Court to decide sentencing modification case
1:03
The Supreme Court will decide whether judges have to follow strict sentencing guidelines at sentence modification hearings. The court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from inmate Percy Dillion. He was sentenced to...
ACORN prober finds no illegal pattern on videos
12:59
An internal investigation of the community-organizing group ACORN concluded there was no criminal conduct by employees caught on videos offering advice on how to hide assets and falsify lending documents. The report,...
Chicago terrorism suspect charged in Mumbai attack
12:46
A Chicago man accused of planning an armed attack on a Danish newspaper was charged Monday with conducting surveillance on potential targets in the Indian city of Mumbai before terrorist attacks in 2008 that killed 166...
Senate to confront abortion in health care debate
12:45
Starting an eighth day of health care debate Monday, the top Senate Democrat said lawmakers are approaching the end game on the far-reaching legislation and fully expect to prevail on President Barack Obama's signature...
Court to decide if college group must allow gays
12:20
The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether a California law school violated the constitutional rights of a Christian group by denying it recognition as an official campus organization because it excludes gays...
Drunken driving death rates decline in 40 states
12:03
Drunken driving fatality rates have fallen in 40 states and the District of Columbia, an encouraging sign that crackdowns are improving highway safety. The Transportation Department said Monday that 11,773 people were...
Pentagon orders 16,000 troops to start surge
11:22
The first wave of President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan surge will add about 16,000 U.S. troops who got their orders over the past few days, the Pentagon announced Monday. About 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune in...
Secret Service report details 91 security breaches
10:39
An internal Secret Service document used for training purposes indicates 91 security breaches since 1980. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan says the agency used the 2003 report to evaluate security procedures and...
Suspect charged in killing of Pittsburgh-area cop
1:02
Police in suburban Pittsburgh say a man who came in for questioning in the shooting death of an officer has been charged with killing him and another man. Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt says...
Accused SEALs arraigned, vow to defend charges
12:54
Two Navy SEALs accused in the mistreatment of an Iraqi suspect in the 2004 slayings of four U.S. contractors were arraigned in military court Monday, and one SEAL said he was gratified by support from the public and...
Ohio dismemberment killer arrives in death house
12:54
A condemned killer scheduled to become the first person in the U.S. put to death with a single drug _ in an execution that could take longer than previous procedures _ arrived Monday at the Ohio death house. Kenneth...
Mullen to troops: Afghanistan casualties will rise
12:51
The nation's highest-ranking military officer Monday told soldiers, including many bound for Afghanistan, that he expects casualties to rise next year as additional U.S. troops pour into the war. Adm. Mike Mullen, the...
AP source: No charges planned in Conn. chimp case
12:50
A Connecticut prosecutor does not plan to charge the owner of a chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a woman in February. A person with direct knowledge of the investigation tells The Associated Press that no charges are...
Ex-congressman accused in youth soccer scuffle
12:46
Police are investigating a fight between a former Mississippi congressman and a youth-league soccer coach after a weekend game. Madison Police Sgt. Robert Sanders says Chip Pickering, a Republican who served 12 years...
Virgin Galactic unveils commercial spaceship
12:46
A spacecraft designed to rocket wealthy tourists into space as early as 2011 was unveiled Monday in what backers of the venture hope will signal a new era in aviation history. The long-awaited glimpse of SpaceShipTwo...
Porn stars gather for karaoke nights in LA
12:36
BURBANK, Calif. _ Even the most ardent fans of porn star Julie Meadows are unlikely, it seems safe to say, to have ever seen her like this. But there she is, the star of "Alice in Fetishland" and more than 200 other...
2 bombs kill 16 in eastern Pakistan city of Lahore
1:03
A pair of remote-controlled bombs ripped through a market popular with women in this eastern Pakistani city Monday, killing 16 people and wounding 100, authorities said. The attacks, timed to take place when Lahore's...
Tens of thousands protest in Iran, battling police
12:56
Security forces and militiamen clashed with thousands of protesters shouting "death to the dictator" outside Tehran University on Monday, beating them with batons and firing tear gas on a day of nationwide student...
Officials recommend postponing Iraqi elections
12:55
Iraq's electoral commission on Monday recommended a 45-day delay in parliamentary elections until Feb. 27, raising concerns that the postponed balloting could complicate the planned withdrawal of U.S. combat troops and...
Huge US visa fraud scheme broken up in Brazil
12:53
Authorities say they have dismantled a U.S. visa scam in Brazil that raked in about $53 million from 4,500 victims since 2002. Eleven suspects were arrested in four Brazilian states. The U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo...
Brazil thieves tunnel their way to nearly $6M
12:53
Thieves who spent months tunneling from a rented house to an armored car company made off with nearly $6 million over the weekend as season-ending soccer matches virtually paralyzed the nation, Brazilian authorities...
