National News

Mother's Day celebration coincides in U.S. and Latin America

FRESNO, Calif. — Some folks are making Mother's Day a two-day affair this year, as both the U.S. and the Latin American celebrations fall on the same weekend.

Mother's Day creator despised what it became

GRAFTON, W.Va. — On this 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, the woman credited with creating one of the world's most celebrated holidays probably wouldn't be pleased with all the flowers, candy or gifts.

Democrat calls for GOP to alter energy policy

WASHINGTON — The public must pressure Republicans in the White House and Congress to change directions in the country's energy policies, which have pushed oil and gas prices to record highs, a Democratic lawmaker said Saturday.

Web fuels and facilitates the new politics of rumor-mongering

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate, is a Christian, has never been a Muslim, swore his Senate oath on the Bible, says the pledge and generally puts his hand over his heart when he sings the national anthem. So why were people aware enough of current events to attend political rallies in the days leading up to the Indiana primary saying such things?

McCain, Obama campaigns turn eyes, rhetoric toward November

WASHINGTON — The first direct shots of the 2008 general election campaign rang out last week. Sen. Barack Obama, almost certainly the Democratic presidential nominee, started it Thursday with his musing that Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, was 'losing his bearings' as his criticism of Obama escalated.

Another recipe for ethanol: homegrown sweet sorghum

WASHINGTON — What's sweet like sugarcane, looks something like corn and could be grown in much of the United States to make ethanol? Sweet sorghum.

Data from Columbia disk drives survived the shuttle accident

Jon Edwards often manages what appears impossible. He has recovered precious data from computers wrecked in floods and fires and dumped in lakes. Now Edwards may have set a new standard: He found information on a melted disk drive that fell from the sky when space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003.

Supreme Court avoiding 5-4 decisions

WASHINGTON — This could be the Supreme Court term, one court watcher joked recently, that Justice John Paul Stevens remembers he is a Republican. A 1975 appointee of President Gerald Ford, Stevens is regarded as the anchor of the court's liberal wing.

Jenna Bush's wedding a low-key affair at ranch

CRAWFORD, Texas — Away from the glare of television cameras that have beamed other first family weddings into American living rooms, Jenna Bush's outdoor wedding at the ranch reflects her family's penchant for privacy and her preference for the casual over grandiose.

New Carter book tells life of 'remarkable mother'

ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter often sent his mother to meet with foreign dignitaries and attend state funerals, but it wasn't until he started researching a new book about her life that he learned just what the woman known as 'Miss Lillian' did on those visits.

Evangelical group seeks separation of faith, politics

A group of prominent U.S. evangelical Christians is urging other evangelicals to step back from partisan politics and avoid becoming 'useful idiots' for any political party.

Stamp prices go up Monday

WASHINGTON — The cost of mailing a letter goes up a penny to 42 cents on Monday, the latest in what are expected to be annual price adjustments by the Postal Service.

Campaigning scientists: A crash course in true political science

WASHINGTON — Daniel Suson has a doctorate in astrophysics and has worked on the superconducting super collider and a forthcoming NASA probe. Now he's heading back to school to take on an even trickier task — getting elected to public office.

Obama outlines plans for race against McCain

BEND, Ore. — Barack Obama began sketching the outlines of his expected presidential contest against Republican John McCain on Saturday, saying the fall election will be more about specific plans and priorities than about questions of political ideology or who is more patriotic.

McCain has head start in defining presumptive opponent Obama

WASHINGTON — Three months ago, Sen. John McCain made a calculated decision to begin painting a not-so-pretty picture of Sen. Barack Obama. Although Sen. Hillary Clinton was — and still is — battling Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, McCain began preparing his case against the Illinois senator early on.

At least 11 dead in new round of tornadoes across U.S.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thunderstorms and tornadoes tore across the nation's heartland Saturday evening, killing at least 11 people, mangling buildings and trapping people in rubble in areas still reeling from other recent bouts with severe weather.

Thousands descend on Gulf Coast for Habitat for Humanity project

BILOXI, Miss. — This week, thousands of hammers, paintbrushes and shovels will rise in concert to build affordable houses across the Gulf Coast during the 2008 Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.