CAPITAL CULTURE: Big first year leaves Obama tired
12:25
After a sleepless, overnight flight to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, President Barack Obama made a not altogether surprising admission. He was tired. Who could blame him? The president was on...
RC2 Corp. to pay $1.25 million for lead in toys
11:28
An Illinois firm agreed to pay a $1.25 million settlement for importing and selling the popular Thomas & Friends children's toys that contained lead levels above legal limits and risked sickening children. In...
Fewer law enforcement officers died on job in 2009
9:33
Law enforcement deaths this year dropped to their lowest level since 1959, while the decade of the 2000s was among the safest for officers _ despite the deadliest single day for police on Sept. 11, 2001. The drop in...
Anti-terror officials let terror suspect keep visa
8:52
The State Department says counterterrorism agencies were warned that the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to blow up an airliner Christmas Day may be under extremists' influence. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly...
Key dates surrounding the Christmas Day attack
6:39
A look at key events surrounding the Christmas Day attack on a U.S. airliner. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of trying to detonate an explosive device hidden on his body as the plane approached Detroit on a flight...
Mom fights to be buried with soldier son
4:45
Denise Anderson lost her only son in the Iraq war. She's determined not to lose her fight to be buried with him in a national veterans cemetery. Army Spc. Corey Shea died Nov. 12, 2008, in Mosul, with one about a month...
Attempted bombing puts focus on terrorist lists
2:16
What does it take to be banned from air travel? And how do you get on that list? U.S. officials are reviewing the watchlist and screening procedures that ensure safe air travel, but not all lists are equal. Here is a...
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....
Pressure rises to stop antibiotics in agriculture
1:01
The mystery started the day farmer Russ Kremer got between a jealous boar and a sow in heat. The boar gored Kremer in the knee with a razor-sharp tusk. The burly pig farmer shrugged it off, figuring: "You pour the...
Pot-stuffed teddy bear found at Calif. toy store
12:24
Authorities say they confiscated a teddy bear at a Southern California toy store that was stuffed with marijuana. The owner of Toy Town said Monday that he got the package last week, opened it up and found a...
Hawaii teachers OK deal to reduce furlough days
12:13
The union that represents Hawaii's public school teachers has approved an agreement to reduce the number of furlough days in the current school year. Hundreds of parents protested a plan this fall to cut 17...
Today in History
12:01
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 29, the 363rd day of 2009. There are 2 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 29, 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by...
Bristol Palin seeks full custody of baby
11:42
A judge's ruling has revealed a heated legal custody battle between Sarah Palin's daughter and the father of her grandson. Bristol Palin's request to keep the proceedings closed was denied last week by a Superior Court...
Washington officer wounded in ambush dies
10:52
One of two officers shot in an ambush last week by a drunken man in Washington state died Monday after being taken off life support, becoming the sixth police officer to die from gunfire in the state in less than two...
Sarah Palin's daughter seeks full custody of baby
9:59
An Alaska judge's ruling has revealed a heated legal custody battle between Sarah Palin's daughter and the father of Palin's grandson. A November request by 18-year-old Bristol Palin keep the proceedings closed was...
Obama vows to use power to thwart terrorists
9:39
President Barack Obama on Monday vowed to use "every element of our national power" to keep Americans safe and said the failed Christmas Day plot to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner was "a serious reminder" of the need...
Standoff over US base closure sours US-Japan ties
1:26
When the U.S. took over a Japanese airfield here in the closing days of World War II, it was surrounded by sugarcane fields and the smoldering battlegrounds of Okinawa. It is now the focus of a deepening dispute that is...
China confirms Briton's execution, despite UK plea
12:57
China brushed aside international appeals Tuesday and executed a British man convicted of drug smuggling whose relatives say was mentally unstable and unwittingly lured into the crime. Britain's prime minister...
Netanyahu to Egypt to discuss peace, prisoner swap
12:47
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Egypt to discuss U.S.-backed efforts to relaunch peace talks with the Palestinians. He is also expected to discuss Tuesday negotiations to swap hundreds of...
Suicide attack on Pakistani Shiites kills 33
12:05
The death toll from an overnight suicide attack on a Shiite Muslim procession in Pakistan's biggest city rose Tuesday to 33, in violence blamed on extremists trying to hamper the fight against militants by sparking a...
North Korea: American detained after illegal entry
11:53
North Korea said Tuesday it has detained an American who entered the country illegally, after activists claimed that a 28-year-old from Arizona went to the communist nation on a mission to call attention to the regime's...
Thai troops deport 4,000 Hmong to Laos
11:49
Thai troops packed more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong into military trucks for a one-way journey to Laos, all but ending the Hmong's three-decade search for asylum following their alliance with the U.S. during the Vietnam...
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11:09
British Foreign Office says China carries out execution of Briton convicted of drug smuggling. ...
Gay marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America
11:05
Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America's first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed. Gay rights activists Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex...
Oil hangs below $79 in Asia after big surge
1:27
Oil prices hung below $79 a barrel Tuesday in Asia, giving back some gains as regional stock markets mostly fell and the dollar strengthened moderately. Benchmark crude for February delivery was down 11 cents to $78.66...
Asian markets mixed in light holiday trade
1:26
Asian stocks markets were narrowly mixed in dwindling holiday trade Tuesday after Wall Street posted muted gains. The dollar was moderately higher against the euro and yen. Australian shares led the region, its...
Home prices likely fell in October vs. year ago
1:24
The latest reading on home prices is expected to show a decline from year-ago levels, but since June government programs to boost home sales have helped prices improve on a monthly basis. The figures for October, which...
