U.S. and World News

Student loan loads block home, car purchases

7:07 PM, May 18, 2013

Should college students get a re-do on their student loan debt? Maybe be offered a way to refinance high-price private college debt to a lower rate? What about some options for cleaning up a credit history after running into trouble with college debt?

NTSB investigating Conn. train crash that injured 70

3:43 PM, May 18, 2013

Bridgeport mayor says the disruption caused by the train accident could cost the region's economy millions of dollars.

SKorea says NKorea fires 3 short-range missiles

3:37 PM, May 18, 2013

SEOUL - South Korea says North Korea has fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters. Pyongyang routinely test-launches such missiles.

Planted question gambit backfires on IRS officials

1:11 PM, May 18, 2013

Top tax officials tried an unusual strategy to break the news of their 3-year-old policy of targeting Tea Party groups.

Polite persistence can be test for job

1:05 PM, May 18, 2013

Be a nice pest. It'll help keep you on the radar of potential employers.

Mega Millions jackpot won; Powerball at $600M

12:58 PM, May 18, 2013

Even if you aren't lucky enough to win the top prize Saturday, you could get another chance soon: Large jackpots are increasingly common.

50 years later, man arrested in wife's death

9:22 PM, May 17, 2013

CANYON LAKE, Texas - More than a half century after his wife drowned in a Louisiana lake, Mississippi native Felix Vail is now facing a murder charge in her death - making his case the oldest prosecution of a serial killer suspect in U.S. history.

Lew: Debt ceiling will hit after Labor Day

7:27 PM, May 17, 2013

President Obama's team warns congressional Republicans about the debt ceiling

Judge grants injunction in Ark. abortion ban case

3:44 PM, May 17, 2013

LITTLE ROCK, AR - A federal judge has granted a request to temporarily block enforcement of a new Arkansas law that bans most abortions 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

Stocks rise on hopeful signs for U.S. economy

3:44 PM, May 17, 2013

NEW YORK - Encouraging news about the U.S. economy extended the stock market's rally.

Crystal Cathedral church gets new name

1:27 PM, May 17, 2013

ORANGE, CA - The church once known as California's Crystal Cathedral has been renamed Shepherd's Grove.

Powerball jackpot grows to $600 million

1:24 PM, May 17, 2013

DES MOINES, IA - Powerball officials say the jackpot has climbed to an estimated $600 million, making it the largest prize in the game's history and the world's second largest lottery prize.

High-school student bags 800-pound gator

11:03 AM, May 17, 2013

HOUSTON - Some people hunt alligators for years without ever bagging a single one. Then, there is Braxton Bielski.

YouTube celebrity hitchhiker' Kai' arrested in NJ homicide

6:05 AM, May 17, 2013

Caleb "Kai" McGillvary was arrested in Philadelphia Thursday and charged with killing 73-year-old Joseph Galfy, Jr.

Refinery woes cause nationwide gas price spike

5:55 AM, May 17, 2013

Troubles at several oil refineries are driving gasoline prices sharply higher in the Midwest, and the regional shortages are expected to boost pump prices nationwide.

Horror in Texas after 16 twisters

5:48 AM, May 17, 2013

A Texas family's tale of shock and fear as a monster tornado bore down on their home.

House group reaches deal on immigration bill

7:40 PM, May 16, 2013

After years of negotiating and a week that saw one of its members nearly bolt from the group, a bipartisan group of House members announced Thursday that they had reached a deal "in principle" on a bill to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

Man found guilty in 'blinking murder trial'

4:14 PM, May 16, 2013

Hamilton County prosecutors were so concerned about the strength of their murder case against Ricardo Woods that they offered him, before the trial started three weeks ago, a plea deal - plead guilty and get five years in prison.

Interior Dept. issues new drilling rule on public land

2:38 PM, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is proposing a rule that would require companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

Brady campaign sues Ga. town over mandatory gun law

2:37 PM, May 16, 2013

NELSON, GA - A gun control support group is suing a north Georgia town that has a law requiring gun ownership.

Late fade on Wall Street; Wal-Mart, Disney slump

2:32 PM, May 16, 2013

NEW YORK - Weak sales from Wal-Mart and discouraging economic reports resulted in a down day on the stock market.

Obama vows sustained effort on military sex abuse

2:30 PM, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says military leaders are ashamed about the military's failure to stop sexual assaults in the ranks.

Calif. fuels Powerball $550 million jackpot

2:26 PM, May 16, 2013

SAN DIEGO - The frenzy that has taken over since the Golden State joined the madness last month has helped drive the Powerball jackpot to $550 million.

So-called 'hatchet hitchhiker' wanted in NJ homicide

2:23 PM, May 16, 2013

ELIZABETH, NJ - New Jersey authorities have issued a murder warrant for a homeless hitchhiker who gained Internet and television celebrity after using a hatchet to attack a man who ran over a California utility worker.

Why you should never, ever swallow the pool water

12:10 PM, May 16, 2013

Here's a good reason never to swallow water from a swimming pool.

At least 6 killed, up to 100 injured by Texas tornadoes

9:51 AM, May 16, 2013

Several tornadoes slammed into an area west of the Dallas- Fort Worth region Wednesday night, causing at least six deaths and injuring several dozen.

Is your SUV among the 5 that flunked the IIHS safety tests?

6:45 AM, May 16, 2013

Five small crossovers flunk the new small overlap crash test.

Boston bombing suspect left note in boat where he was captured

6:40 AM, May 16, 2013

Reports say that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote that he would join his brother soon as a martyr in paradise.

Tech, labor spar on immigration

6:05 AM, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON - To the tech industry, there aren't enough Americans skilled in information technology. To unions, it's more sinister.

House student loan proposal offers immediate savings, long-term expense

5:47 AM, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON - House Republicans are looking at a student loan system that would give students lower interest rates in coming years but would cost students more over time.

US jobless claims jump to highest level in 6 weeks

5:43 AM, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the most since late March.

Taco Bell testing breakfast Waffle Taco

5:26 AM, May 16, 2013

Taco Bell has figured out yet another weird way to make a taco: squish it in a waffle.

Obama, angry about scandal, ousts IRS chief

7:35 PM, May 15, 2013

WASHINGTON - President Obama said on Wednesday that he's accepted the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller in the aftermath of revelations that agency officials were putting extra scrutiny on Tea Party groups' applications for tax-exempt status.