RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A federal judge said on Monday that she is learning toward denying a government request to delay her order halting the military from enforcing its ban on openly gay troops.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's winning coalition from 2008 has crumbled and his core backers are dispirited. It's now Republicans who stand to benefit from an electorate that's again craving change.

The ethics trials for U.S. Reps. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., have been set for after the elections on Nov. 15 and Nov. 29, respectively. The announcement, made late last week, prompted the ire of at least one Republican, who said it was motivated by politics.

HENNING, Tenn. (AP) — Two post office workers were killed Monday in a shooting at a post office in West Tennessee during a possible robbery attempt, authorities said.

WASHINGTON -- Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of a man accused of killing federal intern Chandra Levy nearly a decade ago, a case that derailed a California congressman's career and generated headlines around the world.

WASHINGTON – At a time when President Barack Obama is trying to rally his political base, his administration is fighting to temporarily preserve the ban on gays serving openly in the military, even though his core supporters want it ended now.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve is prepared to take further steps to rejuvenate the economy by buying Treasury bonds but is wrestling with how big the program should be, Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday.

LARAMIE, Wyo. – A $4 rubber bracelet meant to raise breast cancer awareness has done that and more: Students nationwide are wearing the "I (heart) boobies" wristbands, and running afoul of school administrators.

HICKORY, N.C. — Investigators drained a pond and used a dog to sniff through piles of mulch and tree-trimming equipment searching for the remains of a 10-year-old as neighbors and friends who had feared for her safety used a vigil to encourage people to report child abuse.

KABUL, Afghanistan — A former Afghan president who heads a new peace council said Thursday that he's convinced the Taliban are ready to negotiate peace.