Nation News

Defense attorneys for the man charged in the abduction of Elizabeth Smart argued Monday that testimony by experts in Mormon fundamentalism and religious extremism is irrelevant and should not be allowed at a hearing to decide his mental competency. Read More

Gov. David Paterson on Monday urged lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, calling it "an issue that touches on the very core of our citizenship." Read More

Authorities are investigating whether a suspected serial killer whose home and yard harbored the remains of at least 11 people is connected to any killings in places he lived while in the military, including Japan, California and the Carolinas. Read More

Authorities called to check on a family's well-being in a rural southeast Texas home found the bodies of four people in what they're calling a triple murder-suicide. Read More

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block Tuesday's scheduled execution of sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad. Read More

Three Florida teenagers accused of setting another teen on fire will be charged as adults. Read More

A coalition of environmental and American Indian groups sued two federal agencies Monday to stop the mass slaughter of bison that migrate outside Yellowstone National Park in search of food. Read More

A lawyer for the Army psychiatrist accused in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood said Monday he asked investigators not to question his client and expressed doubt that the suspect would be able to get a fair trial, given the widespread attention to the case. Read More

Defiant and unapologetic, a man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider confessed to the slaying Monday, telling The Associated Press that he killed the doctor to protect unborn children. Read More

Defense and prosecution lawyers in the case of a 9-year-old Arizona boy charged with killing his father and another man want a new judge appointed so a plea deal doesn't fall through. Read More

The outreach director for the northern Virginia mosque where the suspected Fort Hood shooter sometimes attended prayer services says Maj. Nidal Hasan was not an active member. Read More

Gulf Coast residents hunkered down at home and in shelters Monday as a rare late-season tropical storm headed their way, bringing with it the potential for high winds, flooding and up to 8 inches of rain in some places. Read More

A judge has decided to remove an attorney defending Nancy Garrido against charges of kidnapping and raping a girl who police say was held captive for 18 years. Read More

Dozens of concerned pet owners have contacted authorities following the gruesome discovery of more than 20 animal carcasses in the backyard of a Long Island home, a scene described by one veteran SPCA official as something out of a horror movie. Read More

Firefighters found four people dead in a burning southwest Oklahoma City home early Monday, and homicide detectives were looking for clues about what had happened. Read More

She's hanging with Elmo and Emeril Lagasse, Big Bird and Bobby Flay. Read More

North Carolina officials say they have identified a Civil War shipwreck that burned at sea more than 145 years ago. Read More

A trucker died Monday after his big-rig plummeted 200 feet from a new section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that has seen about 40 crashes since it opened, authorities said. Read More

A fistfight at a crowded speakeasy touched off a shooting that killed a man, and six people were wounded in an ensuing gunfight, authorities said Monday. Read More

The California-based Planetary Society will try again to launch a solar sail spacecraft that would be propelled by the subtle pressure of sunlight. Read More