US launches new batch of graphic anti-smoking ads

Mother, son die in house fire in northwest Georgia

RINGGOLD, Ga. (AP) - State fire officials say a mother and her young son were both killed when an early morning fire swept through their home in the northwest Georgia town of Ringgold.

Sheriff identifies toddler killed in dog attack

PEMBROKE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities in coastal Georgia identified the toddler who was mauled to death by a pack of dogs as Monica Renee Laminack, who would have turned 2 years old in June.

Stocks struggle for direction in early trading

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks darted between small gains and losses in early trading Thursday as investors considered mixed signals from the U.S. economy and Europe.

Arsenal of weapons found in Newtown gunman's home

Absences pile up at Ga. school as sickness spreads

CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) - Administrators at a west Georgia elementary school are hoping the upcoming spring break will interrupt a cycle of sickness that led to more than 150 absences.

GOP moves to catch up with Democrats on technology

Ga. woman's camera washes ashore in Taiwan

NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia woman has been reunited with her camera and photos after the camera she lost during a 2007 trip to Hawaii washed ashore in Taiwan.

Wine fight over vintage fakes airs out in NY court

NEW YORK (AP) - The market where vintage wines are traded like treasured works of art has gotten a taste test in a New York court where a billionaire is accusing a wealthy California wine merchant of cheating him.

Senators tour border, say immigration bill near

2 dead, 2 hospitalized in suspect Ga. gas leak

EAST POINT, Ga. (AP) - Fire officials in metro Atlanta say a man and boy have died in a suspected carbon monoxide leak in East Point.

Ga. Legislature: Lots undecided heading to finale

ATLANTA (AP) - The General Assembly convenes Thursday for the final day of the 2013 session. Here's a look at some of the legislation that's already passed, what's pending and some bills whose future is uncertain.

Investors struggle to get past Europe's woes

NEW YORK (AP) - Investors just can't get past Europe.

A boost for gay marriage: Justices question US law

Police: Slain baby, mom victims of random crime

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Almost a week after a baby was fatally shot in his stroller, police in coastal Georgia are saying for the first time they believe the child and his mother were victims of a random crime.

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.

Another blow to taxpayers

ATLANTA (AP) - In a case that's being watched closely in Georgia, a federal appeals court has upheld a temporary ban on a Florida law requiring drug testing of welfare recipients.

More of the same Bull

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - No progress to report in negotiations with Congress, President Barack Obama on Tuesday singled out for praise the few Republicans who say they're open to aspects of his approach to averting looming government-wide spending cuts, seeking to turn up the heat on GOP leaders ahead of Friday's deadline.

Bernanke signals continued support for low rates

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ben Bernanke sent a message Tuesday to Congress: The Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment. The Fed chairman acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he expressed confidence that such risks pose little threat now. Delivering the Fed's semiannual monetary report to Congress, Bernanke sought to minimize concerns that the central bank's easy-money policies might cause runaway inflation ...

Dorothy Hamill and Andy Dick among 'Dancing' stars

NEW YORK (AP) - A gold-medal figure skater, a country music legend and a kooky comedian are stepping their way onto "Dancing With the Stars."

Strong start on Wall Street; Home Depot leads Dow

NEW YORK (AP) - Strong earnings reports from Home Depot and Macy's helped lift stock indexes in early trading on Wall Street Tuesday. A jump in home sales and consumer confidence also brought buyers back to the market.

Italian election inconclusive; global markets drop

ROME (AP) - Italy emerged from elections Tuesday with no clear winner, driving markets around the world markedly lower as investors worried that one of Europe's biggest economies would be unable to build a governing coalition that can stay the course on unpopular austerity measures.

Kerry pushes trans-Atlantic free trade in Germany

BERLIN (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pushed Tuesday for a free-trade agreement between the United States and Europe, saying it is a priority for President Barack Obama's second term that would help create jobs and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.

More Obama scare tactics

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and his officials are doing their best to drum up public concern over the shock wave of spending cuts that could strike the government in just days. So it's a good time to be alert for sky-is-falling hype.

Organizers cancel this year's Redneck Games

EAST DUBLIN, Ga. (AP) - Organizers of the Redneck Games, a Georgia festival that includes competitions such as toilet seat horseshoes and mud pit belly flops, say this summer's event is being canceled.

Drop in Taliban attacks incorrect

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.-led military command in Afghanistan is acknowledging that its report of a decline last year in Taliban attacks was incorrect. Officials say corrected figures will show no decline.

Bork: Nixon offered next high court vacancy in '73

WASHINGTON (AP) - Robert Bork says President Richard Nixon promised him the next Supreme Court vacancy after Bork complied with Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1973.

Senate panel sets gun bill plans but delay likely

WASHINGTON (AP) - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced plans Monday for his panel to start voting later this week on an assault weapons ban and other gun curbs, but that session is widely expected to be delayed a week.