GUILTY PLEA EXPECTED FROM BERGDAHL

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Army soldier held by Taliban insurgents for nearly five years after allegedly abandoning his post in Afghanistan, is expected to plead guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, The Associated Press reported.

The AP cited two anonymous sources with knowledge of the case. The AP said Bergdahl, 31, would submit the plea this month, and a sentencing hearing would begin Oct. 23. He faces a potential life sentence on the misbehavior charge.

DISASTER DAMAGE IN U.S. IN 2017 TOPS $1 BILLION

Meteorologists say 2017 has been so wild that the U.S. has tied a record for weather disasters, topping $1 billion in damages. There have been 15 costly disasters through September, tying 2011 for the most billiondollar weather disasters for the first nine months of a year. The record is 16, and the hurricane season is not over yet.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the figures Friday. Included are hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, severe storms, drought and a freeze.

FOURTH U.S. SOLDIER DEAD AFTER ATTACK IN NIGER

A U.S. soldier who had been missing for nearly two days in Niger has been found dead, a result of a deadly ambush by dozens of Islamic extremists on a joint patrol of forces from the United States and Niger, U.S. officials said Friday.

The soldier, whose name has not been released, was one of four U.S. troops and four Niger forces killed in the attack.

130 BOMB THREATS PROMPT EVACUATIONS IN MOSCOW

Moscow on Friday faced more than 130 fake bomb calls that prompted the evacuation of 100,000 people from malls, schools, railway stations and office buildings. It was the most since a wave of hoaxes began in early September.