100-year-old fish caught

DETROIT -- Now that's a whopper -- a very old whopper! A 240-pound sturgeon that could be more than 100 years old was caught last week in the Detroit River by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The "real life river monster" was nearly 7 feet long, the agency said Friday on Facebook, where the photo was shared more than 24,000 times by late afternoon. "Based on its girth and size, it is assumed to be a female and that she has been roaming our waters over 100 years. She was quickly released back into the river" after being weighed and measured, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. The typical lifespan is 55 years for a male sturgeon and 70 to 100 years for females, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This fish was caught on April 22 near Grosse Ile, south of Detroit, while a three-person crew was conducting an annual sturgeon study. Frozen round goby, a tasty snack for a sturgeon, was used as bait on a long line that was deep in the river. It took about six minutes to get the fish into the boat with a net. "I felt the fish thumping on the line. As it got closer, it just got bigger and bigger," said Jason Fischer, who was with fellow biologists Paige Wigren and Jennifer Johnson. Wigren recalled thinking, "Yep, this is going to be a real good fish story." "She was tired out and didn't fight us very much," Wigren said. "Imagine everything that fish has lived through and seen." Lake sturgeon are listed as a threatened species in Michigan. Anglers can keep one a year, but only if the fish is a certain size and is caught in a few state waters. All sturgeon caught in the Detroit River must be released.

Sumo wrestler dies month after fall

TOKYO -- A Japanese sumo wrestler has died a month after falling on his head during a bout in a case that has raised questions about the sport's response to medical emergencies. Hibikiryu, 28, died of acute respiratory failure on Wednesday. The wrestler, whose real name was Mitsuki Amano, was thrown by his opponent during a bout at a tournament on March 26. Video of the bout showed he fell hard on his head and lay face down for several minutes while sumo officials watched and waited for paramedics to arrive. On a stretcher, the wrestler was conscious and told sumo officials that he felt his lower body was paralyzed, but his condition had been improving at the hospital. The Japan Sumo Association said Friday that it was unknown whether Hibikiryu's death was related to his injury. It said details of the injury, including whether he suffered paralysis, could not be released. There was no immediate comment from his family. There were no medical experts standing by to give him first-aid treatment, according to Japanese media reports. Wrestlers are customarily expected to get up by themselves, while medical experts are at the tournament site but not standing by near the ringside. Sumo officials are discussing ways to improve emergency medical response, including how to handle concussions, in future bouts. The ancient Japanese sport, which originally was part of a Shinto religious ritual, has faced calls for reforms.

Actor sues Marilyn Manson

LOS ANGELES -- "Game of Thrones" actor Esme Bianco sued Marilyn Manson on Friday, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse. In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Bianco says that Manson violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England under the false pretenses of roles in music videos and movies that never materialized. The lawsuit alleges that in 2009, Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, flew Bianco to Los Angeles to shoot a video for the song, "I want to kill you like they do in the movies." The suit says that Bianco was expected to stay at Manson's home instead of the hotel where she had been booked, and there was no crew, only Manson himself shooting with a phone. Manson deprived Bianco of food and sleep though gave her alcohol and drugs, locked her in a bedroom, whipped her, gave her electric shocks, tried to force her to have sex with another woman and threatened to enter her room and rape her during the night, the suit alleges. No video was ever released. The two began a long-distance relationship later that year, the suit says. Manson again brought Bianco to Los Angeles in 2011, ostensibly to appear in his feature film "Phantasmagoria," though that project also never materialized. During that visit, Manson would not allow Bianco to leave home without his permission, chased her around their apartment with an ax, cut her with a "Nazi knife" without her consent and photographed the cuts and posted the pictures online, also without her consent.

