ATLANTA (AP) -- A former Black Panther convicted of murdering a California park ranger is getting another shot at freedom after a federal appeals court found that a parole official improperly worked to keep him behind bars by secretly handing over information to Justice Department officials.

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -- With Hurricane Irene's floodwaters receding across much of the East Coast, homeowners are mucking out their basements and dragging soggy furniture to the curb. But frustrations are rising as the wait for power drags on, with an estimated 895,000 homes and businesses still without electricity.

MIAMI (AP) -- Katia has regained hurricane strength far out in the Atlantic and forecasters say it is expected to continue getting stronger.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gasoline is near the highest it's ever been for this time of year, just ahead of the Labor Day weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A black Indiana congressman used a lynching metaphor to describe tea party policies he says would turn minorities into "second class citizens," and the lone Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus threatened Wednesday to quit the group in protest.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A national infrastructure bank that would entice private investors into road and rail projects could be a major part of the jobs package that President Barack Obama hopes will finally bring relief to the unemployed.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half of Muslim Americans in a new poll say government anti-terrorism policies single them out for increased surveillance and monitoring, and many report increased cases of name-calling, threats and harassment by airport security, law enforcement officers and others.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Working with the CIA, the New York Police Department maintained a list of "ancestries of interest" and dispatched undercover officers to monitor Muslim businesses and social groups, according to new documents that offer a rare glimpse inside an intelligence program the NYPD insists doesn't exist.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Tropical Storm Katia was gaining strength Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean and is likely to become a hurricane, but forecasters said it was too soon to determine where it might head.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New advice for pregnant women: If you're getting a C-section, special inflating boots strapped on your legs may lower the risk of a blood clot.