
Slow US economic growth in Q4 may hide strength
Most economists agree that Wednesday's snapshot of U.S. economic growth is going to look dismal. The consensus forecast from Factset is economic ...

Next in BP spill saga: civil trial worth billions
Now that a $4 billion plea deal has resolved BP's criminal liability for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill nearly three years ago, the company will ...

Dems agree on candidate to challenge NJ's Christie
You might not have heard of New Jersey state Sen. Barbara Buono, though you've probably heard of the man she's itching to take on in the November ...

Gore hits corporate media, defends Current TV sale
Al Gore, who takes aim in his new book at the corporate media for "suffocating the free flow of ideas," on Tuesday defended the sale of his television ...

Senate confirms Kerry nomination for State Dept.
The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and ...

Hagel supports nuclear arms cuts, then elimination
Chuck Hagel, the likely next secretary of defense, would be the first to enter the Pentagon having publicly advocated for sharply reducing the number ...
Ark. gov. announces $1.1 billion steel mill plan
The wraps came off Arkansas' largest ever economic development project Tuesday as Gov. Mike Beebe unveiled plans for a $1.1 billion steel mill along ...
After school shooting, Conn. debates mental health
Connecticut lawmakers on Tuesday began reviewing mental health care following the deadly Newtown school shooting, even though they and the public have ...

Obama on immigration overhaul: 'Now is the time'
Declaring "now is the time" to fix the nation's broken immigration system, President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined broad proposals for putting ...
SD senator seeks to get rid of alienation lawsuits
A South Dakota state senator had hoped a sensational trial that aired details of a prosecutor's romance would help him in his decade-long quest to get ...
NRA says more gun control not a serious proposal
Banning some assault weapons and requiring background checks for all firearms purchases aren't a serious attempt to reduce gun violence, a top ...

Judge OKs $4B BP oil spill criminal settlement
BP PLC closed the book on the Justice Department's criminal probe of its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and Gulf oil spill Tuesday, when a ...

LaHood departure leaves another vacancy in Cabinet
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who lifted the profile of distracted driving as a national safety concern, is stepping down, presenting President ...
Reid: Replace automatic cuts in short increments
The top Democrat in the Senate said Tuesday that lawmakers should redouble their efforts to replace looming across-the-board cuts to the Pentagon and ...

After gun crime, weapon history takes time to find
In the fictional world of television police dramas, a few quick clicks on a computer lead investigators to the owner of a gun recovered at a bloody ...

Defense nominee Hagel plans to shed some holdings
Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel has told Pentagon officials he plans to divest some of his financial holdings and resign from several ...
Lawmaker looks outside VA to fill mental care gap
Veterans who have trouble getting timely mental health care from Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics should also have access to thousands of health ...

Lombardy stars as kingmaker in national elections
One region looms large over Italy's upcoming election: Lombardy. The nation's industrial powerhouse and home to its financial capital, Milan, the ...

Obama says he'll sign $50.5B Sandy aid bill soon
President Barack Obama said he'll sign a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims as soon as it lands on his desk.

Guatemala ex-dictator to stand trial on genocide
A former U.S.-backed dictator who presided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war will stand trial on charges he ordered the ...

Philippine dictatorship victims to be compensated
Almost four decades after he was arrested and tortured and his sister disappeared into a maze of Philippine police cells and military houses, ...

Congress passes $50.5B Superstorm Sandy aid bill
Three months after Superstorm Sandy ravaged coastal areas in much of the Northeast, Congress on Monday sent a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure ...

Immigration overhaul? GOP, Dem senators vow action
Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer ...

Newtown parents urge enforcement of gun laws
Parents of children killed in the Newtown school shooting called for better enforcement of gun laws and tougher penalties for violators Monday at a ...

APNewsBreak: Virgin shuns binding spaceport lease
Virgin Galactic has agreed to start paying New Mexico rent on the nearly quarter-billion dollar spaceport the state built for British businessman ...