Israel mourns stampede deaths

JERUSALEM -- The holiday of Lag BaOmer is one of the happiest days on the calendar for Israel's ultra-Orthodox community -- a time of mass celebrations in honor of a revered sage. But in a split second Friday, the festive gathering in northern Israel turned into one of the country's worst-ever tragedies, with at least 45 people crushed to death and dozens injured in a stampede. The disaster prompted a national outpouring of grief as devastated families rushed to identify their dead relatives and bury them ahead of the Jewish Sabbath. The stampede erupted around 1 a.m. as people began to leave and thronged a narrow, tunnel-like passage. According to witnesses, people began to fall on a slippery ramp, causing others to trip and sparking panic. Lag BaOmer is very popular with Israel's ultra-Orthodox community. The main event takes place each year at Mount Meron. Tens of thousands, mostly ultra-Orthodox, celebrate to honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd-century sage and mystic who is believed to be buried there. This year, authorities said some 100,000 people attended. The crowds light bonfires, dance and have large festive meals as part of the celebrations. Across the country, even in secular areas, smaller groups gather in parks and forests for barbecues and bonfires. Video footage from the scene of the disaster showed large numbers of people, most of them black-clad ultra-Orthodox men, squeezed in the tunnel. Witnesses complained that police barricades had prevented people from exiting properly.

Duggar faces child porn charges

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Former reality TV star Josh Duggar faces charges of downloading and possessing child pornography under a federal indictment unsealed Friday. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment a day after Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals in northwest Arkansas. Prosecutors said Duggar, 33, possessed the material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019. "In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime," Duggar's attorneys said in a statement. "But when you're accused, you can fight back in the courtroom -- and that is exactly what Josh intends to do." Duggar starred on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" until it was pulled from the network in 2015 over revelations Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Duggar's parents said he had confessed to the fondling and apologized. Duggar previously apologized for a pornography addiction and cheating on his wife.

Mars copter gets extra month

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's little Mars helicopter has gotten a reprieve. Instead of wrapping up flight tests at the beginning of May, NASA is giving its Ingenuity helicopter at least an extra month to tackle tough new terrain and serve as a scout for its companion rover, Perseverance. Officials announced the flight extension Friday, following three short flights in under two weeks for the $85 million tech demo. Soon afterward, there was more good news: Ingenuity -- the first powered aircraft to soar at another planet -- had aced its fourth flight at Mars. For Friday's trip, Ingenuity traveled 872 feet at a height of 16 feet for two minutes -- considerably farther and longer than before. An attempt Thursday had failed because of a known software error. On its fifth flight in another week or so, the 4-pound chopper will move to a new airfield on Mars, allowing the rover to finally start focusing on its own rock-sampling mission. The rover is seeking signs of ancient life at Jezero Crater, home to a lush lakebed and river delta billions of years ago.

Bali tosses two for mask prank

DENPASAR, Indonesia -- A U.S.-based YouTuber and a Russian influencer were ordered off Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Friday after recording themselves defying mandatory mask-wearing with some imaginative makeup. Clips of the video created by Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se and posted two weeks ago show the two duping supermarket guards with a painted surgical mask after they were refused entry because Se was unmasked. "Did you notice like no one's actually looking at you?" Lin exclaimed. "I can't believe it worked!" he said in the video that appears to have been taken down from his social media accounts but has since been reposted elsewhere. Lin is a Taiwanese passport holder whose YouTube channel specializes in prank videos and is followed by 3.4 million fans. Se has over 25,000 Instagram followers. Although first-time violators of Bali's mask-wearing rule face fines of 1 million rupiah ($70) for foreigners and deportation after a second offense, the police wanted them removed off the island immediately. "It's only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation," said Bali's civil service police unit head Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi. "They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public to defy health guidelines." The pair had shown remorse and apologized through Lin's Instagram video.

Prison for cheating hotels, limos

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A Georgia man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for using stolen credit cards to live large in hotels and limousines while claiming to have ties to the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Walker Washington of Augusta was sentenced to 100 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a news release. U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Washington, 53, to pay about $300,000 to 19 businesses defrauded in the scheme. He must serve three years of supervised release after his prison term is completed. There is no parole in the federal system. Washington's co-defendant, Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Florida, was previously sentenced to seven years after pleading guilty to the same charge and also must pay $300,000 in restitution to the businesses.

More World Briefing, Page A5.

