DEPUTY, 2 OTHERS SHOT OUTSIDE OKLA. COURTHOUSE: TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy, a suspected gunman and a bystander were wounded Wednesday afternoon during an exchange of gunfire outside a Tulsa courthouse, sending people scattering from a crowded plaza as an employee at a nearby library used his camera to chronicle the events.
Police spokesman Leland Ashley said authorities responded to a report of a person firing into the air between the Tulsa County Courthouse and the library. Deputies, including the one who was wounded, exchanged gunfire with the shooter, Ashley said.
John Fancher, a communications coordinator with the library, told The Associated Press that he heard gunshots, then grabbed his camera and stood at his office window to take pictures.
DEMOCRATIC WOMEN CITING LIMBAUGH IN FUNDRAISING: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sen. Claire McCaskill was so disturbed by Rush Limbaugh's description of a law school student as a "slut" and "prostitute" that she decided to repeat his rhetoric, featuring it in a fundraising appeal sent to thousands of supporters around the country. The tactic has paid off nicely for the Democrat's re-election campaign.
McCaskill is one of several female Democratic candidates facing competitive races who are seeking to capitalize on the conservative radio host's comments to fuel their quests for the U.S. Senate or House. Their message: You can help fight Limbaugh — and, by extension, Republicans or tea party activists — by financing candidates who will stand up for women's rights.
It's not clear exactly how much the Democratic candidates have raised from their turn-the-tables fundraising appeals. But McCaskill's campaign said she exceeded the goal spelled out in last weekend's Limbaugh-themed email blast to raise $10,000 in a day.
TLC CANCELS 'ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM' REALITY TV SHOW: NEW YORK (AP) — A TLC network reality television show about Muslim families living in the Detroit area is ending after one season.
TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said Wednesday the "All-American Muslim" series won't be back. Its eight-episode run ended in January.
"All-American Muslim" attracted attention when a conservative Christian group called for an advertiser boycott. At least two companies announced they were pulling ads. TLC says the protest caused a backlash in which new advertisers signed on.
One episode focused almost entirely on the conflicted feelings the show's participants had about marking anniversaries of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when Muslim extremists destroyed the World Trade Center and killed thousands of people.
VA GOVERNOR SIGNS PRE-ABORTION ULTRASOUND BILL : RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's governor has signed into law a bill requiring women to undergo abdominal ultrasound exams before having abortions, weeks after lawmakers dropped contentious language requiring that the exams be medically invasive.
The earlier proposal calling for vaginally invasive ultrasounds prompted a national outcry and was a target for lampooning on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
The national uproar prompted state lawmakers backed by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to remove the requirement for a medically invasive exam.
McDonnell's signature Wednesday means the law will take effect in July for abortion providers across Virginia.
In its amended form, the measure had continued to spark protests by angry women's rights groups and others. The protests led to about 30 arrests at Virginia's Capitol complex on Saturday.
ACTIVISTS LAUNCH VIRAL VIDEO ON AFRICA ATROCITIES: SAN DIEGO (AP) — American filmmakers who reported on wartime atrocities in Africa for a 50-minute work called "Invisible Children" drew more attention than they imagined when their project was released in 2005. They soon founded a nonprofit organization to campaign against the brutality.
The group's new 29-minute video is gaining even more attention, thanks to social media. The work released Monday is part of an effort called KONY 2012 that targets the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Uganda, Invisible Children and (hash)stopkony were among the top 10 trending terms on Twitter among both the worldwide and U.S. audience on Wednesday night, ranking higher than New iPad or Peyton Manning. Twitter's top trends more commonly include celebrities than fugitive militants.
Ben Keesey, Invisible Children's 28-year-old chief executive officer, said the viral success shows their message resonates and that viewers feel empowered to force change. It was released on the website, www.kony2012.com.
"The core message is just to show that there are few times where problems are black and white. There's lots of complicated stuff in the world, but Joseph Kony and what he's doing is black and white," Keesey said Wednesday.
Kony's Ugandan rebel group is blamed for tens of thousands of mutilations and killings over the last 26 years. The militia abducts children, forcing them to serve as soldiers or sex slaves, and even to kill their parents or each other to survive.
OFFICER PROBED FOR MOVING MATTRESSES ON PATROL CAR: MIAMI (AP) — A veteran Miami police officer caught using her patrol car to haul mattresses has been relieved of duty with pay while the department investigates.
Several Miami television stations aired viewers' video or photos of the marked patrol car with mattresses fastened to the top on Monday.
Officer Sandra Lyles' vehicle, gun and badge have been taken. The 32-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department is set to retire Monday, but a police spokeswoman said the investigation wouldn't affect her retirement.
Major Nancy Perez, the department spokeswoman, says Lyles violated department policy and embarrassed herself.
JIMMY BUFFETT ONE STEP CLOSER TO NV CASINO LICENSE: LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jimmy Buffett is one step closer to sharing in the gambling revenue his Parrotheads deliver to his Margaritaville casino in Sin City.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday recommended the singer's holding company be approved for a gambling license, setting up a final hearing later this month.
Board members questioned Buffett for about 15 minutes and asked him about two incidents in which he was accused of having drugs.
Buffett said that when the Jamaican military mistook his plane for smuggling drugs in 1996, they fired 115 shots and hit twice. French customs officials detained him in 2006 and suspected he was carrying ecstasy, but Buffett said it was actually heart palpitation medication and he was released quickly.
The Margaritaville casino is at the Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip.
PIGLET FOUND RUNNING AROUND HAWAII HOTEL LOBBY: HONOLULU (AP) — Guests at a hotel near Honolulu's airport found a suckling pig in the lobby, but it wasn't on the menu of the luau.
They called the Hawaiian Humane Society last week, when a 5-week-old female pig was found running around the lobby. It was unclear how the piglet ended up there.
Humane society spokeswoman Tasha Tanimoto says the pig is healthy and has been named Pukalani. She will be available for adoption once she's a little older. Tanimoto says the piglet is being bottle-fed by a volunteer.
Humane society officials aren't sure of the pig's breed, but a veterinarian suspects she will grow to be quite large.
