By MARCIA DUNN   Associated Press   5/22/2012 12:40 PM   

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A first-of-its-kind commercial supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station following a successful liftoff early Tuesday, opening a new era of dollar-driven spaceflight. The SpaceX company made history as its ...

By CAROLYN THOMPSON   Associated Press   5/22/2012 10:58 AM   

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A man who survived a plunge of at least 180 feet over Niagara Falls — only the third person known to have done so without a safety device — was in stable condition Tuesday, a day after his apparent suicide atte ...

By BRADLEY KLAPPER and MATTHEW LEE   Associated Press   5/22/2012 10:57 AM   

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama’s preferred path to end the Iranian nuclear standoff faces a stern test this week when world powers sit down with Iran in another bid to press it to meet international demands to prove it is not t ...

  Associated Press   5/22/2012 10:56 AM   

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell declined Tuesday to renew the presidential endorsement he gave Barack Obama four years ago, saying he wasn’t ready “to throw my weight behind someone” at this time. The ...

Associated Press     5/22/2012 12:31 AM   

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- Daredevil Nik Wallenda said he's not happy about it but he'll probably be tethered to the tightrope that he plans to walk over Niagara Falls next month. Wallenda said Monday that ABC is adamant about making him wear the safet ...

By JEFF MARTIN   Associated Press   5/22/2012 12:31 AM   

ATLANTA -- A young Georgia woman fighting a flesh-eating disease is now able to breathe on her own, a milestone that sent the family's spirits soaring, her father said Monday. Aimee Copeland is now focused on taking each breath without the aid of a ...

By GEOFF MULVIHILL   Associated Press   5/22/2012 12:31 AM   

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to spy on his gay roommate was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail SEnD just a fraction of the maximum SEnD in a case that focused attention on anti-gay bullying, teen suici ...

Associated Press     5/22/2012 12:02 AM   

CHICAGO -- President Barack Obama and leaders around the globe locked in place an Afghanistan exit path Monday that will still keep their troops fighting and dying there for two more years, acknowledging there never will be point at which they can sa ...

By RACHEL ZOLL   Associated Press   5/22/2012 12:02 AM   

NEW YORK (AP) -- Roman Catholic dioceses, schools and other groups sued the Obama administration Monday in eight states and the District of Columbia over a federal mandate that most employers provide workers free birth control as part of their health ...

By HOLBROOK MOHR   Associated Press   5/22/2012 12:02 AM   

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A gang fight in a prison for illegal immigrants quickly escalated into a riot involving as many as 300 inmates, some lashing out with sticks or homemade knives as the uprising spread through the sprawling prison, a sheriff said ...

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL   Associated Press   5/21/2012 10:36 AM   

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Barack Obama says the big trading loss at JPMorgan Chase shows the need to finally put in place banking rules he signed into law two years ago. He also is calling on Congress to stop trying to weaken the regulations. T ...

  Associated Press   5/21/2012 10:34 AM   

SALEM, Mass. — Police say a Salem woman has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly trying to infect her landlord with a skin disease. Police tell The Salem News (http://bit.ly/K4Wdu4 ) the woman argued with ...

By JEFF MARTIN   Associated Press   5/21/2012 10:23 AM   

ATLANTA -- The father of a Georgia woman fighting a flesh-eating disease says his daughter is now able to breathe on her own, a milestone that sent the family's spirits soaring. Aimee Copeland is now focused on taking each breath without the aid of a ...

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and ERIC TALMADGE   Associated Press   5/21/2012 10:20 AM   

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- From a park near Albuquerque, to the top of Japan's Mount Fuji, to the California coast the effect was dramatic: The moon nearly blotting out the sun creating a blazing "ring of fire" eclipse. Millions of people across a narrow ...

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER   Associated Press   5/21/2012 10:14 AM   

JOPLIN, Mo. -- It was a label they sought both to embrace and avoid, a refrain overheard in whispers or uttered bluntly at soccer games, summer camps and national academic competitions: Here come the tornado kids from Joplin. For the 428 members of ...

By JEFFREY COLLINS   Associated Press   5/21/2012 12:30 AM   

COLUMBIA -- Tropical Storm Alberto hovered off the South Carolina and Georgia coasts on Sunday, canceling tourist cruises, producing showers along the coast and serving as a reminder that the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is just around the corner. ...

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT   Associated Press   5/21/2012 12:30 AM   

BALTIMORE -- I'll Have Another poked his head out of his stall, started nibbling on his nameplate tacked to a wall and looked up at all the people watching his every move. Yes, I'll Have Another came out of his thrilling Preakness win over Bodemeis ...

By MIKE FITZPATRICK   Associated Press   5/20/2012 11:50 PM   

Babe Ruth equals big bucks. A baseball jersey worn by The Bambino sold for more than $4.4 million Sunday, a record for any item of sports memorabilia, according to the buyer and seller. SCP Auctions, based in California, said the circa 1920 New York ...

Associated Press     5/20/2012 11:50 PM   

MIAMI (AP) -- The NAACP passed a resolution this weekend endorsing same-sex marriage as a civil right and opposing any efforts "to codify discrimination or hatred into the law." The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's board v ...

Associated Press     5/20/2012 11:50 PM   

CHICAGO -- Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights marched through downtown Chicago on Sunday, taking their discontent on a wide range of world issues to leaders assembled for a NAT ...