100 million fully vaccinated

DALLAS -- Disneyland reopened on Friday and cruise lines welcomed the news that they could be sailing again in the U.S. by midsummer, as the number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached another milestone: 100 million. Visitors cheered and screamed with delight as the Southern California theme park swung open its gates for the first time in 13 months in a powerful symbol of the U.S. rebound, even though the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth is allowing only in-state guests for now and operating at just 25% capacity. The reopening and similar steps elsewhere around the country reflect increasing optimism as COVID-19 deaths tumble and the ranks of the vaccinated grow -- a stark contrast to the worsening disaster in India and Brazil and the scant availability of vaccines in many poor parts of the world. In fact, the U.S. announced Friday it will restrict travel from India starting Tuesday, citing the devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. While the overall number of lives lost to COVID-19 in the U.S. has eclipsed 575,000, deaths have plummeted to an average of about 670 per day from a peak of around 3,400 in mid-January.

Elliot opens up about surgery

NEW YORK -- Actor Elliot Page is revealing how happier he feels after having top surgery and how important he believes it is to support health care for transgender people. "I want people to know that not only has it been life changing for me, I do believe it is life-saving and it's the case for so many people," the actor tells Oprah Winfrey on her new show for Apple TV+. During the interview, Page teared up when Winfrey asked him what has brought him the most joy. The Oscar-nominated star of "Juno," "Inception" and "The Umbrella Academy" said it was the little things -- like wearing a T-shirt, having a towel around his waist after a shower or touching his chest -- that made him "feel comfortable in my body for probably the first time." Page urged officials to support health care for transgender people and allow them access to sports. Some lawmakers are seeking to ban transgender youth from playing sports that match their gender identity. "Children will die," Page said. "And it really is that simple." He said the surgery has given him newfound energy "because it it such a freeing, freeing experience," adding: "This is incredibly new. I feel like I haven't gotten to be myself since I was 10 years old."

Jill Biden marks Arbor Day

WASHINGTON -- First lady Jill Biden commemorated Arbor Day by planting a linden tree on the north lawn of the White House. She strode out Friday in a skirt and a double-breasted blazer and put three shovelfuls of dirt around the awaiting tree. "Who doesn't plant trees in high heels?" she said. Biden said that the family's cat would be coming to the White House "pretty soon." The first lady told NBC News in an interview broadcast Friday that the younger of the Bidens' two German shepherds, Major, was being trained for the arrival of the cat. Major has been involved in two biting incidents as President Joe Biden and the first lady have gotten settled into the White House. "That was part of his training," she told NBC News. "They took him into a shelter with cats. He did fine." The president was asked during the televised interview if the cat was his idea. "No," he replied.

US to restrict travel from India

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. will restrict travel from India starting May 4, the White House said Friday, citing a devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden's administration made the determination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India," she said. With 386,452 new cases, India now has reported more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the United States. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208,330. Experts believe both figures are an undercount, but it's unclear by how much. The U.S. action comes days after Biden spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the growing health crisis and pledged to immediately send assistance. The U.S. has already moved to send therapeutics, rapid virus tests and oxygen to India, along with some materials needed for that country to boost its domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, a CDC team of public health experts was expected to soon be on the ground in India to help health officials there move to slow the spread of the virus.

109 Idaho #MeToo allegations

An Idaho lawmaker was accused of raping an intern; a Missouri lawmaker of abusing his children. In North Dakota and Oregon, a pair lawmakers faced claims of a pattern of sexual harassment. All are now out of office -- either resigning under pressure or getting expelled by colleagues within the past two months. Three other lawmakers accused this year remain in their jobs. The flurry of sexual misconduct claims in state capitols comes three-and-a-half years after the #MeToo movement sparked a public reckoning for people in power accused of sexual wrongdoing and an overhaul of many state policies. The continued incidents highlight both that problems persist and that some legislatures are responding more assertively. "These institutions don't change overnight," said Kelly Dittmar, research director at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "Part of what the #MeToo movement did was shed a spotlight on the problem, but fixing that problem that has been so deep-seeded is going to take longer." Since 2017, at least 109 state lawmakers in 40 states have faced public allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment, according to an Associated Press tally. Of those, 43 have resigned or been expelled and 42 have faced other repercussions such as the loss of committee chair or party leadership positions.

