GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks apologized Thursday for disappearing just before her wedding day, and insisted cryptically that her flight was prompted not by cold feet, but by "a host of compelling issues, which seemed out of control." Wilbanks, whose three-day disappearance led to a nationwide search, initially told investigators she had been abducted by a Hispanic male and white woman with a handgun, a story that quickly unraveled. Albuquerque, N.M., police said Thursday that Wilbanks also claimed she had been sexually assaulted, but recanted with the rest of her story. In a statement read by her father's pastor, the Rev. Tom Smiley, Wilbanks said she was "truly sorry for the troubles I caused."

House OKs $82 billion more for Iraq, Afghanistan

WASHINGTON -- The House easily approved another $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan on Thursday, a measure that includes sweeping immigration reforms and boosts the total spent on fighting terrorism since 2001 to beyond $300 billion. The vote was 368-58, with one lawmaker abstaining. The Senate is to vote on the measure next week when it returns from a weeklong recess, and approval is expected. The bill also includes uniform requirements for driver's licenses across states, toughens asylum laws, authorizes the completion of a fence across the California-Mexican border and provides money to hire more border security agents.

Officials: 'Pocket pets' have dangerous bacteria

Furry "pocket pets" like hamsters, mice and rats have sickened up to 30 people in at least 10 states with dangerous multidrug-resistant bacteria, health officials are warning. It is the first known outbreak of salmonella illness tied to such pets and reveals a previously unknown public health risk, officials said in a report released Thursday. Many of the victims were children; six were hospitalized for vomiting, fever and severe diarrhea. Some passed the illness to others. The germ they had was resistant to five drugs spanning several classes of antibiotics.

Vietnamese premier plans visit to U.S.

HANOI, Vietnam -- A week after Vietnam celebrated the 30th anniversary of the end of the war, the communist country's prime minister announced plans Thursday to become the nation's highest-ranking leader to visit the United States. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he plans to travel to Washington at the end of June, but it was not immediately clear whom he would meet with there. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry did not immediately provide additional details.

Officers accused of cuffing 5-year-old suspended

CINCINNATI -- Two officers accused of handcuffing a 5-year-old boy after a fight on a school bus have been suspended from police duties while the city investigates the allegations, authorities said. Chief Tom Streicher assigned officers Douglas Snider and Kaneshia Howell to desk work Tuesday and took away their guns, police officials said. Mekel Finch, the boy's mother, sued the police department, the bus company and the driver in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on April 29. She is asking for more than $50,000. The lawsuit claims the driver improperly detained the boy after the boy was struck by another child on the bus Jan. 13. The lawsuit also claims the boy was hiding under a seat when Snider and Howell arrived and put him in handcuffs "for an unreasonable amount of time." The child wasn't charged.