ACORN is determined to clear its name. Through the launch of a self-investigation, the anti-poverty group hopes to overturn accusations of illegal methods used to benefit its clients. However, CEO Bertha Lewis is prepared for any possible outcome.

Pot advocates started their push Friday to get a marijuana legalization measure on California's 2010 ballot with backing from a prominent state politician. Activists in Oregon are also circulating petitions to legalize, regulate and tax recreational and industrial cannabis ...

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Students beware: The summer vacation you just enjoyed could be sharply curtailed if President Barack Obama gets his way. Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan say kids in the United States need more school because kids in other nations have more school. While it is true that kids in many other countries have more school days, it's not true they all spend more time in school...

"The way the economic climate is for us right now, it's very difficult for us to go out and compete against bigger companies that can go out and bid the jobs, companies that can afford to keep the people busy because they have the cash in reserve," Anderson said. "They don't have to bid a job to make a margin. They can bid a job just to make sure they're working." ...

TROY, N.Y. (AP) _ Former President Bill Clinton weighed in Tuesday on the waning political fortune of New York Gov. David Paterson, saying he is "not in good shape now" politically. The comment came after veiled messages were sent to him from Washington Democrats to drop out of the gubernatorial race and make room for the more popular Andrew Cuomo to lead a critical 2010 ticket...

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A notorious street gang accused of terrorizing a neighborhood for years and killing a sheriff's deputy was the target of a coordinated assault by hundreds of law enforcement officials Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A new scientific paper asserts that the CIA's harsh interrogation program likely damaged the brain and memory functions of terrorist suspects, diminishing their ability to provide the detailed information the U.S spy agency sought and make up and believe false memories ...

When a virtually unknown Republican Congressman, Joe Wilson from South Carolina shouted the words "You lie!" during a Sept. 9 speech by President Barack Obama, it was the latest example of the uncivil tone and rancorous atmosphere created by many of the president's opponents on the right.

The case of a Black female Army reservist who police say was beaten by a White man in front of her 7-year-old daughter could renew the call for a hate crime law in Georgia.

While some Washington politicians claim the economy is recovering nicely, credit card default rates indicate consumers are still facing very significant struggles.