WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that it expects the federal budget deficit to drop by $188 billion this fiscal year to $1.5 trillion, a short-lived dip as the annual shortfall is likely to rise over the next nine years. Two major factors are behind the decline in the budget deficit this year, each of them one-off …

LIZELLA, Ga. (AP) — A sheriff’s deputy died Tuesday night after hitting another car while responding to a call in middle Georgia. Local news outlets report Crawford County Deputy Timothy Tavarus Rivers was responding to a call to assist another officer when he crossed the center line on a road south of Lizella. Rivers tried to correct his path and …

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones at six regions across Ukraine on Wednesday morning, authorities reported, killing at least five civilians and wounding almost 50 others, including a pregnant woman. The attacks hit at least three major cities, including the capital, Kyiv, where the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, was discussing military …