House Democrats pessimistic about public option
6:19
House Democrats aren't optimistic that a government insurance plan, a central element of health care legislation passed in their chamber, will survive negotiations with the Senate. While insisting "it's not dead," Rep....
US condemns violence in Iran
7:00
The Obama administration on Sunday strongly condemned the Iranian government's crackdown on protesters, offering its support to civilians "seeking to exercise their universal rights." National Security Council...
Sounds of firecrackers mark failure of terror plot
6:11
A popping noise, an odor, then flames. What sounded like firecrackers was the climax of a failed attempt by a suspected terrorist to blow up a U.S. jetliner on Christmas Day. Northwest Flight 253 passengers and law...
Officials say man on Sunday flight posed no threat
5:26
The same Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight that was attacked on Christmas Day saw another security scare Sunday during a confrontation with a sick passenger from Nigeria, officials said. Security and airline...
Detroit explosive common, easily detectible
4:34
The explosive device used by the would-be Detroit bomber contained a widely available _ and easily detected _ chemical explosive that has a long history of terrorist use, according to government officials and explosive...
3:10
Obama stresses heightened airline security in call with officials, orders another briefing. ...
Democrat eyeing Kennedy seat avoids family legacy
1:35
Attorney General Martha Coakley may be the front-runner in the race to fill the late Edward Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat, but she is crafting a campaign largely free of the Kennedy mystique. Although she shares Kennedy's...
Airliner-attack investigation moving on 2 fronts
10:00
The Obama administration is moving forward on two fronts in response to the failed bombing on a Detroit-bound airliner. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says investigators are looking at the system for placing...
Wild horse roundup to begin in Nevada amid protest
12:29
The federal capture of about 2,500 wild horses from public and private lands in northern Nevada was to begin Monday amid protests the roundups are unnecessary and inhumane. Federal officials said the roundup is needed...
NYPD to announce record-setting crime reduction
12:10
New York officials are expected to announce Monday that 2009 was a record-setting year in crime reduction, reflecting a trend seen across the country. The NYPD earlier this year projected about 457 murders, which would...
9 dead, including at least 6 kids, in Miss. fire
11:48
Nine people, including at least six children, died early Monday in an apartment fire, officials said. The blaze was reported around 4 a.m., according to Oktibbeha (ACH-tibb-bee-ha) County Coroner Michael Hunt. He and...
Napolitano concedes airline security system failed
11:42
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday that the aviation security system failed when a young man on a watchlist with a U.S. visa in his pocket and a powerful explosive hidden on his body was...
Times Square shredders offer good riddance to 2009
11:23
Need to purge bad memories of 2009? Shred them. All those seeking a fresh start in 2010 are invited to New York City's Times Square on Monday to slip their unpleasant remembrances through shredders. New Yorkers and...
NJ man in Brazil case: Son not yet calling me Dad
10:53
A man who brought his son home to the United States from Brazil after winning a bitter custody battle said in an interview aired Monday that he's thrilled they have been reunited but is still waiting to be called "Dad."...
Court hearing in airline attack postponed to Jan.
10:53
A court hearing to determine whether the government can get DNA from a Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane has been postponed. The federal court in Detroit says a hearing scheduled for...
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10:37
Fire marshal: 9 dead, including at least 6 kids, in apartment fire in Starkville, Miss. ...
Nigerian broke family contact before bomb attempt
12:28
A young Nigerian man who allegedly tried to bring down a trans-Atlantic flight broke off contact from his worried parents only a few months before the attack, apparently trading a world of wealth for the calling of a...
Pakistan bombing kills 30 at Shiite procession
12:17
A suicide bombing targeting a Shiite Muslim procession in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi killed 30 people and wounded dozens more Monday, as Shiites across the country marked the key holy day of Ashoura. Outraged...
Al-Qaida claims Italian kidnappings in W. Africa
11:28
An al-Qaida offshoot on Monday claimed responsibility for kidnapping two Italians in Mauritania earlier this month, and Rome's foreign minister said it was likely the hostages were in the hands of the radical Islamist...
Family: Mousavi nephew's body taken from hospital
11:02
The body of the nephew of Iran's opposition leader _ slain in the deadliest day of anti-government protests in months _ disappeared from a hospital Monday, and security forces detained at least seven prominent...
Opposition party rejects PM Netanyahu's unity bid
10:55
Israel's main opposition party has turned down an offer from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join his coalition government. The centrist Kadima party has 28 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament _ one more than...
Relatives visit Briton on death row in China
10:50
Relatives made a last-minute plea for mercy Monday for a Briton scheduled to be executed in China for drug smuggling after visiting the man whom they say may be mentally ill. Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old father of...
