Romney seeks distance from Ryan's budget plans; cheered by large crowds

HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) - Cheered by the biggest crowds of his campaign, Republican Mitt Romney declared Sunday that 42-year-old running mate Paul Ryan is ready to be president, but said his own budget plan, not the more detailed proposals of his partner, will be the basis of his White House bid.

Storied 101st Airborne marks 70th anniversary with active duty, veterans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - After months of grueling road marches through the north Georgia mountains, a group of elite paratroopers had to put their training to the test in a trial by fire. They leapt from an airplane, bullets whizzing past parachutes and shrapnel pelting the plane's side panels.

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Source: Mitt Romney picks Ryan for running mate on GOP ticket

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to be his running mate, according to a Republican with knowledge of the development. They will appear together Saturday in Norfolk, Va., at the start of a four-state bus tour to introduce the newly minted GOP ticket to the nation.

Mars rover snapped photo of rocket crash

PASADENA (AP) - Space enthusiasts have been abuzz for days over whether the Mars rover Curiosity captured an extraterrestrial crash. On Friday, NASA declared the mystery solved.

Officers testify about kids tied up in Walmart parking lot by their parents

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - A 7-year-old girl found bound in the parking lot of a Kansas Walmart told police she was hitting her siblings and asked to be tied up and blindfolded, an officer testified Friday during a preliminary hearing for the girl's parents. Deborah Gomez, 44, and her husband, Adolfo Gomez Jr., 52, were arrested in June and charged with two ...

Director of 'Willy Wonka,' dead at 83

1873 dime sells for a pretty penny: $1.6M

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A dime made in 1873 has cost someone a pretty penny: It sold for $1.6 million at auction. An anonymous bidder won the pristine coin, said Chris Napolitano, president of Stack's Bowers Galleries, which auctioned it during an American Numismatic Association convention. With a 15 percent buyer's fee tacked on, the final price for the coin was $1.84 million, ...

Caged pit bull dies in heat wave

FONTANA . (AP) - A caged pit bull with no water and no shade has been found dead in a Southern California backyard during a triple-digit heat wave. A second dog was near death when it was rescued by a Fontana animal control officer responding to a neighbor's tip. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says 26-year-old Fontana dog owner Jose ...

Postal Service reports $5.2B loss in 3rd Q

Sibling rivalry will play out at AARP spelling bee

Lawyers: Colo. shooting suspect mentally ill

Facebook pressured to remove page deemed racist

Zimmerman seeks 'stand your ground' hearing

Romney, Obama bemoan attack ads but both campaigns benefit from them

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.