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Officials investigate photos of gator forced to drink beer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina wildlife authorities are investigating after photos circulated online showing beer being poured down a young alligator's throat.
State Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Kyndel McConchie says charges are expected on Friday.
It's unclear what the charges will be, but alligators are federally protected animals. State law makes it illegal to feed an alligator or capture one without a permit.
McConchie says the animal is clearly not being handled properly, as the photos show the gator's neck being tightly squeezed. One photo shows smoke being blown into the gator's mouth.
She says the agency was alerted Thursday about the photos circulating on Snapchat and Facebook.
The Island Packet of Hilton Head Island reports the gator was in Beaufort County.
Police: Man charged with drawing, buying people's blood
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Authorities say a Maryland man was paying people to draw their blood and storing the blood in large quantities in an abandoned apartment in Washington.
The Washington Post reports 43-year-old Khoa Hoang Nguyen was charged with practicing registered nursing without a license.
The report says officers saw "habitual substance abusers" standing in front of an apartment building Wednesday, and some were talking about being paid to give blood. Inside one of the apartments, a woman told police she and Nguyen had drawn blood from 20 people that day. Nguyen also had a ledger with an additional 205 names. Nguyen said he worked for a biomedical company and was certified to draw blood, but authorities weren't able to corroborate that.
Nguyen declined to comment Thursday after his first court appearance.
Prosecutor: Rape sentence lenient, compares to Brock Turner
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. (AP) -- A California prosecutor says a man convicted of raping a relative received a sentence that's too lenient, comparing it to the case of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner.
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that a judge sentenced 20-year-old Nolan Bruder last week to 240 days in jail and three years' probation for drugging and raping a family member.
Probation officials recommended a six-year prison sentence. But the judge said Bruder was stigmatized by the crime and would be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Del Norte County District Attorney Dale Trigg said Bruder appears to have benefited from committing his crime before a new law took effect that mandates prison for sexual assault.
Lawmakers passed the measure after Turner was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.
Texas governor cracks joke about reporters at gun range
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is drawing criticism for cracking a joke about reporters at a gun range.
Abbott took some target practice Friday, after signing a bill reducing fees for state handgun licenses. The San Antonio Express-News reported that when he was given his target sheet, Abbott joked he would carry it with him in case he sees any reporters.
The quip came days after Montana Republican Greg Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault when he was accused of body-slamming a reporter the day before he was elected to Congress.
Abbott's joke drew a rebuke from the national gun control advocacy group Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which called it "dangerous and out of line."
Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
19 California workers hurt in partial building site collapse
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Officials say scaffolding and wet concrete apparently gave way at a building site in the San Francisco Bay Area, injuring at least 19 workers.
Hospital spokesman Clayton Warren said emergency crews transported the injured from Friday's partial collapse at a construction site in Oakland to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and two other hospitals.
Oakland police said in an email that no one was killed.
Police initially told reporters at the scene that 13 workers were injured. KNTV of San Jose reported most of the injuries were minor, including scrapes and bruises.
The cause of the collapse wasn't immediately known.
Trump law firm calls alleged Bloom County letter a 'fake'
NEW YORK (AP) -- A law firm representing President Donald Trump is disputing internet reports that it sent a "cease and desist" letter to the creator of Bloom County.
Emily M. Thall, director of business development & marketing for Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, told The Associated Press on Friday that the letter "is a fake." The letter, posted this week on Berkeley Breathed's Facebook page, was shared more than 29,000 times. Dated May 22, it alleges that the cartoonist used images of Trump and his family for "commercial exploitation and promotion" and demanded the images be removed.
Berkeley Breathed did not answer repeated queries from The Associated Press over how he received the letter. In an email, he noted Trump's history of litigation and said it was "futile" to argue "back and forth" over the truth.
He also posted a response to Trump's attorneys on his Facebook page.