VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — A 12-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his 8-year-old sister in their Central California home appeared Wednesday at closed juvenile court proceedings to hear the charges against him.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Wednesday that a serious national security leak required the secret gathering of telephone records at The Associated Press as he stood by an investigation in which he insisted he had no involvement.

"Frances Ha" — On paper it sounds unbearably precious and solipsistic — a cliche, even. Middle-class, college-educated white girl in her mid-20s wanders around New York City with no real home, job or purpose, and as she struggles to find herself, she ends up even more lost. Wah. But as it turns out, "Frances Ha" is absolutely charming: funny, sad, cringe-inducing and heartbreaking but, above all, brimming with authenticity, thanks in large part to a winning star turn from indie darling Greta Gerwig. This is a great showcase for Gerwig's abiding naturalism; not a single moment from her feels cutesy, self-conscious or false. She and director Noah Baumbach, who worked together on the 2010 comedy "Greenberg," co-wrote the script, creating a sense of realism through a series of absurd moments. Frances is goofy and guileless, awkward and affectionate but clearly decent-hearted to the core, which only makes her misadventures more agonizing and makes you root harder for her to find true happiness. Baumbach, whose previous films include the subtle, brilliantly observant "The Squid and the Whale," borrows from a couple of different sources here: the chatty, cultured New York epitomized by 1970s Woody Allen films and the black-and-white intimacy and restless youth of the French New Wave. But there's a timelessness to this story and a universality: that state of uncertainty between the optimism of college and the responsibility of adulthood. R for sexual references and language. 86 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

CHICAGO (AP) — A scowling Donald Trump raised his voice on the witness stand Wednesday while an attorney grilled him and then rolled his eyes at the "Apprentice" star's answers, leading a federal judge to scold both men in open court and order them to behave.

By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New Jersey man who confessed to the 1979 killing of Etan Patz should stand trial for murder and kidnapping in the 6-year-old boy's disappearance, a judge ruled on Wednesday. An attorney for Pedro Hernandez, 51, of Maple Shade, New Jersey, had asked the judge to throw out the indictment, arguing that the confession alone was not legally sufficient to support the charges. ...

PHOENIX (AP) — Prosecutors on Wednesday tried to convince jurors that Jodi Arias should be eligible for the death penalty, saying Travis Alexander suffered tremendous pain as he fought for his life while Arias stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times.

DETROIT (AP) — Cecelia Crocker's body provides her with a constant reminder of the most traumatic event of her life — one that she doesn't otherwise remember.

The high mark for sales of big sport utility vehicles came years ago, but don't tell that to Mercedes-Benz customers.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — It may have been the most anticipated package ever delivered to the Buffalo Zoo: an orphaned polar bear cub that arrived Wednesday from Alaska and will spend the summer with another cub born six months ago.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A police bomb squad combed through an apartment Wednesday afternoon after finding explosive material in a man's car and potentially explosive devices in his apartment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee rebuffed Democratic efforts Wednesday to keep the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the poor.