BOSTON — The Boston Marathon bomber’s lawyers urged a federal court to overturn their client’s death sentence, arguing Thursday that intense media coverage and signs of juror bias led to an unfair trial.

The three-judge panel didn’t render a decision after hearing from both sides for about an hour each.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — who was convicted of all 30 charges against him stemming from the April 15, 2013, attack, including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction — didn’t attend the hearing. Tsarnaev, now 26, is in a supermax prison in Colorado.

Tsarnaev’s lawyer Daniel Habib argued the trial should have been held in another city because of intense local media coverage and the emotional toll the attack had on the region.

The appellate judges focused most of their attention on questions surrounding two jurors who were allowed to remain on the case by Judge George O’Toole, even after defense lawyers uncovered social media posts suggesting they harbored strong opinions.

In one instance, a juror published two dozen tweets after the bombings, including retweeting one after Tsarnaev’s arrest that read: “Congratulations to all of the law enforcement professionals who worked so hard and went through hell to bring in that piece of garbage.”

Another juror posted on Facebook as he was going through the jury selection process. His friends encouraged him to “play the part” in order to get on the jury and make sure Tsarnaev was convicted.

Senate OKs measure declaring genocide in Armenian deaths

WASHINGTON — Mass killings of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago were genocide, the Senate declared Thursday in a vote that prompted angry denunciations by Turkey and accusations that the U.S. was undermining its relations with a key NATO ally.

The actions were the latest by Congress to push President Donald Trump to take a harder line against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Senate vote “is a shameful example of the politicization of history.”

The Armenian resolution had been blocked three times at the request of the White House, but won unanimous approval on its fourth try. The House passed an identical resolution overwhelmingly in October. Turkey has lobbied for years against similar measures.

New Zealand recovers six bodies from volcanic island

WHAKATANE, New Zealand — New Zealand military specialists recovered six bodies from a small volcanic island Friday days after an eruption claimed at least eight other lives and left a toxic and volatile landscape.

The eight specialists wearing protective clothing and using breathing apparatus landed by helicopter and found six of the bodies thought to remain on White Island since the eruption Monday. The bodies were airlifted to a ship near the island off New Zealand’s eastern coast where scientists and other personnel monitored the operation. Scientists have warned that gases on the island are so toxic and corrosive that a single inhalation could be fatal.

Police said another operation would be made later to recover two bodies that couldn’t be found.

In Trump hotel lawsuit, court of appeals rehears arguments

RICHMOND, Va. — Appeals court judges appeared divided Thursday about whether to take the extraordinary step of dismissing a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting from foreign and state government visitors to his hotel in Washington.

A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit ruled in July that the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia lack standing to pursue their claims.

The three judges on the panel who ruled in Trump’s favor were all nominated by Republican presidents. But on Thursday, in arguments before the full court, a mix of 15 judges nominated by Democrats and Republicans got into a spirited debate about whether the panel should have overturned a ruling allowing the lawsuit to move forward.

Plane that vanished en route to Antarctica found

SANTIAGO, Chile — Searchers combing Antarctic seas have recovered parts of a military transport plane and human remains belonging to some of the 38 people aboard who vanished en route to the frozen continent, Chilean officials said Thursday.

Air Force Gen. Arturo Merino said at a news conference that based on the condition of the remains, he believed it would be “practically impossible” that any survivors would be pulled from the water alive.

An international team of searchers continued the hunt, while officials on shore said they would use DNA analysis to identify the crash victims.

Among the recovered items, searchers have found a landing wheel, spongelike material from the fuel tanks and part of the plane’s inside wall. Personal items include a backpack and a shoe, officials said.

Ex-Bolivian leader Morales given asylum in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES — Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has flown to Argentina, where the new center-left government said Thursday that it had granted him political asylum.

“I’ve come to Argentina to keep fighting for the most humble people,” Morales said on Twitter.

Morales will live in the capital with his two children, who arrived on Nov. 23. The former president fled Bolivia for Mexico last month after nationwide protests and a loss of support from the police and military, then traveled to Cuba for several days.

Morales was accompanied by at least four former high-ranking officials in his administration. He has been accused of sedition and terrorism by the administration of interim President Jeanine Anez, who took power amid unrest that has claimed at least 32 lives.

In Washington: Stephen Hahn, an oncologist and top official at MD Anderson Cancer Center, was confirmed Thursday as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. The Senate vote was 72-18.

The challenges awaiting Hahn, 59, include Trump administration efforts to allow the importation of some cheaper drugs from Canada, the regulation of food and other products containing CBD, and the continued sales of unapproved treatments by commercial stem cell clinics. He becomes the fourth chief of the agency this year.

Forty-nine Republicans and 23 Democrats voted for Hahn’s confirmation. Seventeen Democrats voted no, along with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.