Afghan lawmakers demand full Cabinet list
12:46
Refusing to be a rubber stamp, Afghan lawmakers on Monday demanded a full, not partial, list of President Hamid Karzai's new Cabinet _ the first test of the embattled leader's commitment to clean up graft and bribery in...
NATO allies pledge up to 7,000 troops
12:45
NATO allies confirmed pledges on Monday for nearly 7,000 additional troops to serve alongside the 30,000 committed to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama, amid "clear indications" that even more European...
Pope to lead 'midnight' Christmas Mass at 10 p.m.
12:43
Pope Benedict XVI will break with tradition this year and celebrate Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 10 p.m. instead of midnight, the Vatican said Monday. Papal spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi told...
Bernanke: too early to declare lasting recovery
1:01
Despite some economic improvements, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Monday it's still too soon to declare that the budding recovery will last. "We still have some way to go before we can be assured that...
Stocks extend gains as Bernanke eases rate jitters
12:57
Stock are extending their gains as investors see Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's caution about the economy as a sign interest rates will remain low. Stocks doubled their advance Monday as Bernanke tells an...
Mich. AG says he'll sue to protect lakes from carp
12:56
Michigan's attorney general says he will sue to try to force the closure of Chicago-area locks to protect the Great Lakes from the invasive Asian carp. Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement Sunday that the...
The last, best chance: UN climate conference opens
12:49
The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the last, best chance for a deal to protect the world from...
EPA: Greenhouse gases endanger human health
12:48
The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded greenhouse gases are endangering people's health and must be regulated, signaling that the Obama administration is prepared to contain global warming without...
GM to invest $336M in Volt plant
12:46
General Motors Co. said Monday it will invest $336 million in a Michigan plant that will build its new rechargeable electric car called the Volt due in showrooms next year. GM officials outlined the automaker's...
AEterna Zentaris says prostate drug fails in study
12:46
Canadian drugmaker AEterna Zentaris Inc. said Monday its enlarged prostate drug cetrorelix did not meet its main goal in a late-stage clinical study. AEterna Zentaris said there were no clear differences in...
Northwest pilots blame air traffic controllers
12:45
The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis have blamed air traffic controllers in part for the incident, saying controllers violated procedures. Capt. Timothy Cheney, 53, of Gig Harbor, Wash., and First...
Weezer cancels tour after bus crash in upstate NY
1:04
Weezer has canceled the rest of its December tour after the lead singer was injured in a bus crash in New York. Rivers Cuomo and band assistant Sarah Kim suffered minor injuries when the group's tour bus skidded on...
Dating couple wins CBS `Amazing Race' TV contest
12:55
Cool thinking at the craps table has won a San Diego couple $1 million on the CBS reality television show "The Amazing Race." Meghan Rickey and her boyfriend, Cheyne Whitney, prevailed in the 15th edition of the Emmy...
Quaid announces system to prevent medicine errors
12:54
Actor Dennis Quaid is helping launch a national program to help prevent medication errors like the one that hurt his newborn twins in 2007. Quaid on Monday was expected to announce the National Alert Network for...
Al Pacino set to play Shylock in NY's Central Park
12:48
Al Pacino meets William Shakespeare next summer in New York City's Central Park. The 69-year-old Pacino will portray Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice," one of two offerings by the Public Theater's 2010 Shakespeare in...
Obama salutes jazz great Brubeck at Kennedy Center
12:17
Nearly 40 years ago, a Kenyan father was visiting his son in Hawaii and took him to his first jazz concert. The boy was Barack Obama and the performer was jazz great Dave Brubeck. "I've been a jazz fan ever since," the...
Alexa Ray Joel staying with dad after pill scare
12:15
A publicist says the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley is staying with her father two days after being treated in New York for a possible overdose of pills. Alexa Ray Joel's publicist Claire Mercuri won't...
'Blind Side' eclipses 'New Moon' with $20M weekend
12:02
Sandra Bullock's latest movie has taken the industry by surprise. She stars in the football-inspired drama "The Blind Side" that has become the underdog hit of the season with a $20.4 million weekend and a box-office...
Star tenor Villazon to make comeback next March
11:49
Star tenor Rolando Villazon says he will make his comeback at the Vienna State Opera next March after recovering from throat surgery. The singer announced in April that he needed surgery to remove a cyst on his larynx...
Catholic sisters challenge Vatican investigation
5:29
Leaders of a significant number of the nation's Roman Catholic sisters are challenging aspects of a Vatican investigation of their communities, declining to answer questions they say are ambiguous, inappropriate and out...
FIRST-PERSON: It's not all about love
3:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following column addresses issues of homosexuality and is written to inform adults. It contains descriptions of the Folsom Street Fair, an annual sexually charged, perverse event in San Francisco with...
FIRST-PERSON: Bad news & eternity
3:15
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--We have always thought of the Gospel as good news. In fact, the Greek word evangelion, which is translated "Gospel," literally means "good news." And certainly the fact that Jesus Christ died and...
