National Christmas Tree has died near White House

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal officials say the National Christmas Tree planted near the White House a year ago has died and is being removed.

Doolittle's Raiders recall daring WW II mission

ALAMEDA (AP) - Three of Doolittle's Raiders who helped boost American morale during the early days of World War II recalled the dangers of their bold bombing attack on Japan mainland.

National News Briefs

GIRL, 14, HELD IN DEATH OF HER 4-YEAR-OLD COUSIN: INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis police say a 14-year-old girl found covered in blood faces a preliminary murder charge in her 4-year-old cousin's stabbing death.

George Lindsey, known as TV's Goober Pyle, dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - George Lindsey, who made a TV career as a grinning service station attendant named Goober on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Hee Haw," has died. He was 83.

Crab chips, fruity Oreos big overseas

NEW YORK (AP) - Russians prefer their Lay's potato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg's All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk.

Feinstein along with intelligence heads counterpart in House say Taliban stronger

WASHINGTON (AP) - The leaders of the congressional committees said Sunday they believed that the Taliban had grown stronger since President Barack Obama sent 33,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in 2010.

Paul wins majority of delegates from Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - With Mitt Romney's GOP presidential nomination all but decided, Ron Paul supporters took control of the Maine Republican Convention and elected a majority slate supporting the Texas congressman to the GOP national convention, party officials said. The results gave the Texas congressman a late state victory.

Biden OK with equal rights for gay couples

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden says he's "absolutely comfortable" with gay couples who marry getting the same civil rights and liberties as heterosexual couples, a stand that gay rights advocates interpreted as an endorsement of same-sex marriage.

Long fight predicted in Guantanamo Sept. 11 case

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - The U.S. has finally started the prosecution of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, but the trial won't be starting anytime soon, and both sides said Sunday that the case could continue for years.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s Supermoon! Due Saturday

NEW YORK (AP) - The biggest and brightest full moon of the year arrives Saturday night as our celestial neighbor passes closer to Earth than usual.

Nation news briefs

BREAST CANCER IS RARE IN MEN, BUT THEY FARE WORSE: CHICAGO (AP) - Men rarely get breast cancer, but those who do often don't survive as long as women, largely because they don't even realize they can get it and are slow to recognize the warning signs, researchers say.

Phoenix woman faked cancer to get implants

PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix woman has been charged with fraud and theft after authorities say she told people she had breast cancer and needed treatment so she could get money from them to buy breast implants. Police reports filed in Maricopa County Superior Court say 27-year-old Jami Lynn Toler told her former boss she needed a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction ...

WAR.

Romney says he wanted gay spokesman to stay

US, China forge tentative deal on Chinese activist allowing him to come to America

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.

Anthony Foxx in line for transportation post

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday.

Obama jokes about aging during 2nd term

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama joked Saturday that the years are catching up to him and he's not "the strapping young Muslim socialist" he used to be.

Police say 4 people stabbed at Albuquerque church

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Police say a 24-year-old man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Methane report further divides fracking camps

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change?

NYPD whistle-blowers testify at stop-frisk trial

NEW YORK (AP) - After Officer Pedro Serrano decided to testify in federal court about what he sees as wrongdoing within the New York Police Department, a rat sticker appeared on his locker.

Nation news briefs

WIKILEAKS SUSPECT NAMED SF PRIDE PARADE MARSHAL: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of U.S. secrets to the WikiLeaks website has been named as a grand marshal of San Francisco's annual gay rights parade, a choice that was immediately condemned by several groups representing gay and lesbian service members.