Obama urges corporate tax cut, closing loopholes »

The Obama administration on Wednesday will propose cutting the top tax rate for corporations to 28 percent, and pay for it by eliminating dozens of tax loopholes companies now use to lower their rates, a senior administration official said.

American-born war reporter killed in Syria »

An American-born reporter for the London Sunday Times, Marie Colvin, along with a young French photographer, Remi Ochlik, were killed in Syria on Wednesday morning, according to several news reports. Colvin, one of the most celebrated war correspondents in the U.K., happened to be a guest on Anderson Cooper's CNN show last night. On the [...]

Power Players: Debate do’s and don’ts »

Top Line The remaining four Republicans vying to challenge President Barack Obama in the Fall, gather on a debate stage Wednesday for the first time in several weeks — and the last time before Super Tuesday. There is a lot on the line for each of these guys — and ABC's Rick Klein and Yahoo! [...]

George Huguely trial: Jury begins deliberations »

The fate of accused murderer George Huguely V is in the hands of a Charlottesville, Va. jury that began deliberations this morning. Two female alternate jurors were dismissed by the judge.

Is lying about being a hero a right? »

When Xavier Alvarez stood up and introduced himself at a local water district meeting in July 2007, he had no idea he was about to commit a federal crime.

The Fugates: Strange story of a family with blue skin »

In an unusual story that involves both genetics and geography, an entire family from isolated Appalachia was tinged blue. Their ancestral line began six generations earlier with a French orphan, Martin Fugate, who settled in Eastern Kentucky.

U.S. judge orders Moroccan held for Capitol plot »

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered a Moroccan man to be held on charges that he planned a suicide bombing attack against Congress, believing he was working with al Qaeda militants when in fact his contacts were undercover agents. Amine El Khalifi, 29 and an illegal immigrant, was arrested last week and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. government property, intending to detonate a bomb and to shoot people. ...

Supreme Court hears military medal lying case »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices questioned on Wednesday whether the federal government, in making it a crime to lie about receiving a military medal, could next make it illegal for someone to tell lies about an extramarital affair or a college degree. The high court appeared sharply divided while hearing arguments on whether the "Stolen Valor Act" adopted by Congress in 2006 violated constitutional free-speech rights, a case about how far the government may go to prosecute false claims about military honors. ...

Atlanta health club shooting stemmed from domestic dispute »

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Police investigating a shooting rampage at a suburban Atlanta health club have identified the four victims as relatives of the gunman, who fatally shot himself after opening fire on his two sisters and their husbands. Authorities on Wednesday said they had recovered a .45 caliber handgun at the health club in Norcross, Georgia, about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, where the shooting occurred late Tuesday. They said the killings were the result of a domestic dispute. ...

Rise in identity fraud tied to smartphone use »

(Reuters) - Nearly 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released on Wednesday by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research. The rise in the use of smartphones and social media by incautious consumers fueled the increase in identity fraud, and 2011 was a year of several big data breaches too, Javelin said. ...

Ex-mine official charged in fatal West Virginia blast »

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) - The former superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 workers died in a 2010 explosion was charged on Wednesday with felony conspiracy by tipping off employees to safety inspections and concealing dangerous violations, authorities said. Gary May, 43, of Bloomingrose, West Virginia, is the highest-ranking official at Massey Energy to face criminal charges in the worst accident in the U.S. mining industry in four decades. Massey Energy owned the Upper Big Branch mine at the time of the explosion on April 5, 2010. ...

Woman tries to hire hit man to kill fur-wearer: FBI »

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio woman who likened freeing lab animals to liberating Holocaust survivors was being held in custody Wednesday on charges she used Facebook to try to hire a hit man to kill a person at random for wearing fur, prosecutors said. Meredith Marie Lowell, 27, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was arrested Tuesday at her home by federal agents and has been charged with solicitation to commit murder for offering to pay someone who turned out to be an FBI agent $850 for the killing. ...

Judge strikes down birth control sale requirement »

TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a Washington state rule requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives against their religious beliefs is a violation of their constitutional rights. In a decision with national implications for the exercise of conscience and moral choices in the workplace, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton also reinstated an injunction blocking enforcement of the regulations. (Reporting by Katherine Luck; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Daniel Trotta)

Kansas City priest accused of molesting 4 brothers »

KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - Catholic leaders in Kansas City covered up years of sexual abuse of several young children by a priest who led a Christian organization for youth, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by four brothers who say they were victimized as children. The lawsuit, one of more than two dozen pending in Kansas City alleging abuse by area priests, was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri. It names Father John Tulipana and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph as defendants, alleging molestation dating to the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Obama calls black museum symbol for all Americans »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Political and cultural figures joined to break ground for a new museum celebrating black Americans on Wednesday, with President Barack Obama calling it a symbol of Americans' shared history. The $500 million National Museum of African American History and Culture will be the only national museum devoted solely to black life, art, history and culture. The site is scheduled to open in 2015 on the National Mall, the two-mile-long stretch of parkland between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. ...

Two shot at Walmart center in Virginia »

(Reuters) - A gunman shot two people at a Walmart distribution center in central Virginia on Wednesday, a Dinwiddie County Fire Department spokeswoman said. One of the two victims was airlifted to a hospital, spokeswoman Denice Marrs said. The shootings took place on the outskirts of Petersburg, she said. "He came at them with a gun," Marrs said. "Right now we can confirm two victims." She declined to say whether those shot were dead or wounded, or the type of firearm used. A nearby elementary school was locked down as a precaution but the lockdown was lifted. ...

Pennsylvania university heads paint bleak tuition outlook »

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - The heads of Pennsylvania's four largest universities pleaded with lawmakers on Wednesday to ignore Governor Tom Corbett's proposal to cut state subsidies on higher education by 30 percent. During budget hearings early on Wednesday, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg called Corbett's proposal "deep, dramatic and disproportionate," adding that if enacted, Pitt would have to raise tuition by $3,000 annually. Corbett unveiled the cuts in a $27.1 billion budget proposed earlier this month. ...

Virginia lacrosse murder trial goes to jury »

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (Reuters) - Jurors began deliberating on Wednesday to decide whether a former University of Virginia lacrosse player killed his ex-girlfriend in a drunken rage or if her 2010 death was accidental. Prosecutors accused George Huguely V, 24, of first-degree murder, saying he walked into 22-year-old Yeardley Love's apartment while she was asleep, kicked in her bedroom door and slammed her head against the wall. Prosecution expert witnesses said Love, from Cockeysville, Maryland, died about two hours later from blunt force trauma to the head. ...

Maryland Senate committee approves gay marriage bill »

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Reuters) - A Maryland Senate committee approved a gay marriage bill on Tuesday, sending the issue to the full Senate and moving Maryland closer to becoming the eighth state to legalize same-sex nuptials. The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 7 to 4 in favor of the bill - supported by Gov. Martin O'Malley - and the full Senate was expected to vote later in the week. The bill was approved last week by the lower house. ...

Obama sings the blues with Jagger, B.B King »

(Reuters) - Bill Clinton had his saxophone, but President Barack Obama can sing the blues. Obama lent his voice to a White House jam featuring Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy on Tuesday during a celebration of blues and its influence on modern pop culture. After wowing crowds in January by singing a line from Al Green's classic hit "Let's Stay Together" at a Harlem fundraiser, the U.S. president sang a verse of "Sweet Home Chicago" in the all-star finale of a TV special taped at the White House. "We were trying to get you to help us sing. ...