ST. LOUIS (AP) -- As a monster storm began to bear down on the middle of the nation Tuesday, those in its frigid and dangerous path could only hope it wouldn't live up to the hype.

With two scary hits on a single Sunday -- and with the fines, attention and acrimony that followed -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison became the symbol of a season in which the NFL tried to make clear what is and isn't the right way to tackle.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is telling half of the U.S. population to drastically cut their daily salt intake.
That's the advice to consumers — and the food industry — as the government issues new dietary guidelines, which are the recommendations behind the popular food pyramid.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A monster winter storm bigger than some Midwest cities have seen in years slogged toward the nation's midsection Monday as the region geared up its defenses against a potentially deadly mix of sleet, snow and ice.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Republican lawmakers in nearly a dozen states are reaching into the dusty annals of American history to fight President Obama's health care overhaul.

A former Chicago police official is convicted of lying about the torture of suspects

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Cherokee Nation on Tuesday asked the tribe's highest court to restore a constitutional amendment approved by voters that would deny citizenship to non-Native American descendants of tribal members' former black slaves.

The discovery of two "drug catapults" in the Mexican state of Sonora marks the latest twist in the cat-and-mouse game traffickers play with authorities.

The economy gained strength at the end of last year as Americans spent at the fastest pace in four years and U.S. companies sold more overseas. The growth is boosting hopes for a stronger 2011. But it remains too weak to ease high unemployment.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate stood ready Thursday to reject an effort to restrict filibusters, those familiar blockades that sow gridlock and discord