Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy...

From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether...

IN THE HEADLINES Obama tells Israelis he's committed to their security, speaking with Hamas rockets as backdrop ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge; says some elements began before Bush's order ......

Charles T. Payne had his first close brush with history at the end of World War II, when his infantry division liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp. Now 83, Payne is experiencing a...

The rules in the Obama household for Malia and Sasha are clear-cut: _"No whining, arguing or annoying teasing," their mother, Michelle Obama, told People Magazine. _Make the bed. "Doesn't have to look good, just throw...

A woman mauled by a bear in a rural area of Southern California was recovering Wednesday as game wardens sought to trap and kill the animal. Allena Hansen, 56, was resting comfortably after undergoing extensive surgery...

Al-Qaida's foreign fighters who have for years bedeviled Iraq are increasingly going to Afghanistan to fight instead, the Iraqi ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. "We have heard reports recently that many...

!!-- AUDIO:310,311,309,307,271 -->Rescue legislation sailed through the House on Wednesday aimed at helping 400,000 strapped homeowners avoid foreclosure and preventing the collapse of troubled mortgage companies...

Hurricane Dolly barreled into South Texas on Wednesday, lashing the coast with winds up to 100 mph and dumping heavy rain that flooded some low-lying areas but spared levees along the heavily populated Rio Grande...

An attorney for a Missouri woman charged in a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to commit suicide filed motions Wednesday to dismiss the federal case. Three motions were filed in U.S. District Court on...

China has clamped down further on issuing business visas, government officials said Thursday, in the latest expansion of already-tight entry restrictions for next month's Olympic Games. Beijing has stopped issuing...

Israel radio reports that Israel has given preliminary approval for the construction of a new Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It would be the first new settlement established by Israel in several years. The report...

A homemade bomb ripped through a commuter bus in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 10 others, authorities said. Regional military spokesman Maj. Armand Rico said the bomb...

Communist rebels attacked a banana farm associated with Dole Foods Co. Thursday and a land mine hit a security vehicle rushing to intervene, killing one and wounding three others, the military said. Village officials...

North Korea lashed out Thursday at the South Korean defense chief for labeling the communist state an enemy. Earlier this week, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee told parliament the country's military views...

About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to...

Cash-strapped homebuyers and borrowers facing foreclosure will get some relief from a housing bill passed by the House on Wednesday but the bill won't solve the deep-rooted ills of the U.S. housing market. The bill was...

!!-- pobj:WX204-0722081849 -->!!-- pobj:WX203-0722081849 -->!!-- pobj:WX202-0722081849 -->!!-- pobj:WX201-0722081849 -->The latest crash tests by the insurance industry raise safety questions about small pickups, which...

The weak U.S. dollar has not dissuaded Americans from planning trips abroad this year, but they may be heading to destinations closer to home, according to a survey released Thursday by Visa Inc. Two in three...

A marathon meeting of the world's top commercial powers ended early in the morning in Geneva with negotiators citing some progress in talks on a new global trade pact. The 12-hour meeting ended Thursday at around 3:30...

50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that...

Entertainment highlights during the week of July 27-Aug. 2: 1928: Leo the Lion roared for the first time at the beginning of MGM's first talking picture, "White Shadows in the South Seas." 1940: The cartoon character...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 27-Aug. 2: July 27: TV producer Norman Lear is 86. Singer Harvey Fuqua of The Moonglows is 79. Actor Jerry Van Dyke ("Coach") is 77. Actor John Pleshette ("Knots Landing") is...

More than 30 actors dissatisfied with stalled contract talks said Wednesday they have joined to campaign for seats on the Screen Actors Guild's board of directors, a move that could eventually break the stalemate with...

It was more than 50 years ago but Ry Cooder remembers it like it could have been last week; he was 8 years old and Johnny Cash came on the radio singing "Hey Porter." A third-grader with a guitar was hooked. Cooder...

Swimmer Jessica Hardy's trip to the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy after she tested positive for a banned substance. Hardy's "A" sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, according to a person...

Reed Johnson had three hits, including a grand slam in the eighth, and the Chicago Cubs routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Wednesday night. Ted Lilly (10-6) drove in the tying run and threw six uneven innings to...

Rich Aurilia lined a go-ahead two-run double to center field in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 on Wednesday night. Aurilia came up big with an eight-pitch...

Top-ranked Roger Federer was knocked out of the Rogers Cup with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to France's Gilles Simon in a second-round match Wednesday night. Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and '06, was playing his...

CC Sabathia threw a three-hitter, his third straight complete game for his new team, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday night. Ryan Braun had four hits, lacking a double for the...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the SBC Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.MIDLAND, Texas (BP)--I spoke recently at a...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column by Mike Licona of the North American Mission Board is the second column in a four-part series on the exclusivity of Christianity.ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--In yesterday's column I ended by saying...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Alana Blackwell was a junior in high school when a friend at church invited her to hang out with a group of Baptist college students at Louisiana State University. Blackwell, a future LSU Tiger...

WINTHROP, Mass. (BP)--For nine years in Massachusetts, the town of Winthrop has been changing little by little as God has worked through the lives of Dick and Doreen May.The Mays, natives to the area, planted the...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (BP)--About 900 teenagers and camp staff narrowly escaped injury when severe storms struck the campus of North Greenville University July 21.The students, who were attending Centrifuge and M-fuge camps,...

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B....

Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world. In rare cases, statins can cause muscle...

It was a hot lead for detectives on a cold case. People suddenly were getting salmonella at a Minnesota restaurant more than 1,000 miles from the center of the nation's outbreak. Not my tomatoes, protested the manager....

More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12, according to a government report released Wednesday. Some experts called the...

Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action. TB rates were...

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer, said Thursday it will close its only U.S. factory amid changes in production standards and steep price declines buffeting the industry. ...

Amazon.com Inc. doesn't seem to be bothered by high gas prices or the sputtering U.S. economy. On Wednesday, the Internet retailer reported second-quarter earnings that more than doubled and easily topped analysts'...

Facebook Inc. is introducing more tools to help the software applications fueling the online hangout's popularity and is promising to intensify its efforts to weed out programs that violate its rules for protecting...

The legal salvos between Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. stopped months ago, part of what officials at the wireless industry heavyweights described as a truce in a long-running battle that spanned three continents. Peace...

With the market for electronic books still relatively sleepy, Sony Corp. is trying a new tack: untethering the latest model of its e-book reading device from its own online bookstore. On Thursday, Sony will provide a...

Hurricane Dolly was expected to make landfall Wednesday near the Texas-Mexico border, bringing up to 15 inches of rain to southern Texas. Flooding was anticipated, especially along the coast, because of the heavy rain...

A cold front hovering over the Ohio Valley early Tuesday was expected to trigger showers and thunderstorms from the Central Plains to New England, while Tropical Storm Dolly threatened Texas. Scattered showers, strong...

Tropical storms Dolly and Cristobal were to continue spinning away in the Atlantic Basin on Monday. Cristobal was to pull away from the North Carolina coastline in the morning, but showers and gusty winds were to last...

Tropical Storm Cristobal was expected to continue to move northeastward along the eastern seaboard on Sunday, possibly making landfall over the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In any case, it was to produce much-needed...

Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms were forecast for northern New England on Saturday, and the same low pressure system could trigger showers over the Great Lakes region. Severe weather was possible over the...