Obama leads in key swing states, new polls find

Two of the states are familiar bellwethers, the third a relative newcomer to the swing state category. For either Mitt Romney or President...

Double jeopardy issue: Court OKs some trials after vote to acquit

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has limited the Constitution’s protection against double jeopardy in cases involving...

Dragon cleared to dock with space station

CAPE CANAVERAL -- After its Dragon capsule passed maneuvering tests early Thursday morning, SpaceX has tentative permission from NASA to...

Times-Picayune in New Orleans cuts publication to 3 days a week

The New Orleans Times-Picayune will move to a three-day-a-week print schedule in the fall, becoming the largest metro newspaper to cut...

CIA honors officer killed in the line of duty in Yemen

WASHINGTON -- At Jeffrey Patneau's funeral in October 2008, his family was not allowed to talk about where he had worked or what he had...

Analysis: Are the new Gallup numbers on abortion meaningful?

Gallup received considerable attention Wednesday for new...

Top 10 new species of 2011 named by conservation group

Top 10 lists are standard fodder for media: the 10 best dressed, the 10 best-looking, the 10 most wanted, etc. But the International...

Tech giant HP to slash 27,000 jobs by 2014

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest PC maker, will cut 27,000 jobs, or about 8 percent of its staff, by 2014 to bring down...

Thousands of pages of evidence detail killing of FAMU drum major Robert Champion

The beatings began well before the Nov. 19 hazing death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion, according to more than 2,...

Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved

Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to adopt a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major...

Facebook, Morgan Stanley face class-action suit over IPO

WASHINGTON -- A class-action lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Facebook Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co., and the other Wall Street banks...

Documents reveal Pentagon gave Hollywood special Bin Laden access

WASHINGTON -- In the months after the U.S. military mission that killed Osama bin Laden, Pentagon officials met with Hollywood filmmakers...

Sierra LaMar case: Suspect, 21, faces murder charges

The 21-year-old man suspected of kidnapping and killing teen Sierra LaMar faces murder charges when he appears in court Thursday.

Obama predicts 'great American century' in Air Force Academy talk

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- President Obama proclaimed the U.S. “exceptional” in the world as he paid tribute Wednesday to what...

Secret Service director tells Senate scandal 'not a systemic issue'

WASHINGTON – Speaking publicly for the first time about a prostitution scandal that has tarnished the reputation of the Secret...

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald stepping down June 30

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who oversaw the prosecutions of governors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, announced today he is...

Obama vote lags among Democrats in Arkansas, Kentucky primaries

Have you heard of John Wolfe? Chances are, voters in Arkansas haven't heard of him either. And yet, tens of thousands of Democrats cast a...

More Americans now eating whole grains, fresh produce

A vast majority of Americans say they eat more whole grains and fresh produce than they did five years ago, but many believe the federal...

Several George Zimmerman witnesses change their accounts

Evidence released last week in the second-degree-murder case against George Zimmerman shows four key witnesses made major changes in what...

Regulators looking into Morgan Stanley role in Facebook IPO

NEW YORK -- Securities regulators are amping up their interest in Facebook's lackluster initial public offering.

U.N. official says deal close on Iran nuclear inspections

AMMAN, Jordan — The United Nations' atomic watchdog agency said it was close to a deal giving inspectors access to some of Iran's...

Poll: Obama still faces economic hurdles in reelection battle

It's become one of the core questions in a presidential reelection year -- are you better off now than you were four years ago? For...

SpaceX rocket blasts Dragon into space in historic launch

CAPE CANAVERAL – The SpaceX Dragon capsule is on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station and possibly heralding a...

Census Bureau says 2010 count was mainly accurate

The 2010 census continued to miscount the same groups that it's had problems keeping track of in the past, but overall was essentially...

Missing teen Sierra LaMar believed dead, sheriff says

Investigators said Tuesday that "direct and circumstantial" evidence leads them to believe that a 21-year-old man kidnapped and killed 15-...

President Obama shows signs of frustration with Pakistan

A growing diplomatic dispute over Pakistan's refusal to reopen supply routes for U.S. and other troops in Afghanistan threatened to...

Video of Washington waterfall rescue released

A 13-year-old boy who was stranded on a river rock ledge and in danger of being swept over a 270-foot waterfall described his ordeal...

At Niagara Falls, man goes over; in Washington state, boy hangs on

Two waterfalls, two miracle stories.

Listening to loud music linked with pot use, unsafe sex, study says

Warning: Music may be hazardous to your health.

Supreme Court: In vitro children might not be due benefits

WASHINGTON -- A child who was conceived from the sperm of a father who had died is not automatically entitled to Social Security benefits as...

Catholic institutions sue over contraceptive rule

WASHINGTON -- The battle between the Obama administration and some prominent Catholic institutions intensified Monday when 43 Catholic...

Supreme Court to consider case on secret international wiretapping

Washington — The Supreme Court agreed today to consider blocking a constitutional challenge to the government’s secret...

Axelrod says Romney's Mormon religion off-limits

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John A. Boehner dismissed as "nonsense" a proposed GOP campaign attack on President Obama's past association...