Nation News

A former astronaut who drove 1,000 miles from Houston to Orlando to mount a bizarre attack on a romantic rival pleaded guilty Tuesday to reduced charges and was sentenced to a year on probation. Read More

Virginia's governor refused to spare the life of John Allen Muhammad and cleared the way for his execution Tuesday night for the sniper attacks in 2002 that left 10 dead and spread such fear people were afraid to go shopping, cut grass or pump gas. Read More

Oregon police say two people have been killed and two others wounded in a shooting at a suburban Portland office park. The shooting at a drug-testing facility was reported at 11:48 a.m. Tuesday. Police said the suspect is not at large but there are no additional details. Read More

A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit challenging the training and competence of Missouri's execution team in a decision likely to move the state closer to resuming executions. Read More

Federal immigration officials have announced that 14 cities are being targeted in a new national campaign aimed at alerting people to human trafficking. Read More

The Associated Press-GfK Poll on President Obama and the direction of the country was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from Nov. 5-9, 2009. It is based on landline and cell phone telephone interviews with a nationally representative random sample of 1,006 adults. Interviews were conducted with 806 respondents on landline telephones and 200 on cellular phones. Read More

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy says recent comments by Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop questioning the congressman's faith because of his stance on abortion and health care reform were "very disconcerting." Read More

Police say one person killed in shooting at suburban Portland office park. Read More

Former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik can get out of jail for the holidays, a federal court ruled Tuesday. Read More

A 42-year-old man sneaked a disassembled shotgun into a middle school just after classes began Tuesday, put it together in a bathroom, then held the principal hostage for more than two hours before surrendering without firing a shot, police said. Read More

The murder trial of John "Junior" Gotti _ a case already marked by hysterical outbursts _ took another weird turn on Tuesday when the mob scion refused to come to court. Read More

The famed Navajo Code Talkers, the elite Marine unit whose unbreakable code stymied the Japanese in World War II, fear their legacy will die with them. Read More

Police in Kansas City, Mo., say one worker has died following a crane accident at the construction site of a performing arts center. Read More

A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to accidentally starting a fire that killed his bedridden mother by using a lighter to get a cat to come out of hiding. Read More

Six people are on their way to the hosptial after a strange smell sickened more than a dozen people at a Maryland grocery store. Read More

Tropical Storm Ida sloshed ashore with rain and gusty winds Tuesday before weakening to a depression, causing little damage along the Gulf Coast but bringing more rain to the already-soaked Southeast. Read More

A state trooper in northwest Ohio who was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1997 for the number of drunken-driving arrests he made has been charged with drunken driving. Read More

Los Angeles County has given moonwalker Buzz Aldrin a new title: Honorary consul general to the moon. Read More

A New Jersey man detained for months in Ethiopia on allegations of supporting Islamic militants is suing the FBI agents involved in his interrogations. Read More

A couple in Washington state have pleaded not guilty to charges that they streamed their sexual abuse of a 4-year-old girl over the Internet. Read More