GOP's to test new power during Tuesday vote
WASHINGTON -- Today marks the first test of Senate Republicans' new voting clout as they attempt to block President Barack Obama's choice of a union attorney for the National Labor Relations Board.
National News
Balloon boy dad to start work-release
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The man who pleaded guilty in the balloon boy hoax has been released from a Colorado jail to serve the rest of his sentence in a work-release program.
Another major storm headed to snowy Mid-Atlantic
WASHINGTON -- Snow blew across the Midwest on Tuesday on track for the hard-hit Mid-Atlantic region, where federal government offices were closed for a second day and utility workers struggled to restore power knocked out by a weekend blizzard.
First lady begins fight against childhood obesity
WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to fight childhood obesity, part of her effort to teach America's children about better nutrition and exercise.
Reconstruction of plane collision planned
BOULDER, Colo. -- Federal investigators plan to do a reconstruction of the midair collision that killed three people in two planes above Boulder, Colo., on Saturday.
Double hand transplant patient leaves Pa. hospital
PITTSBURGH -- The nation's first double hand transplant recipient has left a Pittsburgh hospital after medicine cleared up a rash that signaled he might be rejecting his new hands.
Stocks climb on hopes for Greece assistance
NEW YORK -- Stocks surged Tuesday morning as hopes grow the European Union will help Greece with its growing debt burden.
Group buys land around Hollywood sign
LOS ANGELES -- A nature conservation group says it has reached a deal that would protect a huge swath of land above the world-famous Hollywood sign from being developed into luxury homes.
Rep. John Murtha, voice for veterans, dies at 77
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A longtime friend of John Murtha says the late congressman's large intestine was damaged during gallbladder surgery and an infection led him to be hospitalized with a fever.
Astronauts inspect space station shuttle
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Endeavour's astronauts inspected their ship early Tuesday for any launch damage as they raced toward a 200-mile-high rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Fires strike 2 more east Texas churches
DALLAS -- A sheriff's dispatcher says fires have struck two more rural east Texas churches, just hours after investigators announced that a blaze last week marked the eighth arson against a house of worship in the state this year.
Reports: Toyota to recall 300,000 Priuses
TOKYO -- Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.
Gov't shut down as DC, region dig out of snow
WASHINGTON -- Federal workers and school children got a day off Monday as the Mid-Atlantic region dug out from as much as 3 feet of snow that made travel nearly impossible and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.
NY murder defendant learned about burning
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A wealthy 68-year-old jeweler with two ex-wives in Europe who is accused of killing his third wife and burning her body testified Monday that he learned how bodies are incinerated when he questioned a mortician about his mother's cremation.
Barzee pleads guilty to charge in Smart case
SALT LAKE CITY -- Prosecutors on Monday dropped state charges against a woman in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart in exchange for a guilty plea related to the attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin.
Man arrested after Detroit airport security breach
ROMULUS, Mich. -- A portion of a terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport was evacuated Monday after a man walked through a passenger screening checkpoint and refused to obey security officers, officials said.
Space shuttle blasts off on last night flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what's likely the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station.
NYC man pleads guilty to killing girlfriend's cat
NEW YORK -- A graphic designer accused of surreptitiously killing a series of his girlfriend's cats pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated animal cruelty, ending an eerie case in which authorities said the unsuspecting woman kept replacing her dying pets.
Former Philly officer to be charged with murder
PHILADELPHIA -- A murder warrant was issued Monday against a former Philadelphia police officer accused of fatally shooting a neighbor during an off-duty altercation in November.
Toyota resale values lowered by Kelley Blue Book
IRVINE, Calif. -- The Blue Book value of used Toyotas has been reduced again as the Japanese carmaker's troubles persist.
