The trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl continued on Thursday with the testimonial of a computer expert who analyzed the cellphones seized in the investigation. The incident took place after a party in Steubenville in August. The cellphones had pictures of the two boys during the alleged attack, which is crucial evidence in the prosecution’s case. The trial for the two athletes began Wednesday with both players pleading not guilty. (Read full Story Here.)

The U.S. Justice Department said it will open a civil rights investigation Thursday into the use of force by Cleveland’s police department. Last fall, Cleveland officers fired 137 shots at the end of an extensive police chase, which resulted in the deaths of two unarmed people. The car chase involved more than 60 patrol cars and ended with the shootings of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Assistant attorney general said there will most likely not be a criminal investigation, but the focus is on the entire department. (Read full story Here.)

The FBI is searching for hackers who stole and published credit reports for First Lady Michelle Obama, the attorney general, FBI director and other politicians and celebrities. The crime caught the attention of Congress and President Barack Obama, who said, “We should not be surprised.” The reports were published on a Russian website earlier this week. Some of the other credit reports released included Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Britney Spears, Jay Z, Tiger Woods, etc. The FBI, Secret Service and the Los Angeles Police Department coordinated efforts to investigate the security breach.

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday his country and Britain are pushing the European Union to lift the arms embargo on Syria so they can send weapons to rebel fighters. Countries such as Germany remain skeptical about sending weapons, believing it will only escalate the violence. Hollande said the Syrian battlefield is unfair because countries like Russia are arming the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

All information is from The Associated Press.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected]..