RECORDS DETAIL GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S MEDICAL INJURIES: MIAMI (AP) — Court records show George Zimmerman had a pair of black eyes, a nose fracture and two cuts to the back of his head after the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The medical records were part of evidence released Tuesday that prosecutors have in the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman. He has entered a plea of not guilty and claims self-defense in the Feb. 26 shooting. A message left Tuesday evening with Zimmerman's attorney was not immediately returned.
Zimmerman was treated Feb. 27 at Altamonte Family Practice. A phone call made Tuesday evening to the practice rang unanswered.
ABC News first reported Zimmerman's injuries from the medical records. Some of the injuries were previously reported by The Associated Press based on video of Zimmerman at a jail sally port.
ND BECOMES NATION'S SECOND-LEADING OIL PRODUCER: BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota has passed Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state in the nation, trailing only Texas, state officials said Tuesday.
North Dakota oil drillers pumped 17.8 million barrels in March, with a daily average of 575,490 barrels, Assistant State Mineral Resources Director Bruce Hicks. That compares to 17.5 million barrels in Alaska, though still far behind Texas.
The state's oil patch is drilling at record levels and shows little sign of slowing down. The 152.9 million barrels of crude oil produced in 2011 set a record, surpassing the previous year's mark by nearly 40 million barrels, according to the state Industrial Commission. The number of wells in the state jumped from 6,726 in February to a record 6,921 in March, Hicks said.
North Dakota owes its rapid rise from No. 9 in just six years to improved horizontal drilling techniques in the rich Bakken shale and Three Forks formations in the western part of the state.
DEFENSE MUM ON WHETHER JOHN EDWARDS WILL TESTIFY: GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for John Edwards on Tuesday indicated that their defense in his criminal trial for alleged campaign finance violations is winding down, but they did not say whether the former presidential candidate or his one-time mistress will take the witness stand.
Defense lawyer Abbe Lowell said his team will make a final decision about their remaining witnesses late Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear if that information will be made public before Edwards' trial resumes Wednesday morning.
After Tuesday's proceedings wrapped up with testimony focusing on financial records, Lowell said the defense could close out its case by calling Edwards, his oldest daughter Cate and Rielle Hunter, the woman with whom he had an extramarital affair while running for president in 2008.
GEORGE W. BUSH OFFERS TEPID ENDORSEMENT OF ROMNEY : WASHINGTON (AP) — George W. Bush is backing presumptive Republican White House nominee Mitt Romney.
The former president offered a four-word endorsement of Romney as the doors of his elevator were closing after a speech Tuesday in Washington.
Bush said: "I'm for Mitt Romney."
ABC News caught Bush after the speech, prompting his unscripted — but not surprising — endorsement.
Bush's parents, former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, endorsed Romney in March during an appearance in Texas. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also publicly backed Romney.
Romney's campaign issued a brief statement welcoming the support.
Since leaving office in January 2009, George W. Bush has tried to avoid politics. He left Washington deeply unpopular with voters who blamed him for the economic crisis that unfolded on his watch.
PROMINENT LEGION PRIEST ADMITS HE FATHERED CHILD : VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Legion of Christ religious order, still reeling from 2009 revelations that its late founder was a pedophile who fathered three children, was hit Tuesday by another scandal after its most well-known priest admitted he had fathered a child several years ago.
The Rev. Thomas Williams, a moral theologian and prominent American author, lecturer and television personality, said in a statement he was "deeply sorry for this grave transgression" against his vows of celibacy. He said he would be taking a year off to reflect on what he had done and his commitment to the priesthood.
The revelation immediately raised questions about when Williams' superiors knew of the existence of the child, given that the birth occurred several years ago and that Williams, a former superior of the order's Rome headquarters, has never stopped speaking out on issues of moral conscience. A Legion spokesman said the order had decided not to disclose when it learned about his child.
Williams' admission was issued after The Associated Press last week presented the Legion with the allegation against Williams, which was lodged by a Spanish association of Legion victims. The association's accusations, sent to the Legion and Vatican several weeks ago, also named other Legion priests accused of sexually abusing minors.
DOG RESCUE REVEALS CASH AND DRUGS: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sheriff's deputies got quite a surprise when they freed a dog from a hot car in West Hollywood — bundles of cash and drugs that were hidden inside the vehicle.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded to reports of the dog being trapped in a red Nissan Pathfinder on Sunday, and were able to free him.
During a search of the vehicle they found several bundles of marijuana worth $24,000 and $10,000 in cash.
Animal control spokeswoman Evelina Villa says Hunter, a five-year-old German Shepherd Pointer, is now resting comfortably at Carson Animal Care Center following Sunday's rescue
Authorities are still looking for the owner of the car.
