A wave of panic rattles Hawaii after false missile alert

HONOLULU (AP) — The second recent blunder in Hawaii's planning for a possible North Korean nuclear attack left islanders shaken after an emergency alert warning of an imminent strike sounded on hundreds of thousands of cellphones.

For nearly 40 minutes people waited. Then came the second mobile alert: someone hit the wrong button, there was no missile.

Some people abandoned cars on the highway and others gathered in the interiors of their homes to wait for what seemed like the inevitable, a blast that would cause widespread death and destruction.

The message sent statewide just after 8 a.m. Saturday read: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's administrator, Vern Miyagi, said he took responsibility for the mistake. He said officials would study the error to make sure it doesn't happen again.

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Crews slowly making progress removing debris after mudslides

MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — Recovery crews are slowly making progress digging away masses of mud, boulders and toppled trees in a California community that was ravaged by deadly mudslides, but officials said they've removed enough debris from creek canals to prevent another potential disaster when the next rainstorm hits.

Workers were using backhoes, jackhammers and chain saws to clear the debris in Monticeto, nearly a week after a powerful storm sent flash floods cascading through mountain slopes that were burned bare by a huge wildfire in December. At least 19 people were killed and five others remained missing.

In addition to trying to find those who are still missing after Tuesday morning's storm, crews have made it a top priority to clear out debris basins and creek canals before another rainstorm. Long-range forecasts gave the crews about a week before the next chance of rain — and potential new mudslides — although the precipitation was expected to be disorganized and light. Another system was possible two days later.

"If we don't get those debris basins cleaned out, then we're not going to be prepared for the storm and we don't know what that storm is going to look like," said Robert Lewin, Santa Barbara County's emergency management director.

The mudslides ravaged the tony community, destroying at least 65 homes and damaging more than 460 others, officials said. Firefighters went door to door along several blocks, checking the structural integrity of the damaged homes.

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7.3-magnitude quake strikes off Peru; no injuries reported

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck off Peru's coast early Sunday, prompting a tsunami alert for parts of the country and neighboring Chile that was eventually called off.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The epicenter was 42 kilometers (26 miles) south-southwest of Acari, with the earthquake hitting at 0918 GMT (4:18 a.m. EST) at a depth of 12.1 kilometers (about 7.5 miles).

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center first issued a threat message that "hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts" and that larger-than-normal waves could hit Peru and Chile. But the center then said in a later statement that "there is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake" and that the center hadn't observed any tsunami waves.

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Medicaid work mandate will create uncertainty in some states

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republicans this past week began to realize their long-held goal of requiring certain adults to work, get job training or perform community service in exchange for getting health coverage through Medicaid.

Whether that's a commonsense approach or an added burden that will end up costing many Americans their health insurance will now be debated in states across the country considering the landmark change to the nation's largest health insurance program.

To Medicaid recipients such as Thomas J. Penister of Milwaukee, it's created uncertainty about their ability to have health coverage.

He's been unemployed for the last four or five years and has received Medicaid for the past two. He sees a behavioral health specialist to deal with anxiety and said Medicaid has made a big difference in his life.

Penister, 36, said he is not yet ready to rejoin the workforce and is unnerved by the prospect of potentially losing Medicaid. His state, Wisconsin, is one 10 that applied to the federal government for a waiver seeking to implement work and other requirements for single adults.

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Katie Couric breaks silence on Matt Lauer: 'I had no idea'

Katie Couric, who was Matt Lauer's "Today" co-host for several years, broke her silence Saturday on sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Couric told People magazine: "I had no idea this was going on during my tenure or after I left."

She departed NBC in 2006 to anchor the "CBS Evening News" and has been criticized for her silence in the more than a month since Lauer was fired. NBC News conducted an investigation of a Lauer colleague's detailed complaint of "inappropriate sexual behavior." Other women have come forward with accusations against him.

"I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew," Couric told People. "Matt was a kind and generous colleague who treated me with respect. In fact, a joke I once made on late-night television was just that, because it was completely contrary to our brother-sister relationship. It's still very upsetting. I really admire the way Savannah (Guthrie) and Hoda (Kotb) and the entire 'Today' show staff have handled a very difficult situation."

Couric was referring to a remark she made in 2012 on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that Lauer "pinches me on the ass a lot." The clip received wide attention online after Lauer's firing in late November.

