Stolen plane — Sheriff’s officials say a man who stole an Alaska Airlines plane from an airport in Washington state was “suicidal” and there is no connection to terrorism. Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, says on Twitter Friday night that a 29-year-old airline mechanic stole the Horizon Air Q400 from Sea-Tac International Airport. Witnesses reported seeing the plane being chased by military aircraft before it crashed near Ketron Island. There were no passengers aboard. The sheriff’s department said they were working to conduct a background investigation on the man, whose name was not immediately released. The man could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he’s “got a lot of people that care about me” and that he is “just a broken guy.”

Russia probe — An associate of former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone was held in contempt of court Friday in a fresh attempt to challenge Robert Mueller’s appointment as the special counsel investigating Trump campaign contacts with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. The move spotlighted a growing focus by Mueller on Stone. Another of Stone’s associates, a New Yorker known as the “Manhattan Madam” because she once operated an upscale escort service, was expected to make her first appearance before a grand jury in the case. Paul Kamenar, the attorney for Stone associate Andrew Miller, whose refusal to appear before the grand jury Friday led him to be held in contempt, argued after the proceedings that Mueller’s appointment is unconstitutional. He asserted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein did not have the authority to appoint Mueller to lead the investigation into Trump campaign contacts with Russia.

White House says Omarosa claim is ‘false’ — The White House is slamming a new book by ex-staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, calling her “a disgruntled former White House employee.” The Guardian newspaper reports that in the memoir, Manigault Newman labels Trump a “racist” and claims she’s been told there are tapes of him using the N-word repeatedly while filming “The Apprentice” reality series on which she appeared. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday, “Instead of telling the truth about all the good President Trump and his administration are doing to make America safe and prosperous, (her book is) riddled with lies and false accusations.”

Kansas vote count — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach stepped aside from his duties as the state’s top elections official Friday until his hotly contested primary challenge to Gov. Jeff Colyer is resolved, but rejected Colyer’s accusations the advice he has been giving local election officials on handling ballots violates state law. Kobach said in a letter to Colyer that he was turning his election duties over to his top deputy.

Violence erupts amid Gaza cease-fire — Violence erupted at the Gaza border Friday after the territory’s militant Islamic Hamas rulers and Israel appeared to be honoring a cease-fire that ended two days of intense violence amid efforts by neighboring Egypt to negotiate between the two sides. Israel’s military said no rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel overnight and it conducted no airstrikes in Gaza against Hamas targets. Israel’s government has not confirmed the truce. On Friday evening, however, two Palestinians, including a paramedic, were shot and killed by Israeli fire at a Hamas-led protest along the border, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.