WASHINGTON — The most significant "super" political committees in this year's presidential campaign revealed the names of their wealthy donors Tuesday. The casino mogul who, with his wife, contributed
$10 million to Newt Gingrich's group, gave five times more than the group collected from all other sources.
JACKSON, Miss. — The U.S. State Department is proposing what it calls "significant and controversial" changes to a foreign exchange program that has been exploited by unscrupulous labor brokers and organized criminals in the sex industry, said an internal memo obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
MOSCOW — Russia is standing firm on blocking any U.N. sanctions against Syria, its longtime ally and a significant arms customer, saying that any resolution by the world body must exclude the possibility of international military involvement such as in Libya.
COCOA — Newt Gingrich is promising to establish a permanent base on the moon by 2020 if he's elected president.
LYNN HAVEN — A Florida man has been arrested for allegedly hacking a Connecticut man to death and eating the victim's eye and part of his brain, police said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — Declaring the American dream under siege, President Barack Obama called Tuesday night for a flurry of help for a hurting middle class and higher taxes on millionaires, delivering a State of the Union address filled with re-election themes. Restoring a fair shot for all, Obama said, is "the defining issue of our time."
TAMPA — Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Tuesday he doesn't want to continue debating his Republican rivals if the audience isn't allowed to participate. His campaign said later that he would participate in upcoming debates, regardless of the audience rules.
NEW YORK — An 80-story skyscraper under construction at ground zero will have to stop at seven stories unless the developer can line up more tenants, planners said Monday, adding to problems that have plagued the $11.7 billion World Trade Center project.
TEHRAN, Iran — Senior Iranian lawmakers stepped up threats Monday that Islamic Republic warships could block the Persian Gulf's oil tanker traffic after the latest blow by Western leaders seeking to rein in Tehran's nuclear program: A punishing oil embargo by the European Union that sharply raises the economic stakes for Iran's defiance.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An 85-year-old Alaska woman used a grain shovel to fend off an agitated moose that was stomping her husband.
Fort Lauderdale — A man faces drug charges after allegedly smoking pot on a JetBlue flight to Newark, N.J.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Happy Valley was perfect for Joe Paterno, a place where "JoePa" knew best, where he not only won more football games than any other major college coach, but won them the right way: with integrity and sportsmanship. A place where character came first, championships second.
PHOENIX — In part, the short video has the feel of a campaign ad: the strains of soft music, the iconic snapshots of rugged Arizona desert, the candidate earnestly engaged with her constituents.
WASHINGTON — Several hundred protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement converged on the West Lawn of the Capitol Tuesday to decry the influence of corporate money in politics and voice myriad other grievances.
CAIRO — Hosni Mubarak, on trial for his life, is ferried to court by helicopter from a presidential hospital suite. His sons and co-defendants swagger in, wearing designer track suits and no handcuffs. His security chief is treated with near reverence by police in the courtroom.
TALLAHASSEE — Some Florida House Republicans are calling for a ban on Internet cafes, which have sprung up all around the state.
MADISON, Wis. — Opponents of Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker submitted nearly twice as many signatures Tuesday as required to force a recall election, but still face the challenge of transforming public outrage over his moves against unions into actual votes to oust him from office.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Republican presidential contenders on Monday campaigned their way into the first of two debates before a pivotal weekend primary in South Carolina, with Mitt Romney savoring an endorsement from the latest campaign dropout and his pursuers struggling to emerge as the race's principal conservative.
ROME — Italy's cruise liner tragedy turned into an environmental crisis Monday, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales.
MIAMI — Like tens of thousands of other Florida homeowners, imprisoned former football star O.J. Simpson is in danger of losing his house to foreclosure.
CONCORD, N.H. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, adding to a first-place finish in last week's Iowa caucuses and establishing himself as the man to beat for the Republican presidential nomination.
LOGAN, Ohio — A dispute over whether a terminally ill woman should have been given tea and toast or an orange apparently upset her husband so much that he shot and killed two of the woman's sisters and his own son before killing himself, a sheriff said Tuesday.
ORLANDO — Casey Anthony said in her probation report that her computer was recently hacked.
NEW YORK — The leader of a crime ring that combined old-fashioned pickpocketing, modern-day identity theft and an array of costumes to steal more than $700,000 from banks was sentenced Monday to 9 to 18 years in prison.
MADISON, Wis. — Authorities in southern Wisconsin are facing a tongue twister thanks to the arrest of Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.
