Nation News

A drenching, wind-driven rain lashed much of the Atlantic seaboard Thursday, flooding streets, closing schools and causing three deaths in hard-hit Virginia and one in North Carolina. Read More

Thomas Tobin, the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, has made a career out of putting politicians in his crosshairs, but his latest battle over abortion threatens to spiritually exile Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family. Read More

At least one person was killed and 15 others were injured, some critically, when a van carrying mostly college-age members of a Colorado church overturned on black ice early Thursday in eastern Oregon. Read More

Animal welfare advocates say a dog that survived after her caretaker threw her from the roof of a six-story Brooklyn building is too dangerous to live among people or other dogs. Read More

Family members of five men charged in a bizarre child sex abuse case reacted with disbelief and sadness Thursday to the "unspeakable" string of alleged atrocities spanning two decades. Read More

Nearly a day after a commercial fishing boat sank off New Jersey, the Coast Guard ended its search Thursday for the three crew members. Read More

A woman accused of hiding her daughter in Spain to evade a custody judgment has been convicted by a New Jersey jury of custody interference and ignoring a court order to return the girl to the United States. Read More

A census taker found hanging from a tree had named his son as his life insurance beneficiary, and investigators are looking into whether the father manipulated the death scene to make a claim possible, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press Thursday. Read More

Authorities say a van carrying mostly college-age members of a Colorado church group overturned on black ice early Thursday in eastern Oregon, killing one person and injuring 15, some critically. Read More

The special election last week for the 23rd Congressional District seat in New York may not be over after all. Read More

Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government. Read More

The Army psychiatrist in the Fort Hood massacre was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder Thursday as he lay in a hospital bed and President Barack Obama ordered a review to determine if the government fumbled warning signs of the shooter's contacts with a radical Islamic cleric. Read More

A former House speaker, an ex-lawmaker and eight aides Thursday became the latest _ and the first Republicans _ to be charged in a 3-year-old investigation into the diversion of public resources and employees to Pennsylvania legislative campaigns. Read More

The parents accused of pulling a spectacular hoax by reporting that their 6-year-old son had floated away aboard a helium balloon have agreed to plead guilty in a deal that could send them both to jail but protect the wife from deportation. Read More

ACORN has been cut off by banks, the government and most of its private foundation funders, severely hampering its housing operations and raising the possibility that it will not survive in its current form, according to a lawsuit the group filed Thursday against the U.S. government. Read More

A legal challenge is expected to be filed by the end of the day against a proposed Nevada ballot measure that seeks to define a person and override Nevada's abortion laws. Read More

The Guinness Book of World Records officially says an ailing 4-year-old Great Dane named Titan from San Diego is the world's tallest dog. Read More

Two captured Japanese submarines scuttled by the U.S. Navy just after World War II have been discovered in the Pacific Ocean south of Pearl Harbor. Read More

Nearing a decision on sending more troops off to war, President Barack Obama told a military audience Thursday that he will not dispatch them into conflict without proper support _ including the backing of the American people. Read More

A skydiver killed during a jump this week had tried earlier in the day to set a parachuting record in a charity event, friends and officials said Thursday. Read More