Baptist state conventions remain pro-family, evangelistic
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Pro-family issues remain the most often cited concern in resolutions adopted at the 41 state Baptist convention meetings. Prayer for the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force and concern for...
23 Baptist state conventions cut budgets; 12 raise Cooperative Program gifts
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Over half of the state Baptist conventions have decreased their budgets for the coming year, according to reports from their annual meetings. And yet, six of the 23 conventions making cuts are...
CULTURE DIGEST: Creation Museum focuses on Christmas; DVD player edits bad content
3:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Creation Museum, a ministry of Answers in Genesis, is offering a special planetarium presentation called "The Christmas Star," which addresses the "remarkable astronomic event that occurred at...
'Gay marriage,' legal in N.J. by Christmas?
3:15
TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--Just days after suffering another setback in the liberal Northeast, "gay marriage" supporters could get back on track in New Jersey Monday when a bill that could become law by Christmas will be...
Amends. could mandate abortion coverage
3:15
WASHINGTON (BP)--U.S. Senate votes on two health-care reform amendments Dec. 3 could result in private insurance plans being required to provide abortion coverage.Senators approved, in a 61-39 roll call vote, an...
FDA: more dangerous brain scans at LA hospital
12:35
Federal health regulators have identified 50 more patients exposed to dangerous radiation levels from brain scans at a hospital in Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration says more than 250 patients at...
CDC: Swine flu is widespread only in 25 states
11:46
Swine flu infections continue to wane, just as vaccine is becoming plentiful enough that some communities are allowing everyone to get it, not just those in priority groups. Swine flu was widespread in only 25 states...
FDA warns of problems with sterilization device
4:27
Doctors and hospitals should stop using a device from Steris Corp. to sterilize surgical tools after reports of malfunction, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The company's modified SS1 sterilizer device...
Brazil officials visiting Germany get swine flu
2:53
Two Brazilian officials accompanying President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a trip to Germany have been diagnosed with swine flu. Brazil's official Agencia Brasil news agency says the presidential security guard and an...
Drugmakers, FDA move to curb painkiller abuse
2:04
Pharmaceutical executives laid out plans Friday to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to stop hundreds of fatal overdoses each year. But Food and Drug Administration...
Embargo as genocide? US disputes Cuban claim
12:37
It was a story meant to captivate the United Nations: A dozen Cuban children with heart defects were forced to endure unnecessary surgery because the U.S. embargo blocked them from receiving American-made catheters. ...
Glaxo's swine flu shot may give kids fever
8:15
The European Medicines Agency warns that young children given GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu shot may get a fever after their second dose. In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said data from...
CDC warns of fake swine flu e-mails
5:24
Health officials are warning the public about fake e-mails inviting people to sign up for swine flu vaccine registrations. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials this week put out an advisory about...
Comcast: No plans to sell fourth-place NBC network
12:46
Comcast executives say they have no plans to sell NBC Universal's broadcast TV business when they take control of the company. Speaking Monday at the UBS media conference in New York, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts...
Cancer, math research honored in youth competition
11:53
A New York high school student has won a prestigious science competition for a project examining resistance to chemotherapy. The winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology were honored Monday in...
Nobel winners helped by independence, coffee
11:24
Intellectual freedom, independent research and frequent coffee breaks with colleagues helped this year's Nobel Prize winners make their groundbreaking scientific discoveries. The winners of the 2009 Nobel Prizes in...
Facebook creates online safety board
10:30
Social networking site Facebook on Monday said it is creating a global safety advisory board to protect its users against online predators such as sex offenders. The board will comprise representatives from five...
You've Got Freedom: AOL ends ties with Time Warner
10:28
AOL is shaking loose from Time Warner Inc. and heading into the next decade the way it began this one, as an independent company. Unlike the 1990s, though, when AOL got rich selling dial-up Internet access, it starts...
Some background on the climate talks
5:05
Around 15,000 delegates, environmentalists, scientists, journalists and others gathered in Copenhagen on Monday to begin two weeks of negotiations on what to do about climate change. Here's a look at what's happening...
Climate pledges made by countries before summit
5:01
_U.S.: President Barack Obama has pledged cutting emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. That represents a 3-4 percent cut from 1990 levels _ the benchmark used by most countries. Aims to reach a 41 percent...
Key dates in unfolding story of warming planet
4:58
1750 _ Before Industrial Revolution, atmosphere holds 280 parts per million of heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2). 1898 _ Swedish scientist Svante Ahrrenius calculates that CO2 from coal and oil burning will warm the...
The nation's weather
5:57
The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida were expected to continue tracking through the Southeastern U.S. on Thursday. The system was forecast to continue pulling abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and allow for wet...
The nation's weather
4:43
A strong storm in the center of the country was expected to continue bringing wintry weather to the Central Rockies and Plains on Thursday. A strong low pressure system that developed over the Rockies would continue...