TAMPA — A Kosovo-born man was charged with plotting to attack Tampa-area nightclubs and a sheriff's office with bombs and an assault rifle to avenge wrongs done to Muslims, federal
authorities said Monday.
ATLANTA — Herman Cain told aides Tuesday he is assessing whether the latest allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against him "create too much of a cloud" for his Republican presidential candidacy to go forward.
DALLAS — The parent company of American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday, seeking relief from crushing debt caused by high fuel prices and expensive labor contracts that its competitors shed years ago. The company also replaced its CEO, and the incoming leader said American would probably cut its flight schedule "modestly" while it reorganizes. The new CEO, Thomas W. Horton, did not give specifics.
CAIRO — Egypt's military ruler warned of "extremely grave" consequences if the turbulent nation does not pull through its current crisis and urged voters to turn out for landmark parliamentary elections starting Monday.
MIAMI — In a distressed neighborhood north of Miami's gleaming downtown, a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced instructors from Teach for America is trying to make progress where more veteran teachers have had difficulty: raising students' reading and math scores.
ORLANDO — Central Florida coach George O'Leary has fired a pair of defensive assistants and a football staffer.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida A&M University's famed Marching 100 band, which has a history of hazing, has been shut down until investigators find out more about how one of its members died after a football game.
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopefuls warned in near unanimity against deep cuts in the nation's defense budget Tuesday night, criticizing President Barack Obama in the campaign debate but disagreeing over the extent of reductions the Pentagon should absorb as part of an effort to reduce deficits and repair the frail economy.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A study group on Monday proposed that Ohio ban new ownership of venomous snakes, monkeys, tigers and other dangerous animals with only limited exceptions and give state officials' the authority to take from private property any wildlife that's being kept illegally.
NEW YORK — The mother of a "lone wolf" accused of plotting to attack police stations and post offices with homemade bombs apologized to New Yorkers on Monday, even as questions arose about why federal authorities, who typically handle terrorism cases, declined to get involved in what city officials called a serious threat.
The Obama administration announced a new set of sanctions against Iran on Monday in an effort to apply greater pressure to get Tehran to halt its suspected nuclear weapons program.
CANBERRA, Australia — Signaling a determination to counter a rising China, President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to expand U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region and "project power and deter threats to peace" in that part of the world even as he reduces defense spending and winds down two wars.
SAN DIEGO — An estimated 17 tons of marijuana were seized after the discovery of a cross-border tunnel that authorities said Wednesday was one of the most significant secret drug smuggling passages ever found on the U.S.-Mexico border.
URBANDALE, Iowa — Rising in polls and receiving greater scrutiny, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich found himself on the defensive Wednesday over huge payments he received over the past decade from the mortgage giant Freddie Mac.
STARKE — A Florida man convicted of killing an Ohio woman and her two teenage daughters in June 1989 as the victims returned from a dream vacation to Disney World has been executed.
A Hillsborough County jury found Humberto Delgado Jr. guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder. That same jury will return Thursday to recommend whether Delgado should receive the death penalty or life in prison.
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson's doctor was convicted Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death for supplying an insomnia-plagued Jackson with a powerful operating-room anesthetic to help him sleep as he rehearsed for his big comeback.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An assistant dean at the University of Illinois College of Law inflated grades and entrance exam scores for incoming students in data that was posted online, according to a report released Monday by the university.
WASHINGTON — The lawyer for one of two women who reportedly accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment in the 1990s said Tuesday he had asked their former employer to waive an agreement and allow her to talk openly about her allegations.
MIAMI — The widow of a Florida tabloid photo editor who died in the 2001 anthrax mailings has reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the U.S. government.
ORLANDO — A federal judge temporarily blocked Florida's new law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug test before receiving benefits Monday, saying it may violate the Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.
CONCORD, N.H. — Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann's former New Hampshire staffers say they were deceived and treated as second-class citizens before they quit in frustration last week.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida's hurricane fund, a state-created pool intended to help insurers after disasters, is confronting a potential $3.2 billion shortfall.
UNITED NATIONS — Saudi Arabia is asking that the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. be brought to the U.N. Security Council.
WASHINGTON — The White House appeared to waffle Monday on the fate of a financially troubled long-term care program in President Barack Obama's health overhaul law, as supporters and foes heaped criticism on the administration.
LAS VEGAS — Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died of head injuries after a massive 15-car wreck at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy said Monday.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida's minimum wage is going up by 36 cents to $7.67 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2012.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio are popular, relative political newcomers in presidential battleground states.