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After outcry, Mark Wahlberg donates $1.5 million film fee

NEW YORK (AP) — Following an outcry over a significant disparity in pay between co-stars, Mark Wahlberg agreed Saturday to donate the $1.5 million he earned for reshoots for "All the Money in the World" to the sexual misconduct defense initiative Time's Up.

Wahlberg said he'll donate the money in the name of his co-star, Michelle Williams, who reportedly made less than $1,000 on the reshoots.

"I 100% support the fight for fair pay," Wahlberg said in a statement.

Williams issued a statement Saturday, saying: "Today isn't about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted."

She noted that "it takes equal effort and sacrifice" to make a film.

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Administration plan sees deterrence in new nuclear firepower

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Russia in mind, the Trump administration is aiming to develop new nuclear firepower that it says will make it easier to deter threats to European allies.

The plan, not yet approved by President Donald Trump, is intended to make nuclear conflict less likely. Critics argue it would do the opposite.

The proposal is spelled out in a policy document, known officially as a "nuclear posture review," that puts the U.S. in a generally more aggressive nuclear stance. It is the first review of its kind since 2010 and is among several studies of security strategy undertaken since Trump took office.

In many ways it reaffirms the nuclear policy of President Barack Obama, including his commitment to replace all key elements of the nuclear arsenal with new, more modern weapons over the coming two decades.

It says the U.S. will adhere to existing arms control agreements, while expressing doubt about prospects for any new such pacts. The Trump nuclear doctrine is expected to be published in early February, followed by a related policy on the role and development of U.S. defenses against ballistic missiles.

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Racial firestorm surrounds Trump at MLK holiday

ATLANTA (AP) — The first Martin Luther King Jr. holiday of Donald Trump's presidency is taking place amid a racial firestorm of Trump's own making.

In the same week that he honored King by making a national park out of the ground where King was born and preached until his death, Trump denigrated practically the entire African diaspora, and left many Americans headed into the civil rights icon's birthday convinced that the leader of their country is a racist.

For African-Americans in particular, this latest insult from Trump felt like whiplash. Barely a year ago, America's first black president, Barack Obama, marked his final King Day in office with his usual community service; now, his successor is presiding over a racial backlash the country has hardly seen in more than a generation.

Trump has denied being racist, labeling himself the "least racist person there is" during his 2016 campaign. Some of his actions leading up to this year's federal holiday honoring King's birth seemed to be an attempt to live up to that.

He began last week by designating the historic site around King's Atlanta birth home as a national park. By week's end, Trump was signing a King holiday proclamation with the martyred activist's nephew at his side.

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Southern states join to promote civil rights tourism

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Southern states that once fought to maintain racial segregation are now banding together to promote civil rights tourism at sites including the building where the Confederacy was born and the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died.

Fourteen states stretching from Kansas to Delaware, including all of the Deep South, are joining to promote the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which will highlight about 130 sites linked to the modern civil rights movement. The joint effort is being unveiled as part of the MLK holiday weekend.

Individual Southern states have used such promotions for years, beginning with a black history trail launched by Alabama in the 1980s, but never before have they joined together in a single push to bolster civil rights tourism, said Lee Sentell, a leader of the effort.

"Everyone wants to showcase their landmarks. For the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, we're saying 'What happened here changed the world,'" said Sentell, Alabama's tourism director.

Most states participating in the promotion are part of the Atlanta-based Travel South USA, which is funded by state tourism agencies to lure visitors to the region. The organization has launched civilrightstrail.com and is placing advertisements in national magazines to promote the trail.

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Chelsea Manning files for US Senate bid in Maryland

NORTH BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Chelsea Manning intends to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, returning the transgender former soldier to the spotlight after her conviction for leaking classified documents and her early release from military prison.

Manning, 30, filed her statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, listing an apartment in North Bethesda as her address.

She is running as a Democrat and will likely challenge two-term Sen. Ben Cardin in the primary. The state's senior senator is an overwhelming favorite to win.

Known as Bradley Manning at the time of her 2010 arrest, the former Army intelligence analyst was convicted of leaking more than 700,000 military and State Department documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. She's been hailed as a traitor as well as a courageous hero.

Manning came out as transgender after being sentenced to 35 years in prison. President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency before leaving office last year.