John Kerry says Republican John McCain doesn't have the judgment to be president. If that's the case, then it's probably a good thing McCain rejected overtures from Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004,...

There's a great unknown about Sen. John McCain's health plan: How many employers would drop insurance coverage for their workers because of his tax policies? The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting has proposed...

TITLE: "Balance." LENGTH: 30 seconds. AIRING: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. SCRIPT: Announcer: "Record gas prices. A climate in crisis. John McCain says solve it now with a balanced plan: Alternative...

John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement. The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow...

Barack Obama celebrated "active faith" as an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change while speaking Saturday to a nearly all-black roomful of churchgoers, but hoping to reach far beyond...

Brian "Young Gun" Krause has out-spit his father to claim his seventh championship at the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship. Krause's winning spit on Saturday was 56 feet, 7 1/2 inches. That's 6 1/2...

Cooler weather on Sunday gave a boost to crews battling the enormous wildfire that was threatening nearly 2,700 homes in Santa Barbara County. The four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest, which had...

He was a flight surgeon with the Navy and a CIA officer in Pakistan. He has also earned a doctorate in sociology and written two books. Now Marc Sageman can add a new entry to his resume: terrorism guru for the New...

The first clue that the Tuesday afternoon session in Part 4 of Buffalo City Court is not like other criminal proceedings comes just before it starts. Judge Robert Russell steps down from his bench and from the...

They were precocious toddlers, both blond-haired and blue-eyed, separated by a thousand miles between Miami and a small Kentucky town. The two girls would never meet, but would be brought together through unthinkable...

The United Arab Emirates canceled billions of dollars of Iraqi debt Sunday and moved to restore a full diplomatic mission in Baghdad, evidence of Iraq's improved security and growing acceptance of its Shiite-led...

Officials say a U.S. cargo plane has crashed while trying to land in the northern Mexican city of Ramos Arizpe, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the co-pilot. Coahuila state official Segismundo Doguin says...

Gunmen opened fire on people leaving a mosque in Somalia's capital on Sunday night, killing one of the country's senior U.N. officials and wounding his son and another man, a witness and a family member said. Attacks...

Freed after years as rebel-held hostages, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and four Colombian police officers sent radio messages of hope on Sunday to captives still detained in remote jungle camps. The...

Britain called Sunday for tough action as well as talk in the face of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's defiance and signs of disunity among his opposition. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged South...

NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday they have reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process that had attracted interest from several major media...

During a bustling lunch hour in this Welsh commuter town, 25-year-old Richard Williams is one of the few who pause to look at properties for sale in a real-estate agent's window _ and he isn't buying. "I'd love to, but...

Communities and child health advocates around the country had pinned their hopes on Rhode Island prevailing in its landmark lawsuit against the lead paint industry. Now, after the state Supreme Court threw out the...

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. may be cleared by federal regulators this month, and it can't happen fast enough for XM. As the regulatory review drags on, the...

Investors battered by surging energy prices, disappointing economic data and the ongoing credit crisis will have something else to worry about this week _ second-quarter corporate results. The unofficial start to...

Will Smith's box-office superpowers remain intact. Smith's "Hancock" _ the story of a boozing, foul-mouthed superhero who dresses like a street bum _ led the Fourth of July weekend with a $66 million debut, according to...

A Will Smith movie packs in millions of people over Fourth of July weekend. No surprises there. Yet Smith's "Hancock," the tale of an anti-social boozer who happens to be a superhero, comes with an abrupt plot twist,...

The opening note of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's "Die Soldaten" has to be the most moving in opera when heard in David Pountney's production: The 974-seat bleacher containing the audience slowly starts to roll down train...

Singer-guitarist Jack White has penned a poem expressing his strong feelings for Detroit to clear up any misconceptions about how the White Stripes frontman feels about his hometown. White said he was frustrated by a...

The image of Ted Koppel interviewing world leaders is so ingrained that it feels odd to see him wearing a hardhat for a nervous trip into a Chinese coal mine, or sitting in a Chongqing karaoke bar where teenage girls...

Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer that started Cincinnati's comeback, and the Reds held on to beat the Washington Nationals 6-5 on Sunday, completing a four-game series sweep. Edinson Volquez (11-3) got the victory and...

Eduardo Romero of Argentina has won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open by one shot over Fulton Allem and Gary Koch. Romero shot a 3-under 69 Sunday to finish at 17-under 199, equaling the score recorded by R.W. Eaks a year...

Anthony Kim saved his diamond-studded "AK" belt buckle for the final round, then turned in a gem Sunday in the AT&T National to affirm his status as a rising star. Three shots behind going into the final round, the...

Sprint specialist Thor Hushovd won the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, with Alejandro Valverde keeping the overall lead after a windy, rain-soaked ride through the Brittany countryside. Valverde, a...

Alex Rodriguez won the popular vote and a slew of Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs will join him in the starting lineup at the All-Star game. Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis were elected by...

As clergy involvement in politics stirs debate, Roman Catholic priests and deacons in the Denver Archdiocese are being instructed not to endorse or donate money to political candidates. The directive came from Denver...

Plans to translate the Bible into patois _ Jamaica's unofficial language _ have ignited a fiery debate that stretches beyond the shores of this island nation. Some Jamaicans object to the project because they say...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP)--A silly story is told about a little boy asking his father a question, "Dad, do they have the Fourth of July in England?" "Yes, oh yes, son they do have a fourth of July in England. They just...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Specialty license plates on cars can signal the driver's support of an array of topics from the environment to animals to college sports teams, but those that support belief in God have faced...

PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (BP)--When Marie Davidson heard Jim and Viola Palmer talk about their ministry among the Miskito people of Nicaragua, she was deeply moved. And when, more than a year later, she heard Hurricane...

Magic Johnson's normally publicity-shy wife Cookie is emerging as a spokeswoman in a campaign urging black women to get tested for HIV. Cookie Johnson is appearing with the former LA Lakers star in a five-year, $60...

Expect fewer slices of red, ripe tomatoes next to the grill this holiday weekend. With a salmonella scare causing many customers to shun what's normally a summertime favorite, tomato farmers nationwide have had to plow...

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra _ but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks going all night...

Scientists have new evidence that the brain chemical best known for regulating mood also plays a role in the mystifying killer of seemingly healthy babies _ sudden infant death syndrome. Autopsied brain tissue from...

A Filipino teenager who came to New York so doctors could perform surgery to untwist her severely clubbed feet took her first unaided steps Wednesday in pink-and-white sneakers _ the first shoes she's ever worn. "I'm...

Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative. Say it on the Internet, and you'll find that free speech and other constitutional...

Internet company Terra says it has been awarded Internet and mobile rights to transmit the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Latin America. Terra says its Olympic Games site will go live Aug. 1. It will include 13...

Dismissing privacy concerns, a federal judge overseeing a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube has ordered the popular online video-sharing service to disclose who watches which video clips and...

Syria has returned a marble artifact to Iraq that was stolen from one of the country's archaeological sites. The marble block roughly 4 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet wide contains an engraving of a bearded man kneeling in...

The Phoenix lander's first chemical sniff of Martian soil did not turn up any trace of the building blocks of life. Its next whiff could be its last. Engineers said a short circuit that occurred last month in one of...

Showers and thunderstorms were expected Sunday from eastern Colorado through Wisconsin. There was a slight chance of severe weather from eastern Nebraska through Wisconsin. Widespread scattered showers and...

Showers and thunderstorms were expected across the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday. Severe weather was not expected, but the region was forecast to receive heavy rain and strong winds. The Boston area was to remain mostly...

A wet Independence Day was forecast for much of the nation, with showers and thunderstorms projected for the Pacific Northwest, the mid-Atlantic, the Ohio Valley and the Southeast. Clear skies were expected over the...

Showers and thunderstorms were forecast Thursday for the central Plains as a cold front moves through the region. The storms could produce damaging winds, hail and possibly tornadoes. Flooding was also a threat for some...

A cold front was forecast to sweep into the northern Plains on Wednesday, triggering showers and thunderstorms from the Plains to the Great Lakes. The storms were expected to strengthen throughout the day, stretching...