The Missouri River floodwater surging on to the air base housing the U.S. military's Strategic Command overwhelmed round-the-clock sandbagging by airmen and others. They had to scramble to save sensitive equipment, munitions and dozens of aircraft. Days into the flooding, muddy water was still lapping at almost 80 flooded buildings at Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base, some inundated by up to 7 feet of water. Piles of waterlogged corn cobs, husks and stalks lay heaped everywhere that the water had receded, swept onto the base from surrounding fields. "In the end, obviously, the waters were just too much. It took over everything we put up," Col. David Norton, who is in charge of facilities at the base, told an Associated Press reporter on a tour of the damage. "The speed at which it came in was shocking." Get More

Two American service members were killed during an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. and NATO forces said, providing no other details on the combat deaths. The fatalities, which bring to four the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscore the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America's longest. The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the names of the service members killed in action were being withheld until after notification of the next of kin, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy. Get More

Jimmy Carter can add another title to a lifetime of achievements: He's now the longest-living U.S. president, NBC News reported. As of Thursday evening, the 39th commander-in-chief was 94 years and 172 days old — surpassing George H.W. Bush, who died in November at 94 years and 171 days old. "We at The Carter Center are grateful for his long life of service that has benefited millions of the world's poorest people," said Deanna Congileo, a spokeswoman for the Carter Center. Carter was the first American president born in a hospital and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Get More at NBC News

Tyson Foods has recalled more than 69,000 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken strip products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Thursday. The recalled products are three different kinds of fully cooked, frozen chicken strips: 25-oz. packages and 20-lb. cases of "buffalo style" chicken strips, along with 25-oz. packages of crispy chicken strips. They were shipped to stores nationwide and for "institutional use" in Michigan and Washington. There have been no confirmed reports of anyone getting sick after they ate the products, but the USDA said consumers should throw away or return them. Get More

"A lot has changed in Atlanta since 1979," Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said at a news conference. “We now know that DNA technology is much more advanced. It did not exist in 1981.” Bottoms announced Thursday that investigators will be re-evaluating evidence in a series of murders of black children and young black adults in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981, NBC News reported. The murders drew national attention, prompting television news broadcasts to run advertisements asking viewers, "It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?" Bottoms added that looking back at the evidence is part of her effort to make sure the victims' memories are not forgotten, and “to make sure, in the truest sense of the word, to let the world know that black lives do matter." Get More at NBC News

The White House on Thursday rejected a Democratic request for information on private conversations between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including an interview with an interpreter who sat in on their one-on-one meeting in Helsinki last summer. In a letter earlier this month, the House intelligence, foreign affairs and oversight committees asked for the substance of Trump and Putin's conversations in person and by phone. Get More

New Zealanders observed the Muslim call to prayer Friday in reflecting on the moment one week ago when 50 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques were slain — an act that an imam told the crowd of thousands had left the country broken-hearted but not broken. In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand listened to the call to prayer on live broadcasts while thousands, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque, where 42 people died. "New Zealand mourns with you. We are one," Ardern said. The call to prayer was observed at 1:30 p.m. and followed by two minutes of silence. Hundreds of Muslim men at the park sat in socks or bare feet. One man in the front row was in a Christchurch Hospital wheelchair. Get More

Joe Biden says he has "the most progressive record" of any Democrat running, or mulling a run, in 2020. But many progressive activists disagree. As the former vice president inches closer to a third White House run, several moments in his long career loom as immediate political liabilities. From his vote for the Iraq war to his key role in passing a bill that made it harder for debt-ridden Americans to declare bankruptcy, Biden would have to reconcile his past with a party that's moved to the left. Biden leads many early polls, but his handling of those issues will determine whether that support fades in a primary fight. He is aware of his critics, using a speech last week before friendly Delaware Democrats to declare himself a progressive while also describing some of his detractors as "the new left" and defending his record. Get More

A U.S. judge in San Francisco will scrutinize the Trump administration's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico during a court hearing Friday to help him decide whether to block the practice. Civil rights groups have asked Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco to put the asylum policy on hold while their lawsuit moves forward. Seeborg was not expected to rule immediately. The policy began in January at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, marking an unprecedented change to the U.S. asylum system . Families seeking asylum are typically released in the U.S. with notices to appear in immigration court. Get More

Boeing will make standard on its troubled new airliner a safety feature that might have helped the crew of a jet that crashed shortly after takeoff last year in Indonesia, killing everyone on board. The equipment, which had been offered as an option, alerts pilots of faulty information from key sensors. It will now be included on every 737 Max as part of changes that Boeing is rushing to complete on the jets by early next week, according to a person familiar with the changes. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Boeing and federal regulators are still discussing details of the upgrade to the Max fleet, which was grounded worldwide after a second deadly crash this month in Ethiopia. Get More

The Washington National Cathedral says President Donald Trump did not need to approve the funeral for Sen. John McCain. Trump said during a speech in Ohio on Wednesday, "I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve. I don't care about this. I didn't get a 'Thank you.' That's OK. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a fan of John McCain." But a spokesperson for the National Cathedral said in a statement Thursday that relatives organize funerals and it doesn't need approval from the president. Get More

A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to sending pipe bombs to CNN and prominent critics of President Donald Trump in a wave of attacks that harmed no one but spread fear of political violence across the U.S. for days leading up to last fall's midterm elections. Cesar Sayoc, 57, sobbed as he entered the plea before a federal judge in New York. "I'm extremely sorry," he said, adding that he never intended for the devices to explode. Get More

President Donald Trump abruptly declared Thursday the U.S. will recognize Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a major shift in American policy that gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political boost a month before what is expected to be a close election. The administration has been considering recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the strategic highlands, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, for some time and Netanyahu had pressed the matter with visiting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just a day earlier. Get More

President Donald Trump's posthumous slam on Sen. John McCain flips reality on its head when it comes to who gave veterans the option to see a private doctor at public expense. "McCain didn't get the job done for our great vets," Trump said Wednesday. "I got it done." Actually, McCain got it done. Get More