First Run News

CARACAS, Venezuela — Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction giant that ran a vast bribery scheme in the Americas, made campaign contributions to numerous Venezuelan candidates, including Diosdado Cabello, one of the country’s most powerful politicians, according to a video released on Saturday by Venezuela’s ousted attorney general. The video, showing an excerpt from a deposition by the former head of Odebrecht’s Venezuelan operations, widened allegations of the firm’s involvement in Venezuelan politics. The former attorney general, Luisa Ortega, who fled the country in August, posted

The family of Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who committed suicide in jail in April, has dropped its lawsuit against the National Football League, but left open the possibility of refiling it in a different court. Last month, lawyers for Hernandez’s family sued the N.F.L. in federal court in Boston, arguing that the league and the Patriots did not do enough to protect him from the dangers of concussions.

PETERSBURG, Va. — The Latest on the shooting on the Virginia State University (all times local): 1:52 a.m. Authorities say a lockdown has been lifted on the campus of Virginia State University following a shooting that left one person injured. Virginia State University Police say via Twitter Sunday morning that "Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted." The Chesterfield Police Department previously said in a statement the incident happened about 8:25 p.m. Saturday.

OTTAWA — Joshua Boyle called himself a “pilgrim” who was “engaged in helping” in Afghanistan. A man who crossed into Afghanistan with him described him as an adventurer. Mr.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — With towering flames bearing down, one victim delayed escape in hopes of saving his new truck — but he could not find the keys. An elderly couple slept as danger erupted, not waking until it was too late to flee down their one-lane road.

WASHINGTON — For more than an hour, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s high-profile chief operating officer, sheepishly pledged to “do better” — over and over — as stern-faced members of the Congressional Black Caucus grilled her on Thursday about Russian ads aimed at exploiting racial divisions during last year’s election. For black lawmakers, it was a chance to vent — at the outrage they felt toward Russian

WASHINGTON — President Trump has had nothing but sharp words for some of the most notable accomplishments of his Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. But, as The New York Times’s Peter Baker notes, Mr. Trump’s tough statements have so far not been matched by his actions.

WASHINGTON — President Trump leaves little doubt about what he thinks of his predecessor’s top domestic and international legacies. The health care program enacted by President Barack Obama is “outrageous” and “absolutely destroying everything in its wake.” The nuclear deal with Iran is “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.” Yet as much as he has set his sights on them, Mr. Trump after nearly nine months in office has not actually gotten rid of either.

In the days since The New York Times broke the story of allegations of decades of harassment and assault by Harvey Weinstein, torrents of heart-wrenching stories have poured forth from at least 30 women who say they were victimized by Mr. Weinstein. So have unstinting condemnations from many who worked with Mr.

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood’s de facto governing body, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to “immediately expel” Harvey Weinstein, breaking with 90 years of precedent and turning one of the biggest Oscar players in history into a hall-of-fame pariah. The academy’s 54-member board of governors made the decision at an emergency session after investigations by The New York Times and