Broadcasters' woes could spell trouble for free TV
1:22
For more than 60 years, TV stations have broadcast news, sports and entertainment for free and made their money by showing commercials. That might not work much longer. The business model is unraveling at ABC, CBS, NBC...
Broadcasters' woes could spell trouble for free TV
12:09
For more than 60 years, TV stations have broadcast news, sports and entertainment for free and made their money by showing commercials. That might not work much longer. The business model is unraveling at ABC, CBS, NBC...
Pilgrim's Pride exits bankruptcy protection
10:26
Chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride Corp. said Monday that it has emerged from bankruptcy protection and will soon be part of the world's largest meat producer. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection more...
AP: Ponzi collapses nearly quadrupled in '09
9:33
It was a rough year for Ponzi schemes. In 2009, the recession unraveled nearly four times as many of the investment scams as fell apart in 2008, with "Ponzi" becoming a buzzword again thanks to the collapse of Bernard...
Stocks edge higher as shoppers step up spending
9:31
Better holiday sales and rising commodities prices pushed stocks to their sixth straight gain and new highs for 2009. Major indexes edged higher in light trading Monday after sales figures showed shoppers spent more...
Drummer for Avenged Sevenfold found dead at home
1:18
Police say James Owen Sullivan, a drummer and backup vocalist for the Southern California band Avenged Sevenfold, has been found dead at his home in Southern California. Lt. John Domingo says the 28-year-old Sullivan,...
Court disciplines Joe Jackson's attorney
12:47
Records show an attorney handling Joe Jackson's bid to receive a monthly stipend from his son's estate has had his law license placed on probation for two years. Last week's decision by the California Supreme Court...
Singer Boyle brings act to Japan
11:24
Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has brought her act to Japan. The 48-year-old church volunteer who rocketed to fame with her surprising performance on "Britain's Got Talent" arrived at Tokyo's international...
Lil Wayne has hometown farewell show before jail
11:20
Lil Wayne emerged as a top-selling musician known for his clever wordplay and risque lyrics, but like rappers before him, he's staring down a year behind bars at the peak of his career. The artist returned to his...
Charlie Sheen's wife claims he threatened her
9:30
Charlie Sheen's wife told police the actor pinned her on a bed, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her in a Christmas Day fight in Aspen that began when she said she wanted a divorce. An arrest warrant...
Revival of 'Ragtime' set to close on Broadway
9:03
The sweet, syncopated sounds of "Ragtime" will fall silent Sunday on Broadway. The $8 million musical will close after a disappointing run of less than two months at the Neil Simon Theatre. It will have played 57...
A new Van Morrison is born: Singer has a baby boy
8:31
A new Van Morrison has been born. The 64-year-old Irish singer says on his Web site that he and his wife, GiGi, welcomed their son George Ivan Morrison III on Monday. The couple says that "Little Van" is "the spitting...
Review: Tennessee Williams' `Teardrop Diamond'
7:44
"The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond" was made from a screenplay written by Tennessee Williams in 1957. Unfortunately, the film does little to suggest the script's decades of neglect was unwarranted. When Williams wrote...
FIRST PERSON: Why some people miss the kingdom of heaven
3:00
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Coming out of a restaurant one frosty autumn day, I pulled my jacket collar tightly up under my chin and walked briskly toward my car -- only to find it wasn't there. Three phone calls and $119...
FamilyNet sold again
3:00
DALLAS (BP)--FamilyNet, a television and radio network formerly owned by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, has been sold once again.Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries, which purchased FamilyNet from...
Adult stem cells continue advances
3:00
WASHINGTON (BP)--Non-embryonic, or adult, stem cells continue to show remarkable results in treating injuries and diseases.In recently reported therapies: -- Doctors in Great Britain used a man's own stem cells and a...
10 steps for implementing GPS
3:00
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--As Southern Baptists prepare to implement "God's Plan for Sharing: Across North America" in the coming months, the North American Mission Board offers 10 steps toward reaching the goal.1. Pray....
GPS: An audacious vision to reach America for Christ
3:00
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--As I travel throughout North America, I am awed by the work God is doing in this vast mission field. He is at work in the hearts of those who know Him and those who have yet to know Him through a...
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...
Health bills nudge US on long-term care insurance
9:34
Most people don't buy long-term care insurance. They simply don't want to think about moving into an assisted living center or hiring a stranger to bathe them. Seven years ago, Robert Myers of suburban Chicago did buy...
Now hear this: Swim-proof hearing aids to get test
5:03
They're not your grandpa's hearing aids. Today's newest models range from the completely invisible _ it sits deep in the ear canal for months at a time _ to Bluetooth-enabled gadgets that open cell phones and iPods for...
Pressure rises to stop antibiotics in agriculture
2:47
The mystery started the day farmer Russ Kremer got between a jealous boar and a sow in heat. The boar gored Kremer in the knee with a razor-sharp tusk. The burly pig farmer shrugged it off, figuring: "You pour the...
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...
Better airport scanners delayed by privacy fears
8:52
High-tech security scanners that might have prevented the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jetliner have been installed in only a small number of airports around the world, in large part because of privacy concerns...
AT&T temporarily halts online iPhone sales in NYC
5:15
AT&T Inc. suspended online sales of iPhones to New Yorkers over the weekend for unknown reasons, then abruptly started selling them again just as mysteriously on Monday. Spokesman Fletcher Cook said only that the...
EBay: holiday cell phone shopping up threefold
2:13
EBay shoppers used cell phones to make more purchases this holiday season than in past years. And it was not just to buy the hot toy du jour, Zhu Zhu Pets. The online marketplace operator said Monday that people used...
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...
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...