AP Exclusive: Karzai Opponents Talk to Taliban
Afghan opposition parties, frustrated with the government's lack of progress in making peace with the Taliban, have opened their own channel for negotiations with militant groups in hopes of putting …
Cyprus Bailout Deposit Tax Rattles Markets
The tax on depositors was a significant policy shift that has stoked fears of bank runs in other troubled European economies.
Miss. Governor: No Local Bans on XL Food Portions
In the most obese state in the nation, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says he'll sign a new law to prevent cities or counties from banning extra-large soft drinks or requiring …
U.S. to Beef Up Missile Defense Against N. Korea
The Pentagon announced Friday it will spend $1 billion to add 14 interceptors to a West Coast-based missile defense system, responding to what it called faster-than-anticipated North Korean progress on …
Gay Marriage: Senator's Shift, GOP Soul-Searching
A Republican senator's embrace of gay marriage is the latest sign of soul-searching in a party struggling to adapt in a society whose demographics—and views on emotional issues—are changing fast.
States Wrestle with 'Gambling' Rooms in Fla. Probe
The charity-run businesses under investigation in a Florida gambling probe started popping up in strip malls about six years ago and rapidly spread as the unregulated stores became a billion-dollar …
Board Setting New School Rating System for 2012-13
Graduation rates will make a difference this year in how Mississippi high schools and school districts are rated.
Applications for U.S. Jobless Aid Reach 5-Year Low
Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid last week, reducing the average number of weekly applications last month to a five-year low.
Sharp Drop in U.S. Homes Lost to Foreclosure in Feb.
While the nation's foreclosure woes persist, new data show they're easing amid a resurgent housing market, rising home prices and efforts by some states to buy homeowners more time to …
Lawmakers Want Obama to Follow Up Outreach Effort
At a recent gathering of House committee and subcommittee chairmen, Republican lawmakers were asked if they could name the legislative affairs staffer at the White House responsible for staying in …
Md. Poised to Be 18th State to Ban Death Penalty
It's been eight years since Maryland executed a convicted killer, but that could be the last time if the General Assembly, as expected, gives final passage this week to a …
U.N. Says U.S. Drones Violate Pakistan's Sovereignty
The head of a U.N. team investigating casualties from U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan declared after a secret research trip to the country that the attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty.
Argentines Celebrate Francis As Their 'Slum Pope'
For more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide, he's Pope Francis. For Argentina's poorest citizens, crowded in "misery villages" throughout the capital, he's proudly known as one of their own, …
Obama Pushing Research for Weaning Vehicles Off Oil
President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to authorize $200 million a year for research into clean energy technologies.
Miss. Gov. Signs Bill for Student-Led School Prayer
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed a bill that could lead to student-led prayer over school intercoms or at graduations or sporting events.
