EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI began a controversial visit to Britain on Thursday by acknowledging the Catholic Church had not acted decisively or quickly enough against priests who molested children. He said the church's top priority now was to help abuse victims heal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's capital will have a new mayor after voters Tuesday ousted Adrian Fenty, a backer of education reform who some said had become out of touch.

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are confronting deep divisions within their nervous ranks over whether to support President Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — or just punt the entire matter until after voters go to the polls Nov. 2.

WASHINGTON — Virtually unknown a month ago, Christine O'Donnell rode a surge of support from tea party activists to victory in Delaware's Republican Senate primary Tuesday night, dealing yet another setback to the GOP establishment in a campaign season full of them.

WASHINGTON — Retail sales rose in August by the largest amount in five months, adding to evidence that a late spring economic swoon was temporary and not the start of another recession.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. (AP) -- The tragic explosion of a gas pipeline in a San Francisco suburb has shed light on a problem usually kept underground: Communities have expanded over pipes built decades earlier when no one lived there.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran freed an American woman on $500,000 bail Tuesday, more than a year after she was detained along the border with Iraq. However, authorities said they were not considering the immediate release of the two companions arrested with her.

NEW YORK — The imam leading the effort to build an Islamic center and mosque near the World Trade Center site said Monday that a resolution to the raging debate over its location is being examined.

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans will oppose any effort to renew soon-to-expire Bush administration tax cuts if upper income taxpayers are excluded from the reductions.