Catholic dioceses, colleges sue over Obama mandate on birth control coverage

Ex-Rutgers student gets 30 days in webcam case

National News Briefs

MS PRISON GUARD DIES, OTHERS HURT IN 'DISTURBANCE': NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - A guard at a southwest Mississippi prison died Sunday and several other employees were injured during a disturbance involving hundreds of inmates that continued into the evening, authorities and the prison's operator said.

13-year-old rescued from foot wide ledge at falls in Washington

SEATTLE (AP) - Swept down one waterfall and about to plunge over a much larger one, a 13-year-old boy managed to climb onto a 1-foot-wide rock shelf in a gushing Washington state river - and then stayed there for eight and a half hours until rescuers finally saved him early Sunday, sheriff's officials said.

Will Smith slaps journalist who tries to kiss him

MOSCOW (AP) - Hollywood star Will Smith slapped a male television reporter who he said tried to kiss him on the lips as he walked down the red carpet for the Moscow premiere of "Men in Black III."

Millions look skyward as eclipse crosses US

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Millions in Asia and the western United States watched as a rare "ring of fire" eclipse crossed their skies early Monday.

Transgender Miss Universe Canada contestant loses

TORONTO (AP) - The first-ever transgender contestant to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant strutted the runway Saturday night, making it to the penultimate round before losing her bid to win the title.

Video depicts alleged abuse at school

Loretta Lynn married at 15, not 13

Nation news briefs

PROSECUTOR: PAIR SOLVED CRIME WITHOUT POLICE: FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A prosecutor said a Kentucky couple solved the mystery of who tried to steal their generator using Facebook and other sources of information - but not the police.

Obama stance adds fuel in marriage battlegrounds

Stabbed woman hits child with car, both dead

Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse visible from China to Texas on Sunday

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sunrises and sunsets often dazzle, but they'll have a special ring to them in a few days for people in the western United States and eastern Asia: The moon will slide across the sun, blocking everything but a blazing halo of light.

House OKs continued war in Afghanistan

Kentucky weighed politics, medicine in whether to OK death row inmate's surgery

Legal tiff settled over Chicago parking meters

US assessing reported Syrian chemical use

Army amputee completes air assault school

Man arrested for letting son, 9, drive Ferrari

Pro-gun Native American billboard draws criticism

Nation news briefs

SOME LOSING JOBS AMID ALLEGED NEV. PATIENT DUMPING: CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Two staff members who violated discharge policies at a Las Vegas psychiatric hospital were fired Monday and three others are being disciplined following an investigation into busing patients to other states, the governor's office and agency officials said Monday.

Lawyer: Former ricin suspect's home is unlivable

1st female Iraq war resister to be court-martialed

Abortion trial stirs debate on when life ends

Boston suspect's defense team gets major boost

Army says no to more tanks, but Congress insists on them

WASHINGTON (AP) - Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army's hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle.

Dozens of air shows cancel without military jets due to federal budget cuts

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Dozens of air shows that draw tens of thousands of people and generate millions of dollars for local economies have been cancelled this year after the military grounded its jet and demonstration teams because of automatic federal budget cuts.

A new front for gun background checks

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - After struggling to sway both state and federal lawmakers, proponents of expanding background checks for gun sales are now exploring whether they will have more success by taking the issue directly to voters.

Man charged in suspicious letters case

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - The arrest of a 41-year-old Mississippi martial arts instructor in a case of poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and others capped a week in which investigators initially zeroed in on a rival of James Everett Dutschke, then decided they had the wrong man.

So.Cal collector selling off 55,000 dresses, ballgowns

GARDENA (AP) - It was a sale fit for a princess on Saturday as a Southern California man put up for sale some of the 55,000 dresses and ballgowns in his collection.