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Drone Strikes Kill 9 Militants In Pakistan, Officials Say
The suspected U.S. missiles were fired at vehicles and a militant hide-out in a tribal region. The U.S. has stepped up attacks in Pakistan's tribal regions since December, when a suicide bomber killed seven CIA employees in neighboring Afghanistan.
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Experts See U.S.-Israel Crisis As Wake-Up Call
Officials in the U.S. and Israel on Wednesday continued efforts to publicly downplay the most serious rift between the two allies in nearly two decades. The controversy has laid bare the allies' deteriorating relationship and cloudy prospects for peace in the Middle East, analysts say.
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Pakistan Indicts Americans On Terrorism Charges
Pakistan indicted five American Muslims on Wednesday on terrorism charges. The young men from the Washington, D.C., area say they were on their way to Afghanistan on a humanitarian mission when they were arrested in Pakistan.
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Idaho To Sue If Health Care Overhaul Passes
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed a measure requiring his attorney general to sue Congress if federal legislation requiring residents to buy insurance goes through. Similar measures, which experts say are mostly symbolic, are pending in 37 other states.
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Wachovia Settles Money Laundering Case For $160M
Banking giant Wachovia Corp. will pay $160 million to settle a federal investigation into laundering of illegal drug profits through Mexican exchange houses in the largest case of its kind ever brought against a U.S. bank, prosecutors said.
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Forget Taxing Marijuana; The Real Money's In Cocaine
A Harvard economist estimates how much revenue each state would raise by legalizing and taxing illicit drugs.
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Goal Still To Capture Bin Laden, McChrystal Says
The comment by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan was in contrast to remarks made a day earlier by Attorney General Eric Holder, who said the al-Qaida leader would be killed before he was brought to justice. If bin Laden enters Afghanistan, McChrystal told reporters from Kabul, the military "would certainly go after trying to capture him alive."
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Businesses Claim Yelp Tilts Scales For Cash
Yelp is being accused of using its user-review system as leverage to get companies to advertise on its site. Complaining businesses say they refused a Yelp salesperson's offer to buy an ad slot — and then some of their positive ratings went missing. The company says the claims stem from a misunderstanding.
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Obesity's Perk For the Heart
A new study adds another striking bit of evidence to the obesity paradox. Those with chronic heart failure who are obese are less likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest than skinny or normal-weight folks.
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Catholic Hospitals, Bishops Split On Health Care Bill
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says the health care bill could allow public funding of abortions. But the association that represents Catholic hospitals says that the benefits outweigh any concerns about possible abortion loopholes.
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Hostility Against Federal Workers Troubles Officials
A House panel this week examines the safety of government workers in the wake of the latest attacks on government buildings. The agency responsible for protecting federal offices says it has worked to improve training, but other factors — including an angry political climate — concern authorities.
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Democrats Stress Immediate Effects Of Health Bill
Republicans have threatened to make the controversial health care overhaul a central issue in every congressional race next fall. So from President Obama on down, Democrats have begun telling voters not just what the overhaul will do for them but what it will do for them right away.
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Toyota Prius In New York Probed For Crash Data
Investigators from Toyota and the U.S. government inspected a crashed 2005 Prius in a suburb of New York City on Wednesday to see if its event data recorder or wreckage could point to problems with the brakes or accelerator.
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More Than 40 Detroit Schools Slated To Close In June
The city's emergency financial manager announced the closing of more than a quarter of Detroit's 144 public schools as the district fights steadily declining enrollment and a budget deficit of more than $219 million. The closures are part of a $1 billion, five-year plan to downsize the district while improving education, test scores and safety.
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Blockbuster Stock Dips After Bankruptcy Warning
Shares of Blockbuster Inc. sank 30 percent Wednesday after the video rental chain warned that it may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The chain is trying to convince creditors to restructure a big chunk of its debt amid as it struggles to compete in a shifting market.
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German Catholics Push Pope To Speak Out On Abuse
In Germany, Catholic lay activists and others are urging Pope Benedict XVI to do more about the growing sexual abuse scandal involving priests in his native Germany. Several hundred cases of alleged abuse have recently emerged, and some German Catholics are demanding reform.
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Obama Graded On Health Lessons Learned From Clintons
The Obama administration may show that it's possible to be a great student, but still fail the final.
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Secrecy Around Trade Agreement Causes Stir
The U.S. and other developed countries have quietly been negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement for several years. But secrecy around the talks has led to speculation about what's in the proposed international pact that centers on intellectual property rights.
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Obama's 'Disapproval' Number Edges Above 'Approval' In Gallup's Polling
For the first time, President Barack Obama's "disapproval" number has gone above his "approval" rating in Gallup's daily tracking poll.
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Nigeria's Acting President Dissolves Cabinet
Goodluck Jonathan gave no reason for his action slightly more than a month after taking the helm of the West African nation. The information minister said a statement will follow on who will serve in the new Cabinet. Jonathan, a 52-year-old biologist, remains a bit of an unknown in Nigeria.
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