UK says plane bomb suspect on routine watchlist
10:48
The man accused of trying to blow up a US-bound airliner was not flagged in Britain as a potential terror suspect _ he was merely put on a standard watch list of people whose visa applications were rejected, British...
Nigerian plane bomber bought tickets in Ghana
10:43
A Nigerian official says the man accused of trying to bring down a U.S. airliner bought his ticket with cash in Ghana eight days before the flight departed Nigeria. Harold Demuren, the head of the Nigerian Civil...
Storms, falling supply drives energy prices up
12:34
Oil prices rose above $79 barrel Monday for the first time in seven weeks as an extended cold snap triggered an end-of-year rally in energy futures. Benchmark crude for February delivery added 63 cents to $78.68 a...
A look at economic developments around the globe
12:33
A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Monday: ___ TOKYO _ Japan's factory output grew the most in six months in November as a recovery in export demand from Asia boosted...
Stocks edge higher following retail sales data
12:27
Better holiday sales and rising commodities prices pushed stocks to new 2009 highs. Major indexes edged higher in midday trading Monday after data showed shoppers spent more freely this holiday season, a good sign that...
Rates rise slightly on Treasury bills
12:19
Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday's auction to the highest levels since September. The Treasury Department auctioned $28 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.110 percent, up...
Oklahoma company voluntarily recalls beef products
12:14
An Oklahoma-based company is voluntarily recalling about 248,000 pounds of beef it says might be contaminated with a strain of E. coli bacteria. National Steak and Poultry and the U.S. Agriculture Department announced...
Shanda and Kingsoft in expanded partnership
12:03
Shanda Games Ltd., a Chinese video game company, said Monday it is partnering with Kingsoft Corp. in a joint venture aimed at developing new online games. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal,...
Bad economy forces Calif. art museum to close
11:31
The Claremont Museum of Art has closed its doors. The museum, in a historic Southern California lemon packing house, was in the planning stages for 20 years. But reality and the recession arrived about the same time,...
Louisiana's first-time jobless claims decline
11:28
The Louisiana Workforce Commission says initial claims for unemployment insurance dropped to 4,954 for the week ending Dec. 19, from 6,003 for the previous week. For the comparable week a year earlier _ the week ending...
Nelly offers reward in burglary of his home
12:01
The rapper Nelly is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man who broke into his suburban St. Louis home earlier this month. CrimeStoppers announced the reward on Monday. Someone...
No decision on Sheen charges likely until February
11:57
Prosecutors say they probably won't decide until February whether to file charges against actor Charlie Sheen in an alleged domestic violence case in Aspen. Sheen was arrested Christmas Day on suspicion of menacing,...
'2012' sets box office record in China
8:20
A second Hollywood movie has shattered the Chinese box office record in a year, as Beijing faces increased pressure to ease its annual quota of 20 foreign blockbusters. The American disaster film "2012" has made 460...
Little room for daytime cable fights
6:47
Opinionated talk is big business on cable news networks when the sun goes down. But during the day, it's the complete opposite. MSNBC is shuffling its daytime lineup early next year because its strategy of spreading...
LA lawyers put objections aside to make music
6:45
If a defense attorney, a prosecutor and a judge were to walk into a music hall what would be the first thing they'd do? "Spend a half-hour arguing legal motions," veteran Los Angeles lawyer David Waller says one of his...
Polanski thanks supporters for their solidarity
6:43
Filmmaker Roman Polanski says letters from supporters that he received in a Swiss prison and while under house arrest at his Alpine chalet have been "full of comfort and reason to hope." Polanski's first public...
Merry Xmas in Hollywood: Box-office record falls
8:14
It was a memorable and merry Christmas in Hollywood as moviegoers shattered box-office records, responding in droves to a diverse array of high-profile releases over the holiday weekend. The estimated $278 million in...
Jon Gosselin's NYC apartment trashed over holidays
3:17
Jon Gosselin's apartment was ransacked by someone who slashed furniture, stole his TV and left a note pinned to his dresser with a butcher knife while he visited his children for Christmas, his lawyer said Sunday. The...
RI field fight part of bigger church-state dispute
1:12
A fight over athletic fields in this city goes beyond who gets to play soccer where and raises thorny questions about separation of church and state and public aid to religious institutions _ divisive issues that have...
Religion news in brief
11:14
Students filtered into the pews as church bells rang to mark the start of a Wyoming Catholic College noon mass, a service conducted in Latin on a recent fall day. The prospect of daily church services may not appeal to...
Many mine Bible for money wisdom during downturn
11:01
A Hummer, a 1957 hot rod, a comfortable house in a gated community _ if Bob Vigliotti wanted something, he bought it. Cash or credit didn't matter. As a successful commercial real estate developer from Naples, Fla., he...