ROME — Italian riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in Rome on Saturday as violent protesters hijacked a peaceful demonstration against corporate greed — smashing bank windows, torching cars and hurling bottles.
ORLANDO — President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the question for next year's presidential race isn't whether the country has been going through a difficult time, but more like where will the country go next.
MIAMI — The Univision television network denied allegations Tuesday that it told Republican Sen. Marco Rubio it might not broadcast a story about a relative's decades-old drug conviction if he appeared on its news programs.
WASHINGTON — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday she will not run for president, leaving little doubt that the eventual Republican nominee will come from the current field of contenders.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is remembering Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as one of America's greatest innovators and says the world has lost a visionary.
UTOYA, Norway — Norway opened the island of Utoya to journalists Monday for the first time since confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik massacred 69 people at a youth camp in July, with the ruling Labor Party vowing to ensure its idyllic retreat transcends tragedy.
WINTER HAVEN — The first thing you'll do upon entering Legoland Florida is walk up to the nearest oversized Lego model and touch it: Is it really made out of those little plastic bricks that are as much a part of American childhood as skinned knees and ice cream cones?
SAN FRANCISCO — Transgender inmates who did not begin treatment prior to entering federal custody can now receive sex hormones, specialized mental health counseling and possibly gender reassignment surgery while serving their sentences.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When Rhode Island became the 13th state to allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants at public colleges, supporters heralded the move as one that would give students the kind of advanced education they need to succeed in the workforce.
JACKSON, Ga. — Georgia executed Troy Davis on Wednesday night for the murder of an off-duty police officer, a crime he denied committing right to the end as supporters around the world mourned and declared that an innocent man was put to death.
A strong earthquake shook northeastern India and Nepal on Sunday night, killing at least 16 people, damaging buildings and sending lawmakers in Nepal's capital running into the streets.
NEW YORK — In the days after the 9/11 attacks, all of New York seemed to become a shrine to the dead. People left heaps of flowers in front of fire stations. They lit candles. They hung photographs of the missing.
Now, at last, there is a permanent memorial to the victims.
JERUSALEM — Economic growth in the West Bank will be lower than expected this year because donors to the Palestinian government have not transferred the money they pledged, according to a report Monday from the World Bank.
BASTROP, Texas — One of the most devastating wildfire outbreaks in Texas history left more than 1,000 homes in ruins Tuesday and stretched the state's firefighting ranks to the limit, confronting Gov. Rick Perry with a major disaster at home just as the GOP presidential contest heats up.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica's top security official announced Tuesday that he will lead a delegation to Cuba this week to sign agreements strengthening cooperation against drug trafficking and other crimes.
WASHINGTON — In a sudden political shoving match, President Barack Obama asked Congress to convene an extraordinary joint session next Wednesday to hear his much-anticipated proposals to put jobless Americans back to work, but House Speaker John Boehner balked and told the president he ought to wait and speak a day later.
MIAMI — Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants the state to compete in the next round of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top competition, which could award up to $100 million to improve early learning.
ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria's opposition is denouncing the government's decision to allow in the relatives of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
NEW YORK — Stripped of hurricane rank, Tropical Storm Irene spent the last of its fury Sunday, leaving treacherous flooding and millions without power — but an unfazed New York and relief that it was nothing like the nightmare authorities feared.
SYDNEY — Asia-Pacific markets continue to gain confidence after stocks in Europe and the U.S. closed higher on a surge in demand for cars and planes in July that offered an unexpectedly upbeat sign of life in the U.S. economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 index opened 1.
TRIPOLI, Libya — Hundred of Libyan rebels stormed Moammar Gadhafi's compound Tuesday, charging wildly through the symbolic heart of the crumbling regime as they killed loyalist troops, looted armories and knocked the head off a statue of the besieged dictator. But they found no sign of the man himself.
MINERAL, Va. — The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from Georgia to Maine on Tuesday. Frightened office workers spilled into the streets in New York, and parts of the White House, Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated.
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Monday to stop fighting immediately and make way for "a smooth transition" that ensures a free and democratic future for the country. The U.N.
Egypt's council of military rulers will not allow international monitors to observe upcoming parliamentary elections designed to move the country back toward civilian rule, a council member said Wednesday.
The soldiers shouted, "Raise your head high, you're Egyptian." It was one of the most inspiring chants by young protesters during Egypt's revolution, encapsulating the newfound pride of a people rising up after a lifetime of humiliation under authoritarian rule.