Manchin pans DC statehood bill

WASHINGTON -- A long-shot bid to pass legislation that would make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state got a little longer on Friday. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said that he opposes unilateral action by Congress to make the nation's capital a state and that he believes it needs to be done through a constitutional amendment. He said prior Republican and Democratic administrations thought the same thing. "They all came to the same conclusion. If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment," Manchin said in an interview with the West Virginia MetroNews radio network. "It should propose a constitutional amendment and let the people of America vote." Earlier this month, the House approved a bill strictly along party lines to make the District of Columbia a state with one representative and two senators, while a tiny sliver of land including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall would remain a federal district. An identical statehood bill passed the House in 2020, but it died in the then-Republican-controlled Senate. Now, with the 2020 elections having given Democrats control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, some have been pushing to eliminate the filibuster so that only a simple majority in the Senate would be needed to get legislation passed. The D.C. statehood bid would be one of the initiatives that could conceivably pass under such a scenario.

3 officers resign in rough arrest

DENVER -- Three Colorado police officers involved in the arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia who was shown being pushed to the ground and handcuffed on body camera footage have resigned, police said Friday. Loveland Police Chief Robert Ticer announced the departures of Officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali and Community Services Officer Tyler Blackett in connection to the arrest of Karen Garner at a news conference, without providing details about how they left. But department spokesman Tom Hacker later confirmed they had resigned. Ticer noted that the treatment of Garner in the city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver, last year had led to an outpouring of concern and anger in the community, the country and around the world and apologized. "Our goal at the Loveland Police Department has always been to make our community proud. We failed and we are very sorry for that," he said. After Garner filed a federal lawsuit this month and her lawyer released body camera footage of her arrest, the department announced it was putting Hopp, the arresting officer, on leave. Jalali and Blackett were put on leave later, as was a sergeant. The sergeant remains on leave.

'Doctor of the poor' beatified

CARACAS, Venezuela -- A man revered by millions of Venezuelans as the "doctor of the poor" is one step away from sainthood after being beatified Friday in the South American country's capital. Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez, who died in 1919, was beatified in a simple and emotional ceremony, culminating decades of efforts by Venezuela's Catholics. Mass celebrations were postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Apostolic Nuncio Aldo Giordano, representing the Vatican, said during the ceremony that Hernandez "will be called blessed and celebrated every year." "It seems providential to celebrate the beatification of a doctor in the midst of a pandemic that affects all of humanity," Giordano said. "In the figure of Blessed Dr. Jose Gregorio, the church today pays a tribute of recognition, gratitude and prayer to medical and health professionals." He added that Hernandez is capable of uniting Venezuelans, despite their differences, even religious and ideological. Both government and opposition figures sent tweets Friday celebrating the first Venezuelan layman to be beatified. The other three are female members of religious orders.

SD gov sues to set off fireworks

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sued the U.S. Department of Interior on Friday in an effort to see fireworks shot over Mount Rushmore National Monument on Independence Day. The Republican governor successfully pushed last year for a return of the pyrotechnic display after a decadelong hiatus. The event drew national attention when former President Donald Trump joined Noem on July 3 to give a fiery speech. But the state's application to hold fireworks this year was denied by the National Park Service, which cited safety concerns and objections from local Native American tribes. Noem's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for South Dakota, argues that the decision was "arbitrary and capricious" and violated the powers granted to the agency in the Constitution. The state last year signed an agreement with the Trump administration and the Department of the Interior to work towards returning the pyrotechnic display this year.

Grammys overhauls process

NEW YORK -- The Grammy Awards have changed its tune and voted to remove its anonymous nomination review committees -- groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the coveted music show. The Recording Academy made the announcement Friday after the board of trustees met and approved the change. The decision came hours after The Associated Press reported that the academy was planning to discuss its nomination review committees and whether it was time to eliminate them. "It's been a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Recording Academy, and I'm immensely proud to be able to continue our journey of growth with these latest updates to our awards process," Harvey Mason Jr., the academy's interim president and CEO, said in a statement Friday. "This is a new Academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community. While change and progress are key drivers of our actions, one thing will always remain -- the Grammy Award is the only peer-driven and peer-voted recognition in music," he continued. "We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the awards process." The major change comes months after The Weeknd blasted the Grammys and called them "corrupt" after he earned zero nominations for the 2021 show despite having the year's biggest single with "Blinding Lights." Nominees will now be based purely on votes made by the academy's 11,000+ voting members, and the academy said that "more than 90 percent of its members will have gone through the requalification process by the end of this year, ensuring that the voting body is actively engaged in music creation."