By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman who has been blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng's main champion in Washington said people working for New York University have tried to keep him from meeting Chen, barging into a meeting on Capitol Hill and pulling Chen out on one occasion. U.S. Representative Chris Smith, an outspoken supporter of Chinese dissidents since the 1980s, described repeated instances of various people he says were from NYU interfering in his attempts to meet with Chen. ... . . . more from Reuters

BOSTON (Reuters) - The trial of James "Whitey" Bulger on Thursday turns back to evidence of the 19 murders the alleged mob boss is accused of committing or ordering while he ran the ruthless Winter Hill crime gang in the 1970s and '80s. Family members of some of Bulger's alleged victims may take the stand to identify photos of their murdered relatives. Three days of testimony from star witness John Martorano - the first of Bulger's former lieutenants to take the stand - included chilling details of hits the now 72-year-old confessed killer described carrying out with Bulger. ... . . . more from Reuters

By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - North Carolina's governor, hoping to resume executions in his state, on Wednesday signed the repeal of a law that has allowed death row inmates to seek a reduced sentence if they could prove racial bias affected their punishment. The Racial Justice Act, the only law of its kind in the United States, had led to four inmates getting their sentences changed to life in prison without parole after taking effect in 2009. ... . . . more from Reuters

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: . . . more from Associated Press

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — After most of the world's population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine. . . . more from Associated Press

By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a newly revived federal privacy oversight board pledged on Wednesday to be "as transparent and public as possible" as the board reviews recently exposed U.S. government secret surveillance programs. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which has been largely dormant since 2008, held its first full-fledged meeting on Wednesday after the Senate confirmed David Medine as its chairman last month. The meeting was behind closed doors to review classified information about the vast and controversial Internet and phone monitoring ... . . . more from Reuters

TOKYO (AP) — Sony Corp. needs more time to study a key proposal from a U.S. hedge fund to spin off a part of its entertainment unit as a way to propel its fledgling revival, the chief executive told shareholders Thursday. . . . more from Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A domestic situation apparently prompted the midweek shooting at a condominium complex in an upscale Louisville neighborhood that claimed three lives and left a fourth person badly wounded, police said. . . . more from Associated Press

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Barry bore down on Mexico's Gulf Coast early Thursday as civil defense workers readied emergency shelters and forecasters warned of the possibility of deadly flash floods and mudslides. . . . more from Associated Press

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Barry is bearing down on Mexico's Gulf Coast, poised to make landfall within hours. . . . more from Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias returns to court Thursday for the first time since the penalty phase of her case ended in mistrial last month as lawyers discuss plans for a new trial to decide the punishment for the convicted murderer. . . . more from Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A decade ago, the Rosebud Sioux Indians in South Dakota were paying people to catch and shoot wild dogs. Dogs that weren't caught were covered in mange and parasites. Some froze. Some starved. In packs, they survived be eating each other. And dog bites were 20 times worse than the national average. . . . more from Associated Press

MILFORD, Mass. (AP) — He parks his silver Mercedes-Benz sedan behind his condo, below a deck decorated with white and pink flowers, where a couple of small dogs bark at the few passers-by. . . . more from Associated Press

EVERGREEN, Colo. (AP) — Dozens of homes were evacuated near Denver as a wind-driven wildfire flared, one of many in the western states where hot and windy conditions were making it easy for the wild land blazes to start and spread. . . . more from Associated Press

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — One potential juror at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial belongs to the National Rifle Association. Another says she was the victim of a violent crime that is constantly on her mind. A third is a competitive arm-wrestler. . . . more from Associated Press

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHINWAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The young Afghan soldier lay in great pain on a cot at an army base, his uniform pants cut up to his thigh so medics could clean the wound in his right knee where he was shot fighting insurgents. . . . more from Associated Press

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — The leg irons that restrained abolitionist John Brown after his failed 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry are being sold Saturday in Texas, but two historical parks dedicated to his legacy can't afford to bid on them . . . more from Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had a connection to a homicide victim found in an industrial park near the athlete's home, but family and officials were mum on the nature of their relationship, two days after police first visited the upscale division. . . . more from Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House-backed immigration legislation is gaining momentum in the Senate, where key lawmakers say they are closing in on a bipartisan compromise to spend tens of billions of dollars stiffening the bill's border security requirements without delaying legalization for millions living in the country unlawfully. . . . more from Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote Thursday on whether to cut federally-subsidized crop insurance that helps farmers when they lose crops or revenue. . . . more from Associated Press