This is what freedom looks like for Casey Anthony: $537.68 from her jail account, no job, estranged parents, a criminal record, lawsuits pending against her and the scorn of multitudes who think she got away with murder.
President Barack Obama bluntly told Republican congressional leaders Wednesday they must compromise quickly if the government is to avoid an unprecedented default, adding, "Don't call my bluff" while passing a short-term debt limit increase he has threatened to veto.
As the miles melted between Atlantis and the International Space Station, the emotions grew — in orbit and on the ground.
A day after the jubilation of South Sudan's independence proclamation, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. warned Sunday of a "real risk" that the north-south peace process could unravel unless outstanding issues, such as oil and border demarcations, are quickly resolved.
Arizonans are calling it the mother of all dust storms. The mile-high wall of ominous, billowing dust that appeared to swallow Phoenix and its suburbs is all that locals can talk about.
Hundreds of Egyptian protesters lobbed rocks at the security headquarters and set fire to police cars for a second day Wednesday in a flashpoint city as growing impatience over delays in trying former regime officials and police accused of killing protesters threatened to plunge the nation back into crisis.
The lead defense attorney for Casey Anthony says he is happy that his client was found not guilty of killing her toddler daughter, but that there are no winners in this case.
Yemen's president, hospitalized in Saudi Arabia after an attack nearly a month ago on his palace, has instructed his deputy to hold talks with political opponents on a deal to transfer power and end the nation's spiraling political crisis, his foreign minister said Wednesday.
A lawyer for a disabled woman who is challenging Gov. Rick Scott's freeze on rulemaking told the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday that the governor exceeded his constitutional authority by effectively and unilaterally changing the state's administrative procedures law.
A federal judge has ruled that prison officials can forcibly medicate the Tucson shooting rampage suspect with anti-psychotic drugs.
The floats were there, the music and dancing, too — all the usual staples of one of the world's oldest and largest gay pride parades. But this year, something new joined the spectacle on the streets of New York City: proposals and wedding plans.
Florida will take another step into an era of declining expectations from its cash-strapped state government this week when the most austere in a series of tight annual budgets goes into effect.
Florida Democrats think they've found what it takes to win in 2012: Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
An aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Saturday that she could be released from a rehabilitation hospital in Houston as early as this month, offering the latest indication that the Arizona congresswoman is making progress in recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Internet searches for how to make chloroform and neck-breaking were done on a computer that a Florida mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter had access to, an expert who analyzed the machine testified Wednesday at the mother's trial.
His political career in jeopardy, Rep. Anthony Weiner has been making calls to colleagues to apologize for sending raunchy texts and photos to several women.
Authorities say a 16-year-old girl has died and her 13-year-old brother is in critical condition after a shooting at their Tampa home.
A man accused of killing his estranged wife's mother at an Alabama community college in April has pleaded not guilty.
The Obama administration said Wednesday it will boycott a world conference against racism being held at U.N. headquarters in September.
For being first in line, Sarah Baldwin and Heather Sowell got loving applause and smiles from behind the clerk's counter.
Authorities say a woman who was under a parked Tampa Bay area school bus was killed when the vehicle began to move.
People applying for welfare benefits must pay for drug testing under a bill Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Tuesday.
Crews raced approaching floodwaters Tuesday to complete emergency levees aimed at protecting South Dakota's capital city and two other towns as the swollen Missouri River rolled downstream from the Northern Plains.
Tornadoes ripped through parts of the Midwest on Sunday, killing at least one person in Minneapolis and an unknown number of others in a Missouri town where a hospital was hit.
The former pastor of a Tampa megachurch has been charged with driving under the influence.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff, a revelation that apparently prompted wife Maria Shriver to leave the couple's home before they announced their separation last week.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry warned Sunday that already shaky U.S.-Pakistani relations have reached a critical juncture as calls grow in the United States to cut some of the billions of dollars in aid to Islamabad following al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's killing.
Responding to critics' relentless claims, President Barack Obama on Wednesday produced a detailed Hawaii birth certificate in an extraordinary attempt to bury the issue of where he was born and confirm his legitimacy to hold office.
The Republican-controlled Florida House has passed a series of measures to put more limits on abortion rights by largely party line votes.
A State Department official said a U.S. travel advisory for Americans traveling in Europe that was set to expire the day after the royal wedding will not be extended.
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