Explosions: The Loud Killer

Missouri State opens the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament against DePaul in Ames.        

U. S. Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat representing Iowa's 3rd District, speaks at her first town hall at Valley High School in West Des Moines.        

(NEW YORK) — Barbra Streisand is coming under intense criticism on social media for telling a British newspaper that two men who say they were molested as children by Michael Jackson were “thrilled to be there” and that the alleged abuse “didn’t kill them.” In a wide-ranging interview with the Times of London, Streisand was quoted as saying she “absolutely” believed the accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who make their allegations in the recent HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.” But the legendary singer also raised eyebrows by saying Jackson’s “sexual needs were his sexual needs.” In a statement emailed Saturday to The Associated Press by a representative, Streisand said: “To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone.

Bruins sign 42-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara to 1-year, $2 million extension, with an additional $1.75 million in performance bonuses.        

(PITTSBURGH) — Shots were fired overnight through the office window of the attorney for a white police officer acquitted in the killing of an unarmed black teenager, and several hundred people gathered in protest Saturday over the verdict that left Pittsburgh a city on edge. Police put officers on 12-hour shifts until further notice. The jury’s decision late Friday in the deadly shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II upset his family and touched off a nighttime demonstration by about 100 people.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has broken his silence a month after he was charged with soliciting a prostitute at a Florida shopping-center massage parlor. Although the 77-year-old initially denied any wrongdoing shortly after the charges hit — despite being allegedly caught on video twice — the six-time Super Bowl-winning owner said he was “truly sorry” in a new statement released Saturday. “I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard,” he said. Kraft pleaded not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution late last month, and even received support from longtime friend President Donald Trump after news of the charges became public. Earlier this week, the Palm Beach State Attorney’s office confirmed that they offered Kraft and other men charged with soliciting prostitution a plea deal in the case. Kraft didn’t specifically mention the deal in Saturday’s statement, but did note that he has “extraordinary respect for women.” “Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing.