Jury hears LA-area chef say on tape he cooked wife

Chicago teachers vote to return to classroom

Republicans: Bad gets worse for Romney over flap about American’s dependency

More than half in 39 states will be obese

Half avoid taxes in United States, get federal help but many not poor

Romney tells donors nearly half of Americans ‘believe they are victims’

WASHINGTON (AP) - Already scrambling to steady a struggling campaign, Republican Mitt Romney confronted a new headache Monday after a video surfaced showing him telling wealthy donors that almost half of all Americans "believe they are victims" entitled to extensive government support. He added that as a candidate for the White House, "my job is not to worry about those people."

Homeowners association members face violence

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Disagreements that boil over into shouting matches, finger-pointing and even fistfights are often part of neighborhood homeowners association meetings, but the kind of violence that erupted in Louisville leaving two dead is uncommon.

As troop 'surge' ends, setbacks are piling up

180 Occupy Wall Street arrests in NYC

Nation news briefs

MAN SAYS HE GOT DEATH THREATS OVER ABANDONED DOG: DENVER (AP) - A man who left his dog to die on a Colorado mountain said he received death threats, even though he has paid vet bills and agreed to turn over the dog to one of the rescuers.

Military drinking 'culture' now a 'crisis'

Obama team tries to lower expectations for upcoming fall debates with Mitt Romney

Ohio inmate says he's too obese at 480 pounds plus for execution

Obama, Romney courting key states, constituencies in bid for more votes

BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are embarking on a week heavy with travel through battleground states and appeals to key constituencies, with both campaigns wrangling over unrest in the Middle East and who is best equipped to rejuvenate the economy.

Occupy is in disarray on its first anniversary

NEW YORK (AP) - Occupy Wall Street began to disintegrate in rapid fashion last winter, when the weekly meetings in New York City devolved into a spectacle of fistfights and vicious arguments.

Medical pot laws & treats may send more kids to ER

CHICAGO (AP) - Increased use of medical marijuana may lead to more young children getting sick from accidentally eating food made with the drug, a Colorado study suggests.

Man charged with raping toddler is sex offender

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A man who has been charged with killing an elderly Alaska couple and raping their 2-year-old great-granddaughter is a registered sex offender convicted of breaking into a home and assaulting an 11-year-old girl four years ago.

Nation news briefs

• SURGING WILDFIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS IN CALIFORNIA: SANTA BARBARA (AP) - A surging wildfire has forced dozens of residents and Memorial Day campers to evacuate the mountains of Santa Barbara County in California.

Deal helping Valeant cash on increase in diabetes rate

NEW YORK (AP) -Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals said Monday that it will pay $8.7 billion to buy Bausch + Lomb, one of the world's best-known makers of contact lenses, in a massive expansion of Valeant's smaller ophthalmology business.

Coastal Commission imposes property ‘caps

SOLANA BEACH (AP) - Atop the ocean bluff are the homes of those fortunate to own a piece of land overlooking the dramatic California coastline. Down on the beach are the surfers, swimmers and beachcombers lucky for a sliver of sand that skirts caves and coves in this paradise north of San Diego.

NBC will air Shelton concert for victims of Okla. tornado

Furlough Friday: Unpaid day off for many in gov't

Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees horror behind him

Yahoo, pay-TV operators among Hulu bidders

Penn.. parents face murder charge in faith-healing death

Illinois judge faces heroin & gun charges

Lawsuit says defective lawnmower injures man

Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos during its immigration patrols