Sotomayor gets another $1.9 million for memoir

Gunman shoots at vehicles near Calif. college

500 years later, theological debate still simmers

Texas actress arrested in ricin case

DALLAS (AP) - A pregnant Texas actress who told FBI agents her husband had sent ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been arrested for allegedly sending the letters herself, law enforcement officials said Friday.

GA on pace to spend $35 million on private lawyers

ATLANTA (AP) - Records show that Georgia is on pace to spend nearly $35 million on private lawyers to do work for its departments and agencies rather than state attorneys.

2 sentenced in prostitution ring get 20+ years

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Two Atlanta men who ran a prostitution ring that employed underage girls and stretched from Maryland to Florida have been sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison.

Obama defends phone data collection program

Stocks rise after US jobs report beats forecasts

NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market rose sharply in early trading Friday after the U.S. government reported that hiring picked up in May.

Is Big Data turning government into 'Big Brother?

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With every phone call they make and every Web excursion they take, people are leaving a digital trail of revealing data that can be tracked by profit-seeking companies and terrorist-hunting government officials.

4 Ga. youth lockups among worst for sex assaults

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal report shows that some of Georgia's youth detention centers are among the nation's worst for sexual assaults on inmates.

Washington's copy of the Constitution on display

Made-up names appear in NY high school's yearbook

SCHAGHTICOKE, N.Y. (AP) - Officials at a small school district in upstate New York say an "honest mistake" led to students being identified in the yearbook as "Creepy smile kid" and "Some tall guy."

Pa. girl gets on lung donor list; boy also sues

Bond denied for woman accused of running son over

PERRY, Ga. (AP) - Bond has been denied for a woman accused of hitting son with her car after shoplifting.

US gov't collecting huge number of phone records

Ga. police Sgt. arrested in McDonalds dispute

CUMMING, Ga. (AP) - A metro Atlanta police sergeant accused of pulling a gun on a customer in a McDonalds drive-thru has been arrested.

Senate blocks expanded gun sale background checks

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans, backed by rural-state Democrats, blocked legislation Wednesday to tighten restrictions on the sale of firearms, rejecting personal pleas made by families of the victims of last winter's mass elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Attempts to ban assault-style rifles and high capacity ammunition magazines also faced certain defeat in a series of showdown votes four months after a gunman killed 20 elementary school children and six staff members at ...

Stocks fall on signs of slowing global economy

NEW YORK (AP) - As evidence of a slowing global economy grows, investors are showing some caution just one week after U.S. stocks hit an all-time high.

Ricin in Obama letter, odd packages scramble Hill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator tested positive for poisonous ricin in preliminary checks Wednesday, and authorities chased reports of other suspicious mail at a U.S. Capitol already on edge. An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said the letters to Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., were postmarked Memphis, Tenn. Both letters say: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become ...

Feds deny reports Boston suspect is arrested

BOSTON (AP) - Police and reporters converged on the federal courthouse in Boston on Wednesday amid conflicting reports of whether a suspect was in custody in the marathon bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170. Several media outlets reported earlier in the day that a suspect had been identified from surveillance video taken at a Lord & Taylor store between the sites of the two bomb blasts. A law enforcement official ...

Lawyer: former Atlanta schools chief is innocent

ATLANTA (AP) - A lawyer for Beverly Hall says the former Atlanta Public Schools superintendent is innocent and looks forward to having her day in court. Richard Deane said in an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday that the charges against Hall are excessive and that there is no factual basis for them. Hall served as superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools for more than a decade. She and 34 subordinates were indicted by a ...

Guide to the Philadelphia abortion doc murder case

Dr. Kermit Gosnell is on trial for murder in the deaths of a female patient and seven babies allegedly born alive at the abortion clinic he ran. A look at the facts in the case:

Official: Suspect in custody in Boston bombings

BOSTON (AP) - A suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was taken into custody Wednesday in a breakthrough that came less than 48 hours after the deadly attack, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said Wednesday.

Braves LHP Avilan better, hopes to avoid DL

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Braves reliever Luis Avilan is feeling better after being carted off the field the previous night because of severe pain in his left leg.

Deal approved in Muslims' suit against McDonald's

DETROIT (AP) - A judge has finalized a $700,000 settlement between McDonald's and members of Michigan's Muslim community over claims a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised food as prepared according to Islamic law.

Officials: 2nd letter to Senate tested for ricin

WASHINGTON (AP) - Law enforcement officials say a second letter sent to the U.S. Senate has been intercepted and is being tested for poisonous ricin. Two officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the letter was being treated in the same manner as a separate one sent to Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker and was undergoing field tests. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The letter to ...

Secret Service: Suspicious letter mailed to Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Secret Service says it has intercepted a letter addressed to President Barack Obama that contained a "suspicious substance."

Senate vote nears, background check bill in peril

WASHINGTON (AP) - A bipartisan effort to expand background checks is in deep trouble as the Senate approaches a long-awaited vote on the linchpin of the drive to curb gun violence. As the showdown draws near, an Associated Press-GfK poll shows ebbing public support for tightening gun control laws. In the run-up to the roll call expected Wednesday, so many Republicans had declared their opposition to the background check measure that supporters - mostly ...

Authorities recover pressure cooker lid

WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities investigating the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon have recovered a piece of circuit board that they believe was part of one of the explosive devices, and also found the lid of a pressure cooker that apparently was catapulted onto the roof of a nearby building. A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that authorities have recovered what they believe are some ...

In NYC, strains of solidarity with rival Boston

NEW YORK (AP) - A stadium full of Yankees fans stood arm in arm at the bottom of the third inning in the Bronx, singing along to "Sweet Caroline," the Boston Red Sox anthem. Irony and sarcasm were absent. Sincerity was the mood of the night. The rival teams have buried the hatchet - at least for now. Yankee fans belted the Neil Diamond hit during a game Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, showing ...