CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Thudding cannons and somber music around Charleston Harbor in South Carolina ushered in the commemoration Tuesday of the nation's bloodiest conflict

When Melissa Noriega moved to a quiet street in this suburb east of Los Angeles five years ago, she thought it was the perfect family place: kids played in the cul-de-sacs, neighbors knew each other and a small park was a stone's throw from her doorstep. That idyllic vision has been shattered.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Details of last week's hard-won agreement to avoid a government shutdown and cut federal spending by $38 billion were released Tuesday morning. They reveal that the budget cuts, while historic, were significantly eased by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.

With the price of gas above $3.50 a gallon in all but one state, there are signs that Americans are cutting back on driving

Authorities say the 15 minutes of warning given to residents of a small Iowa town were key to preventing any deaths or serious injuries when a tornado destroyed more than half the community

Obama is setting up his campaign headquarters in a downtown high-rise near Grant Park, the site of his victory celebration on election night in November 2008

Suspected terrorists are still being held under hazy circumstances with uncertain rights in secret, military-run jails across Afghanistan, where they can be interrogated for weeks without charge

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans adamant that the government keep its hands off the Internet passed a bill Friday to repeal federal rules barring Internet service providers from blocking or interfering with traffic on their networks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Health care giant Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $70 million to settle civil and criminal charges of bribing doctors in Europe and paying kickbacks to the Iraqi government

The NAACP is joining Newt Gingrich in calling for a reduction in the number of state and federal prisoners and spending the savings on education.