In blow to May, Parliament asserts final say on Brexit deal; NEWS BRIEFING; Tribune Newspapers and news services; California firefighters gain on blaze; winds keep towns at risk ; Congo court sentences 12 to life in jail for gang-raping children; Bermuda Senate votes to end same-sex marriage in territory; ‘Apprentice’ alum to leave White House post; News report: 3 women accuse music mogul of sex assault

LONDON - British lawmakers delivered a blow to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans Wednesday by giving Parliament the final say on any exit agreement the government reaches with the European Union.

The House of Commons voted 309-305 to give lawmakers what is essentially a veto on the terms of Brexit, a challenge to May's fragile authority amid the already strained disentanglement process. The vote came on the eve of a major EU summit.

A dozen lawmakers from the prime minister's governing Conservative Party sided with the opposition to insist that any withdrawal deal with the EU requires an act of Parliament to take effect.

May had promised lawmakers a "meaningful vote" on the departure agreement, but political opponents and some within her own party said her assurance was not enough of a guarantee.

The vote was the government's first defeat in Parliament on its Brexit legislation.

It came as an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, the government's flagship piece of Brexit legislation.

The bill itself, which still is moving through Parliament, would convert some 12,000 EU laws into British statutes on the day the U.K. leaves the bloc in March 2019.

Without it, Britain could face a legal black hole the day after Brexit.

If the amendment survives a final vote on the withdrawal bill, it would not have a direct impact on Britain's negotiations with the EU.

But it could reinforce perceptions in the bloc that May lacks authority.

California firefighters gain on blaze; winds keep towns at risk

LOS ANGELES - Southern California firefighters on Wednesday continued working to contain the fifth largest fire in the state's history but warned that some communities are still at risk and could be in greater danger if unpredictable winds whip up again and fan the flames.

Warnings of ideal conditions for wildfires were extended because of Santa Ana winds and lack of moisture, with a possible increase in wind gust speeds at the end of the week.

Evacuations continued for the seaside enclaves of Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria and the inland agricultural town of Fillmore.

The so-called Thomas fire has burned over 900 buildings, at least 700 of them homes, since it broke out Dec. 4. It stretches across nearly 370 square miles of Southern California.

Congo court sentences 12 to life in jail for gang-raping children

KINSHASA, Congo - In a groundbreaking trial in a country where sexual violence is rampant and perpetrators often go unpunished, a military court in eastern Congo on Wednesday sentenced 12 militia members to life in prison for the gang-rapes of dozens of children as young as 11 months old, and for murder.

The court convicted provincial deputy Frederic Batumike for organizing the violence that began in 2013 and continued for years in the village of Kavumu. Young girls were raped in the militia members' superstitious belief that it would make them "impervious to bullets," a United Nations report said earlier this year.

The court awarded $5,000 to each victim of sexual violence and $15,000 to the families of those killed for criticizing the militia's actions.

Bermuda Senate votes to end same-sex marriage in territory

HAMILTON, Bermuda - The Senate in Bermuda gave final legislative approval Wednesday to a measure that would end same-sex marriage in the British island territory and allow only domestic partnerships.

Senators approved the Domestic Partnership Act by an 8-3 vote. The House of Assembly approved it 24-10 on Friday. It must now be signed by the governor before it becomes law.

A Supreme Court ruling in May made same-sex marriages legal in Bermuda amid opposition on the socially conservative island. The Progressive Labor Party took up the matter after winning power in the July election.

Opponents of the legislation said it would be unprecedented to strip the right to same-sex marriage after it had been granted.

'Apprentice' alum to leave White House post

WASHINGTON - Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former reality TV star who followed President Donald Trump into national politics, has stepped down from her post as director of communications at the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote in an email Wednesday that Manigault Newman was resigning to pursue other opportunities effective Jan. 20, 2018.

Manigault Newman is one of few high-profile African-Americans who supported Trump during his presidential campaign.

Chief of staff John Kelly, who had been frustrated with her for several months, pushed her out, according to a White House official. "She did not voluntarily resign" or "go quietly" as she was escorted off the White House premises, this person said.

News report: 3 women accuse music mogul of sex assault

NEW YORK - Three women have told The New York Times that music mogul Russell Simmons raped them.

In a statement Simmons vehemently denied what he called "these horrific accusations."

The accusations reported by The Times on Wednesday stem from the 1980s and 1990s. One woman, Drew Dixon, said Simmons raped her in 1995. Another, Tina Baker, said Simmons raped her in the early '90s, when he was her manager. A third, Toni Sallie, a journalist, said he raped her in 1988.

Also Wednesday, PBS said it was "indefinitely" suspending distribution of the late-night talk show "Tavis Smiley" after multiple misconduct allegations emerged against the show's host.

PBS News Hour, on its website, said the allegations involved "sexual misconduct."

Lyle Jeffs, a former polygamous sect leader, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly five years in prison for his role in carrying out an elaborate food stamp fraud scheme and for escaping home confinement while awaiting trial.

The sentencing closes the book on a major government bust that took years to investigate.

Sen. John McCain has been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for recovery from the side effects of another round of treatment for brain cancer, according to his office. McCain, who missed a third straight day of Senate votes Wednesday, said he hopes to return "to work as soon as possible."

Caption: Mourners leave flowers Wednesday at a memorial to Mayor Ed Lee on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco. Lee, 65, died Tuesday after collapsing in a grocery store. People will be able to pay their respects on Friday, when his body will lie in repose at City Hall.

Jeff Chiu/AP