SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. (AP) — A highway running the length of California remained closed for a fifth day Sunday near the Oregon border as a wildfire smothered rural forestlands in smoke and flame.

The vice president of the United States said on Sunday he was willing to take a lie detector test to prove he did not author the damning New York Times article that rocked the White House last week. Mike Pence is one of a handful of senior administration officials who have publicly denied they wrote the op-ed that stated there had been discussions to invoke the 25th amendment, which allows for removal of the president if he or she was deemed unfit to carry out the duties of the office. Donald Trump has demanded an investigation to identify the rogue staff member. Speaking on US TV, Mr Pence said it would be for the president to decide if lie detectors should be used to find the culprit. But he said: "I would agree to take it in a heartbeat and would submit to any review the administration wanted to do." “The honorable thing to do here is for this individual to recognize that they are literally violating an oath,” he said. “If they are a senior administration official, that they are violating an oath, not to the president, but to the Constitution.” He added: “It’s all an effort to distract attention from this booming economy and from the president’s record of success." U.S. Vice President Mike Pence In a separate interview yesterday, he heaped praise on Mr Trump who he described as one of the most successful presidents in the history of the nation. "This president is tough. He's demanding. He wants things yesterday. And I think it's one of the reasons why we've accomplished so much in such a short period of time, he said. "I mean the truth is I think President Donald Trump is the most accomplished president of my lifetime and I think already one of the most successful presidents in American history." Mr Pence also called for an end to the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. "What I think is that it’s been about a year since this investigation began. Our administration has provided over a million documents, we’ve fully cooperated in it and in the interest of the country, I think it’s time to wrap it up." When asked if he would be willing to be interviewed by the special prosecutor, he replied: "I would."

Armed groups vying for control of the Libyan capital have agreed to set up a mechanism to "consolidate" a recently agreed ceasefire, the United Nations' Libya mission, UNSMIL, said on Sunday. On Tuesday, the United Nations persuaded various armed groups to halt fighting that had killed dozens in Tripoli, one of the many sites of unrest gripping the oil producer. "Parties agreed today to freeze their forces' movements, a monitoring & verification mechanism to consolidate the ceasefire + development of a plan to withdraw armed groups from sovereign locations and critical infrastructure in #Tripoli," UNSMIL tweeted.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Two weeks after Pope Francis' papacy was thrown into crisis by accusations that he covered up sexual misconduct by ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Francis has refused to respond, his accuser has changed his story and a host of new characters have entered the fray.

Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday he's "more than willing" to be