Swing district in Ventura County may create opening for independent candidate

Daniel Mintz recently had a chance to see California's new election system up close, and it was an eye-opener.

Confessor in Etan Patz killing has mental health issues

NEW YORK — A man who claims to have abducted and strangled Etan Patz, who vanished 33 years ago Friday, has suffered from bipolar...

For Marine's widow, Memorial Day has extra meaning

CAMP PENDLETON — Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph Fankhauser had been inAfghanistan'svolatile Helmand province for barely two weeks when he...

U.S. steps up deportation efforts for criminal immigrants

WASHINGTON — In an aggressive effort to boost deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun to increase by nearly...

Four witnesses in Trayvon Martin case change their stories

ORLANDO, Fla. — Evidence released last week in the second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman shows four key witnesses made...

John Edwards trial judge meets with attorneys on 'juror matter'

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The federal judge in the John Edwards trial closed her courtroom Friday afternoon to deal with what she called a...

Senate ethics panel admonishes Coburn over Ensign aide

WASHINGTON — The Senate Ethics Committee publicly admonished Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) for improperly meeting with a lobbyist and...

Supreme Court limits protection against double jeopardy

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court limited the Constitution's protection against double jeopardy in cases involving multiple charges and a...

New Jersey man says he killed Etan Patz

NEW YORK — A New Jersey man who was a teenage store clerk when 6-year-old Etan Patz vanished 33 years ago Friday told police he...

Yucca Mountain critic picked to head nuclear panel

WASHINGTON — Stirring the lingering debate over storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, President Obama tapped Yucca critic...

Senate agrees on FDA overhaul

WASHINGTON — In a momentary flash of bipartisanship, the Senate approved legislation that would allow Americans speedier access to...

Romney discusses education policy and class size in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Making a rare inner-city campaign stop, Mitt Romney preached the merits of traditional two-parent families and touted...

John Edwards trial jurors request more exhibits

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jurors in the John Edwards campaign finance trial on Thursday ended a fifth day of deliberations without reaching a...

Crystals can help predict volcano eruptions, scientists say

Scientists dissecting the remains of the disastrous 1980 explosion of Mt. St. Helens in Washington state say that crystal formations trapped...

Secret Service director says Colombia prostitution scandal was isolated incident

WASHINGTON — The prostitution scandal that has embroiled the Secret Service is not evidence of a wider culture of boozing and paying...

Officials helped makers of Osama bin Laden film, documents show

WASHINGTON — In the months after the U.S. militarymission that killed Osama bin Laden, Pentagon officials met with Hollywood...

Obama rebuts GOP charges on U.S. influence

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — President Obama pushed back against the idea of U.S. influence being in decline — and against...

Romney makes his case on education

WASHINGTON — Targeting an issue popular with women, a key voter group, Mitt Romney assailed President Obama's leadership on...