IN THE HEADLINES Obama struggles to explain how his trip to Iraq could refine his policy on US presence there ... McCain calls campaign staff shake-up part of "natural evolution" ... Obama says 'mental distress' not...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope. McCain's campaign...

Democrat Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain how his upcoming trip to Iraq might refine, but not basically alter, his promise to quickly remove U.S. combat troops from the war. A dustup over war policy _ one of...

Barack Obama's presidential campaign distanced itself Thursday from a mailer by Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful Vernon Jones that shows them together under Obama's signature slogan: "Yes we can." Jones defended the...

Barack Obama's campaign is considering having him accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High instead of the Pepsi Center, the chosen site for the Democratic National Convention, two...

!!-- AUDIO:069,068,067,066 -->Piles of charred rubble smoldered near California's scenic coastal highway Thursday as a ferocious wildfire descended on the storied tourist town of Big Sur, destroying vacation homes and...

!!-- hobj:195 -->!!-- hobj:194 -->!!-- hobj:193 -->!!-- AUDIO:195,194,193 -->The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time. The 24th...

A federal judge in Riverside, Calif., has ordered two Marines released from jail despite their refusal to testify before a grand jury investigating the alleged killing of Iraqi detainees in 2004. U.S. District Judge...

Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross celebrated the eve of the Fourth of July not with fireworks but with wedding vows. Ralph Archbold and Linda Wilde, who portray the historical figures, tied the knot Thursday evening in...

A suburban Chicago man locked his two young daughters in a wire cage hidden in the back of his pickup truck because he didn't have a baby sitter, officials said Thursday. Ricardo Gonzalez, 35, of Midlothian, was...

More than 50 people were injured Friday when a bomb went off at an outdoor concert in the Belarusian capital. Officials blamed "hooligans." The blast took place at a concert in downtown Minsk marking the ex-Soviet...

Nepal's government has decided to ask the United Nations to continue a peacekeeping mission in the country for another six months, an official said Friday. All major political parties agreed to seek the U.N. extension...

Japan announced Friday it will provide $50 million in new emergency food aid to help developing countries cope with the impact of soaring food prices. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Tokyo will distribute the aid...

Between surging oil prices, food inflation and a credit crunch that's depressed global growth, leaders from the Group of Eight economic powers face the gravest combination of economic woes in at least a decade when they...

Hundreds of mainland Chinese tourists _ some in matching white or pink shirts _ arrived in Taiwan on Friday on the first regular commercial flights in nearly six decades between the old foes. A China Southern Airlines...

Origin Energy Ltd., Australia's second largest power retailer, rejected a $13 billion takeover bid Friday from British natural gas producer BG Group. BG Group last month launched a hostile bid of 15.50 Australian...

All Nippon Airways Co. is studying buying about five Airbus superjumbo A380s or other aircraft for long-haul routes, the Japanese carrier said Friday. The nation's No. 2 airline set up a panel Thursday to decide which...

Chrysler LLC, looking for foreign partnerships to help drive its business as U.S. sales slump, announced a deal with China's Great Wall Motor Co. on Friday to study sharing technology, components and distribution. ...

Asian markets were mixed Friday as investors digested uneven readings on the U.S. economy and more record oil prices. Japan headed for its 12th straight day of losses. Indonesia's main index rebounded after selling off...

Oil prices remained near record highs above $145 a barrel in Asia after Saudi Arabia's oil minister suggested his country doesn't plan to boost production. Light, sweet crude for August delivery was little changed,...

A-Rod and the Material Girl? That's a lot of hits. Reports that Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and Madonna have become close just as their marriages are disintegrating have both the celebrity gossip industry and the...

Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83. His publicist, Jerry Digney,...

A former accountant for Rachael Ray's TV cooking show has filed a $1 million lawsuit saying he was forced out of his job because he has an eating disorder. Aaron Ferguson says in papers filed in Manhattan's state...

Partially eclipsed by the glitterati of Cannes and the royal glare of Monaco, Nice is a place where even the brightest stars _ like Brangelina _ are greeted by little more than indifference. Only the presence of...

A tearful Christie Brinkley testified at her divorce trial Thursday that she was devastated by her husband's affair with a teenager and his attempts to find other paramours through pornographic Web sites. "My world was...

A spot in her seventh Wimbledon final already secured, Venus Williams headed back to Centre Court to catch the end of the next match. Scouting? Not really. More like rooting. And when Thursday's second semifinal ended,...

Justin Verlander threw six strong innings, Michael Hollimon hit his first big league home run and the Detroit Tigers hung on to beat the Seattle Mariners 8-4 Thursday night. Matt Joyce, promoted from Triple-A Toledo on...

Jeremy Wariner isn't invincible anymore _ a point LaShawn Merritt proved once again Thursday night. Merritt pulled his second upset of the year over the world's supposed fastest 400-meter runner, dashing away from...

Anna Willard has set an American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. Willard finished in 9 minutes, 27.59 seconds Thursday night, besting Lisa Galaviz's record of 9:28.75...

Baseball's drug-testing program was threatened when federal prosecutors seized player records and samples four years ago, baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr said in letters to Congress released...

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...

WASHINGTON (BP)--Leaders of the National Education Association continue to advance a liberal political ideology that includes support of the homosexual agenda, as evidenced by news items surrounding the group's annual...

DENVER (BP)--Giving a significant boost to Republican John McCain's goal of attracting the votes of social conservatives, nearly 100 pro-family leaders gathering in Denver July 1 agreed to unify behind the Arizona...

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...

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 all night long. ...

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...

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...

From climate change to volcanoes and earthquakes, the world's growing challenges have leaders in earth science proposing a merger of agencies that study the planet. Creation of a new Earth Systems Science Agency is...

This doesn't sound good: The nonprofit agency in charge of the Internet's addresses recently lost track of its own. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, said it happened when an Internet...

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...

Internet users will now have an easier time finding sites that rely heavily on the popular Flash video format. Adobe Systems Inc., the format's developer, has released a customized version of its Flash Player software...

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...

The West was expected to be stormy and warm on Tuesday, with severe thunderstorms packing strong winds and hail possible in Montana and Idaho. Thunderstorms, gusty winds and lightning also were forecast for the Four...

Widespread showers and thunderstorms pounded the Eastern Seaboard early Monday, while a warm day dawned across the Midwest, Plains and much of the West. A line of storms stretched from New England to Florida and into...

Showers and thunderstorms were expected to pass through Great Lakes and into the Southern Plains, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday. There was a slight chance of severe weather including possible tornadoes along the...