NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. wrestles with its biggest whooping cough outbreak in decades, researchers appear to have zeroed in on the main cause: The safer vaccine that was introduced in the 1990s loses effectiveness much faster than previously thought. A study published in Wednesday’s New England Journal of Medicine found that the [...]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — President Barack Obama’s fall mission: Remind voters why they chose him in the first place, hope the economy doesn’t get worse — and paint Mitt Romney as an unacceptable alternative. “On every issue, the choice you face won’t be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice [...]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana officials said Wednesday they may have to intentionally breach a levee in a flooded area as Hurricane Isaac made a slow, drenching slog inland from the Gulf of Mexico and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was declared in New Orleans. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said officials may cut a hole in a [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials spoke with increased urgency at their last meeting about the need to provide more help for a weak U.S. economy. Many felt further support would be needed “fairly soon” unless the economy improved significantly. The minutes of the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting don’t say what step would most likely [...]
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Differences between Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s positions — this time on hot-button social issues — were on display Wednesday as the GOP ticket found itself dragged into a debate over abortion. The vice presidential candidate emphasized anew that Romney is the nominee, brushing aside differences in their records. “I’m proud [...]
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The NASA rover Curiosity made its first test drive Wednesday on ancient soil of Mars. “Wheel tracks on Mars,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Allen Chen tweeted along with an image sent from one of the rover’s cameras. “The EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) team is finally done. Congrats to the mobility [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, gets these glowing testimonials on the campaign trail: “An articulate spokesperson for Gov. Romney’s vision.” ”A serious guy with serious ideas.” Those are the appraisals from none other than Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Not your typical partisan line of criticism. But unlike the Obama camp’s [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s new promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law could backfire if he’s elected. The reason: Obama’s cuts also extended the life of Medicare’s giant trust fund, and by repealing them Romney would move the insolvency date of the program [...]
JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Even before Wisconsin sent Paul Ryan to Congress, he was meticulously carving a path that seemed to point only upward. As a young Capitol Hill staffer, he impressed Republican lawmakers with his hustle and intellectual curiosity. He blended quickly with an elite crop of conservative thinkers. By his 30s, he was [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — After months of worrying about Europe, now investors are getting concerned about Asia too. U.S. stocks moved lower Friday following unsettling reports out of China and elsewhere in Asia. China’s export growth plunged, Singapore’s economy shrank and South Korea’s central bank issued pessimistic predictions. How China and other Asian countries fare [...]
HONOLULU (AP) — A competitive U.S. Senate race in Hawaii is a once-in-a-generation occurrence. And that’s exactly what may be shaping up as two Democrats, Rep. Mazie Hirono (may-ZEE’ hee-ROH’-noh) and former Rep. Ed Case, square off in a primary Saturday. Each one wants to take on former two-term Republican Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle in [...]
OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) — Wade Michael Page played in white supremacist heavy metal bands and posted frequent comments on Internet forums for skinheads, repeatedly exhorting members to act more decisively to support their cause. “If you are wanting to meet people, get involved and become active,” he wrote last year. “Stop hiding behind the [...]
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A man suspected of the mercy killing of his wife who was shot in a hospital’s intensive care unit seemed perplexed at the charge when he stood before a judge Tuesday, asking whether his wife was indeed dead. John Wise, 66, with a white beard down to his chest and dressed [...]
MASON, Ohio (AP) — One of the biggest drug dealers in the Cincinnati area was led into court this week. He looked more like the president of the math club — skinny, pale, bespectacled, dressed in a blue buttoned-down shirt and khakis, and just 17 years old. Three weeks before he was supposed to start [...]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of Michael Jackson said in court papers she was kept from communicating with outsiders while at a resort in Tucson and was unaware she had been reported missing. Katherine Jackson declared in the documents obtained Thursday that she had no idea she was the subject of a search until [...]
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government’s list of natural disaster areas as the nation’s agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s addition of the 218 counties means [...]
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A visibly angry judge said Wednesday he will consider declaring a mistrial at Drew Peterson’s murder trial after a second major blunder by prosecutors in as many days, once again illustrating how the high-profile case has been beset by problems from the outset. Judge Edward Burmila’s blistering rebuke came after prosecutors’ [...]
ABERDEEN, Md. (AP) — Cal Ripken Jr.’s mother told a neighbor that the man who kidnapped her at gunpoint, tied her up and blindfolded her didn’t seem to know she was part of a famous baseball family as the two drove around together in her car. The gunman, who has not been found, forced 74-year-old [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether they think the mayor is combating obesity or infringing on their rights, New Yorkers are scheduled to have their say on a proposed ban on large sugary drinks served at restaurants, movie theaters and other eateries. The proposal requires only the approval of the Board of Health — appointed by [...]
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — With their anger and tears stirred by the sight of James Holmes in a courtroom with red hair and glassy eyes, the families of those killed in the Colorado theater massacre now must go home to plan their final goodbyes. Tom Teves’ stare bore into Holmes as the 24-year-old former graduate [...]