FIRST-PERSON: Accelerating 4G churches
4:30
ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--Wireless technology has advanced to the fourth generation (4G Network) so that your phones, computers and other devices can retrieve and send digitized information at breathtaking speed. In this...
BP to launch Bill Fay column
4:30
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Baptist Press will launch a monthly column Jan. 5 by Bill Fay, the man whose book "Share Jesus Without Fear" has led to thousands of Christians becoming soul-winners. Fay travels regularly giving...
CHRISTMAS: A lesson from Scrooge
4:30
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP)--Tiny Tim was blessed by old Scrooge after he received a new lease on life. Scrooge learned to laugh instead of scowl -- and so can we. We can learn to laugh at Christmas time and experience...
CHRISTMAS: Gifts for the King
4:30
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When we think of Christmas one of the words that naturally comes to mind is the word "gifts." People will frequently ask one another, "What gifts are you hoping to get for Christmas?" The giving...
Grad student writes carol for troops
4:30
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Thousands of soldiers will be away from their families this Christmas, but graduate student Matt Hodge hopes a Christmas carol he has written will help them feel closer to their families during...
China plant shuts after children poisoned by lead
10:44
Chinese authorities Monday started administering health checks on all children living near a battery factory in the south of the country and closed the plant after more than 40 children were found with lead poisoning. ...
First case of highly drug-resistant TB found in US
8:14
It started with a cough, an autumn hack that refused to go away. Then came the fevers. They bathed and chilled the skinny frame of Oswaldo Juarez, a 19-year-old Peruvian visiting to study English. His lungs clattered,...
Little boy's big legacy teaches others how to live
9:23
The disarming smile of a 4-year-old boy with a buzz cut brightens an otherwise drab newspaper page, where whole lives are summed up in three inches of tiny newsprint. Danny Stanton's death notice first makes you wonder...
Study: Vaccine means more holiday hugs, fewer bugs
5:04
More hugs, fewer bugs. Holiday visits have become safer for grandparents thanks to a childhood vaccine that has dramatically curbed infections spread by kids, a new study finds. For years, serious bacterial infections...
Study: Swine flu poses a threat to new moms
5:03
Swine flu is not only dangerous to pregnant women, but it's a threat to new mothers too, the first study to document this risk shows. An analysis of pregnant women and new mothers who were hospitalized with swine flu in...
Nasal swine flu vaccine recalled over potency
7:14
Drugmaker MedImmune is recalling nearly 5 million doses of swine flu vaccine because the nasal spray appears to lose strength over time, federal health officials announced Tuesday. The vaccine recall is the second this...
AP Enterprise: Feds mull regulating drugs in water
4:14
Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of...
'Invisible bracelet' for emergency health alerts?
10:32
Emergency health alerts for the Facebook generation? The nation's ambulance crews are pushing a virtual medical ID system to rapidly learn a patient's health history during a crisis _ and which can immediately...
EBay: holiday cell phone shopping up threefold
11:50
More eBay shoppers have used cell phones to make purchases this holiday season than in past years. And it's not just to buy the hot toy du jour, Zhu Zhu Pets. The online marketplace operator said Monday that people...
AT&T suspends online sales of iPhones in NYC
11:37
AT&T has stopped selling iPhones to New Yorkers from its Web site, for unclear reasons. The company hasn't explained the suspension, which started a few days ago. It said Monday that it periodically "modifies" its...
Cell phone mania forces scramble for more airwaves
1:27
Wireless devices such as Apple's iPhone are transforming the way we go online, making it possible to look up driving directions, find the nearest coffee shop and update Facebook on the go. All this has a price _ in...
Google sharpens aim on mobile marketing with AdMob
11:11
Four years ago, Omar Hamoui was just another ineffectual entrepreneur trying to spruce up his resume in graduate school. Now, he's poised to become Google Inc.'s newest weapon as the company aims to extend its...
College asks students to power down, contemplate
10:40
Dianne Lynch wanted to give the students of Stephens College a break from the constant digital communication that pervades their generation. So she asked them to put their phones and computers away and revive the...
Apple's stock hits new high as gadget buzz builds
4:10
Apple Inc. shares hit an all-time high Thursday after a published report suggested the intensely scrutinized yet secretive company may be getting ready for a major product announcement. Citing unnamed people familiar...
College asks students to power down, contemplate
11:53
Dianne Lynch wanted to give the students of Stephens College a break from the constant digital communication that pervades their generation. So she asked them to put their phones and computers away and revive the...
FTC taking closer look at Google's AdMob purchase
6:40
U.S. antitrust regulators are taking a closer look at Google Inc.'s proposed $750 million purchase of mobile phone marketer AdMob, the latest sign of greater government vigilance as Google tries to expand its...
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...