination by requiring girls to wear skirts, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard ruled that Charter Day School can't enforce the skirts-only rule as part of its dress code that punishes violations with suspensions and even expulsion. No child has been expelled for violating the dress code since the school opened in 2000, Howard said in a decision filed on Thursday. But girls are clearly treated differently than boys at the kindergarten through 8th grade school in Leland, about 10 miles west of Wilmington, Howard ruled. That's a violation of the U.S. Constitution's equal protection requirements. The guardians of three girls attending the school sued the school in 2016. They said the dress code forces girls to be colder in the winter and "forces them to pay constant attention to the positioning of their legs during class, distracting them from learning, and has led them to avoid certain activities altogether, such as climbing or playing sports during recess, all for fear of exposing their undergarments and being reprimanded by teachers or teased by boys," the judge said in summarizing the plaintiffs' arguments.
Heart attack killed brothel owner
LAS VEGAS -- America's most famous pimp died of a heart attack in bed at one of his legal brothels in Nevada after his weekend-long 72nd birthday bash featuring porn stars, political pals and others, authorities said. Dennis Hof, a Donald Trump-style Republican who won posthumous election to the Nevada Legislature, died of natural causes in October, according to an autopsy conducted by the Clark County coroner in Las Vegas and released Thursday by the Nye County Sheriff's Office in Pahrump. The 26-page autopsy report said Hof's heart attack was caused by cardiovascular disease, hardened arteries and high blood pressure. It also said he was overweight and diabetic, and blood tests found marijuana residue and an erectile dysfunction drug in his system. Hof was found dead Oct. 16 at his residence at Love Ranch brothel outside Pahrump by porn star Ron Jeremy and a prostitute who officials said spent part of the previous evening with Hof. His final party at a hotel-casino in Nye County, about an hour's drive outside Las Vegas, also included tax-cut activist Grover Norquist, one-time "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss and ex-Arizona sheriff and politician Joe Arpaio.
Killer released from prison
CANTON, Ill. -- A man convicted of murder as a suspected member of the notorious "Ripper Crew" that killed as many as 20 Chicago-area women in the 1980s has been released from prison, according to a statewide alert sent Friday morning. Thomas Kokoraleis, now 58, was one of four men accused of being part of a satanic cult that abducted, tortured, mutilated and killed women. He was initially sentenced to life in prison in 1984. But a plea deal was struck during an appeal that allowed for his release this week. The option for such an early release infuriated victims' families. Kokoraleis was convicted in the 1982 slaying of 21-year-old Lorraine "Lorry" Ann Borowski. A judge sentenced him to life in prison, rejecting prosecutors' request for the death penalty. But a state appeals court reversed the conviction in 1986, citing legal errors. The court ordered a new trial, but Kokoraleis instead pleaded guilty in exchange for a 70-year prison term. Holding a photo of her daughter, Lorraine Borowski spoke tearfully at a Friday news conference about the final moments of "Lorry" Ann's life. She added that her family will spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulder.