MANAFORT SUES MUELLER OVER RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

WASHINGTON» President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman sued special counsel Robert Mueller and the Justice Department on Wednesday, saying prosecutors overstepped their bounds by charging him for conduct he says is unrelated to Russian interference in the 2016 election. The lawsuit by Paul Manafort is the most direct challenge to date to Mueller’s legal authority and the scope of his mandate as special counsel. It comes amid Republican allegations of partisan bias among members of Mueller’s team, which for months has been investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the U.S. election.

Homeless man charged with killing ex-1960s soul singer.

SANTA ANA,

A homeless man has been charged with killing former 1960s soul singer Betty Jane Willis during an attempted rape. Rosendo Xo Pec, 22, was charged Wednesday with murder with special circumstances and could face the death penalty. The 76-year-old Willis recorded the songs “Someday You’ll Need My Love,” “Act Naturally” and “Take My Heart.” She was living on the street when she was attacked on New Year’s Day.

Former heart surgeon set to become next Mormon president.

SALT LAKE

The man set to become the next Mormon church president is a 93year-old former heart surgeon with a conservative track record on the religion’s leadership panel. Russell M. Nelson is likely to be formally named to the post in the coming days under long-standing church protocol that gives the post to the longest-tenured member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Thomas S. Monson died Tuesday night at his home.

Woman had ketchup packet in intestine for six years.

A British woman believed she was suffering from Crohn’s disease for six years until doctors discovered a ketchup packet in the lining of her intestine. The 41-year-old patient had symptoms consistent with the serious bowel disease but did not respond to standard treatments, according to the British Medical Journal. Doctors opted for surgery, where they uncovered “two pieces of plastic bearing the word ‘Heinz’ on them,” the report said.