Nation, world briefs

Crashed plane's tail may be lifted

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia -- Strong currents and blinding silt thwarted divers' attempt Thursday to find AirAsia Flight 8501's black boxes, which are believed to still be in the recently discovered tail of the crashed plane. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders are crucial to helping determine what caused the jet carrying 162 passengers and crew to vanish Dec. 28, halfway into a two-hour flight between Surabaya, Indonesia, and Singapore. Four bodies recovered Thursday raised the total to 44, Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said.

Boy Scout files sought in abuse trial

LOS ANGELES -- A lawsuit brought by a 20-year-old man who was molested by a Boy Scout leader in 2007 could force the organization to reveal 16 years' worth of "perversion" files documenting sex abuse allegations. Files that were kept by the Boy Scouts of America between 1960 and 1991 already have been made public through other civil cases. The release of the more recent files -- from 1991 to 2007 -- could reveal how much the Boy Scouts have improved their efforts to protect children and report abuse after several high-profile cases. In 2012 the Oregon Supreme Court ordered the Scouts to make public a trove of files from 1965 to 1985. The records showed that more than a third of abuse allegations never were reported to police and that even when authorities were told, little was done most of the time.

Dad allegedly tosses girl off bridge

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The man accused of throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge early Thursday had been acting strangely hours before, calling his attorney "God" and asking her to translate a Bible in Swedish, according to sheriff's documents. Attorney Genevieve Torres said she met with John Jonchuck on Wednesday to discuss the custody case for his 5-year-old daughter, Phoebe, who was found dead in Tampa Bay after police said he tossed her into the water. Torres was so worried about Jonchuck and Phoebe that she reported the odd statements to police. They interviewed Jonchuck and his daughter as he was picking her up from a church day care and both appeared to be in good health. Jonchuck said he didn't want to harm himself or anyone else, the documents said. "She was smiling and appeared healthy, properly clothed and happy," according to the documents. A little more than 12 hours later, police said Jonchuck threw his daughter over a bridge.

Sen. Barbara Boxer set to retire

WASHINGTON -- California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, a tenacious liberal whose election to the Senate in 1992 heralded a new era for women at the upper reaches of political power, announced Thursday she will not seek re-election to a new term next year. Boxer's retirement sets off a free-for-all among a new generation of California Democrats, who have been ascendant in the state for years with few offices to aspire to while Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein have held a lock on the state's U.S. Senate seats.

-- From wire reports