Ricin in Obama letter, odd packages scramble Hill

Feds deny reports Boston suspect is arrested

Lawyer: former Atlanta schools chief is innocent

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

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

Authorities recover pressure cooker lid

In NYC, strains of solidarity with rival Boston

GA thrift shop worker hospitalized after explosion

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say a thrift shop employee has been hospitalized with burns after opening a package.

Criticism of immigration bill from left and right

DHS: No evidence of broader plot tied to Boston

After 2 days of big gains, stocks turn mixed

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks turned mixed Thursday after two days of triple-digit rallies. Big-name companies reported higher quarterly earnings and the government said that the jobless claims are falling, but impending budget cuts cast a pall. The Dow Jones industrial average was up three points at 14,078 as of 10:06 a.m. That's 86 points away from the all-time high it reached in October 2007, before the financial crisis imploded. The Standard & Poor's ...

Congress set to OK bill renewing anti-violence law

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republicans appeared resigned Thursday to accepting an ambitious expansion of the Violence Against Women Act that would bring gays, lesbians, immigrants and Native Americans under its protective umbrella.

Cops: Grandma shot self, young grandsons in car

PRESTON, Conn. (AP) - A woman who picked up her two young grandsons from daycare and was supposed to bring them home so the 2-year-old could open his birthday presents instead drove them to a neighboring town and shot and killed the children and herself, state police and family members said.

Stocks surge; Dow on track to high close of year

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks surged for a second day, putting the Dow on track for its highest close of the year. The market rose on more evidence that the U.S. housing market is recovering and signs that shoppers are still spending, at least at discount retailers such as Dollar Tree, which reported a jump in quarterly earnings Wednesday. The gains were broad: Twenty-nine of 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average advanced. ...

Pa. Spyware images sent to Aaron's computers

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Attorneys in a class-action lawsuit say the Atlanta-based furniture rental company, Aaron's Inc., hasn't notified at least 800 customers allegedly targeted by Pennsylvania-made spyware installed on the company's rental computers. In new documents filed Wednesday, the attorneys say that spyware created by North East, Pa.'s DesignerWare was used to send 185,000 emails from computers rented by its customers to Aaron's corporate computers. Attorneys for the rental customers say those emails sometimes ...

Voting rights law gets Supreme Court challenge

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court's conservative justices voiced deep skepticism Wednesday about a section of a landmark civil rights law that has helped millions of Americans exercise their right to vote. In a fast-paced, 70-minute argument, the court's liberals and conservatives engaged in a sometimes tense back and forth over whether there is an ongoing need in 2013 for a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure requires states ...

10 students disciplined over marijuana brownies

DACULA, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say 10 students at a high school northeast of Atlanta have been disciplined after school officials say one of them brought marijuana brownies to school and shared them.

Better late than never

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will meet Friday with the top leaders in the House and Senate to discuss what to do about automatic cuts to the federal budget, White House and congressional leaders said.

Application helps streamline accident reporting

ATLANTA (AP) - The state Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner is recommending Georgians use a new smartphone application to simplify information sharing after a car accident.

Hagel takes helm at Pentagon after bitter fight

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chuck Hagel takes charge at the Defense Department with deep budget cuts looming and Republican opponents still doubtful that he's up to the job. Hagel is expected to be sworn in Wednesday and is likely to address the staff in his first day as defense secretary. The bitter, seven-week fight over his nomination ended Tuesday as a deeply divided Senate voted 58-41 to confirm him. Just four Republicans joined Democrats in ...

Pope says goodbye

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional sendoff Wednesday from a massive crowd at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Music, movie industry to warn copyright infringers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Internet users who illegally share music, movies or TV shows online may soon get warning notices from their service providers that they are violating copyright law. Ignore the notices, and violators could face an Internet slow-down for 48 hours. Those who claim they're innocent can protest - for a fee. For the first time since a spate of aggressive and unpopular lawsuits almost a decade ago, the music and movie industries ...

Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women

CHICAGO (AP) - Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.

Home Depot leads Dow average higher

NEW YORK (AP) - A jump in home sales and strong earnings from Home Depot helped the Dow claw back more than half of its losses from Monday. Improving consumer confidence also brought back buyers to the market. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 115.96 points, or 0.8 percent, to 13,900.13. The Dow fell 216 points the day before, its biggest drop in three months, on concern that the European debt crisis may ...

Court appears conflicted over DNA sampling issue

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday struggled with what one of the justices called its most important criminal procedure case in decades, whether to let police take DNA without a warrant from those arrested in hopes of using it to solve old cases.