Obama: Calif. attorney general is 'best-looking'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - President Barack Obama praised California's attorney general for more than her smarts and toughness at a Democratic Party event.

Cherokee County deputy kills homicide suspect

CANTON, Ga. (AP) - A Cherokee County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man suspected of killing two people in Union County.

Judge wants trial in baby killing before year ends

NY judge makes morning-after pill available to all

NEW YORK (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration must make emergency contraceptives available to girls of all ages within 30 days, a federal judge has ruled, saying the agency's decisions regarding the so-called morning-after pill were "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.

Women's rights unfinished business

NEW YORK (AP) - Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the rights of women represent "the unfinished business of the 21st century" in the U.S. and around the world.

Georgia Department of Education to grade schools

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Department of Education plans to give parents a detailed look at schools' performance.

Official: Obama proposes cuts to Social Security

US economy adds 88K jobs, rate drops to 7.6 pct.

Pastor files suit in traffic stop mix-up

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - A pastor and his wife have filed a lawsuit after a mix-up led to police pulling them over and drawing their guns.

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies

Obama's budget to spare Medicaid

Woman jailed in fatal fire granted bond

MACON, Ga. (AP) - A woman charged with murder and child cruelty after three of her four children died in house fire has been granted $75,000 bond.

Laws, rumors have ammo hard to stock

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gun enthusiasts fearful of new weapon controls and alarmed by rumors of government hoarding are buying bullets practically by the bushel, making it hard for stores nationwide to keep shelves stocked and even putting a pinch on some local law enforcement departments.

Wall street stocks edge higher; Best Buy soars

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks edged higher on Wall Street as investors took advantage of a slump Wednesday to get back into the market.

Jimmy Fallon to take over Leno's spot

NEW YORK (AP) - NBC's recent personnel transition in morning television was a disaster. Executives hope their luck is better late at night, and they have a year to try and make it a smooth handoff from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon at the "Tonight" show.

Obama to visit Georgia childhood learning center

ATLANTA (AP) - President Barack Obama plans to visit an early childhood learning center outside Atlanta, where arrangements are being made for some students now on winter break to return to class one day for the visit.

US ships military equipment out of Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The United States began its withdrawal from Afghanistan in earnest, officials said Monday, sending the first of what will be tens of thousands of containers home through a once-blocked land route through Pakistan.

Stocks lower in early Monday trading

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks drifted lower in early Monday trading, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index back from its five-year high.

Georgia lawmakers eye Tennessee water

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Georgia lawmakers are again contesting the state's border with Tennessee in a long-standing dispute involving the ongoing war over water between the two states.

Homes wrecked, dozen hurt in Mississippi tornado

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Residents shaken by a tornado that mangled homes in Mississippi were waking up Monday to a day of removing trees, patching roofs and giving thanks for their survival. More than a dozen in the state were injured. Daylight also offered emergency management officials the chance to get a better handle on the damage that stretched across several counties. Gov. Phil Bryant planned to visit hard-hit Hattiesburg, where a twister moved ...

Text of pope announcement he will resign Feb. 28

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday he would resign Feb. 28 because he is simply too old to carry on. Here is the text of his announcement, delivered to cardinals gathered for a ceremony to name three new saints.

Bill would close talks on troubled school boards

ATLANTA (AP) - State education officials could deliberate privately on whether to recommend the removal of troubled school boards under a plan being considered by Georgia legislators.

Senator vows to delay Obama's nominees over Libya

WASHINGTON (AP) - A leading Republican senator said Sunday he would hold up Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominees to head the Defense Department and the CIA until the White House provided more answers about the deadly Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. installation in Benghazi, Libya.

Falcons stadium debate puts focus on priorities

ATLANTA (AP) - State and local officials are contemplating using millions of dollars generated by a special hotel tax to help finance a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons, a move that has some residents wondering: Why, when so much needs to be done to shore up roads, mass transit and struggling schools?

Charges added in Southeast sex trafficking case

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - More suspects have been charged in connection with what federal prosecutors say was a sex trafficking ring that forced women into prostitution and traded them like slaves between cities in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

Ga. House passes $19B amended budget

ATLANTA (AP) - An amended $19 billion budget plan for Georgia now heads to the state Senate.

Postal Service lost $1.3 billion over quarter

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Postal Service lost $1.3 billion in the final three months of last year despite a blizzard of campaign advertising for the fall political elections and a big holiday mail and shipping season.

Broun says he wants automatic budget cuts to occur

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Traveling across Georgia to tout his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Republican Rep. Paul Broun said Friday that he sees $100 billion in automatic budget cuts as Washington's only realistic option for trimming spending. Even with the Pentagon warning that the cuts would devastate the military, Broun said: "I want to see it go into place."

Man acquitted in fight over stinky feet

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - An Augusta man jailed after police said an argument over stinky feet left his roommate with a minor wound has been acquitted.

Stocks edge higher after trade deficit report

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks are edging higher in early trading on Wall Street after a report showed that the U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in December. Stocks were also boosted by strong earnings reports. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 66 points to 14,010 shortly after the opening bell Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up eight points at 1,517 and the Nasdaq composite rose 28 points at 3,192. The ...