U.S. News

More than two dozen gay and lesbian couples have filed lawsuits in an effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois.The two lawsuits filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of... more

A massive wildfire in southwestern New Mexico's Gila National Forest is now the largest fire in state history.Fire officials said Wednesday the erratic fire has grown to more than 170,000 acres,... more

Police in Canada are investigating after a severed human foot was mailed to the headquarters of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's political party and a second body part was found in a separate... more

The remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl headed toward the Atlantic on Wednesday, skimming the coast of the Carolinas and prompting flood watches in eastern North Carolina. Beryl was expected to... more

A day after apologizing for the first time, a former Rutgers University student convicted of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate gave up his right to remain free on Wednesday while New... more

This is not a good time to be a duck with a fatty liver in California, though better times lie just ahead.Chefs are loading their high-end menus with duck liver: terrine de foie gras, seared foie... more

An Ohio man says he was giving money to a panhandler in a wheelchair when the cash fell to the ground and he was cited by police for littering.WJW-TV ( <a... more

Prosecutors have filed animal cruelty charges against the owner and seven employees at a Southern California livestock auction house after undercover video shot by an animal rights group showed... more

By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man was sentenced on Monday to more than six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to plans to ship $200,000 to the Muslim militant group... more

By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man who went to elaborate lengths to impersonate his dead mother as part of a real estate scam was sentenced on Monday to a minimum of 13... more

By Erwin Seba HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc on Wednesday said it will spend $400 million to install pollution controls at its giant Whiting, Indiana refinery, to allow it to process heavy crude... more

By Lauren Tara LaCapra (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to channel investments totaling $40 billion over the next decade into renewable energy projects, an area the investment bank... more

The mother of Etan Patz (AY'-tahn payts) says she wishes it could all be over.Julie Patz spoke Tuesday outside her New York City apartment building, a week after a man confessed to killing her... more

The jury in John Edwards campaign finance corruption trial has started its eighth day of deliberations.The jurors were scheduled to work an extra 30 minutes on Wednesday and Thursday, unless they... more

President Barack Obama is set to sign the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, the government's vehicle for promoting U.S. export sales.The bank survived a challenge earlier this month from... more

The 85th National Spelling Bee is under way.Thirteen-year-old Kevin Lazenby of Opelika, Ala., stepped to the microphone Wednesday morning at a convention center outside Washington and correctly... more

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today (times EDT):1. UN RIGHTS BODY WILL HOLD SESSION ON SYRIAN MASSACREThe special session is... more

A search for a missing Idaho pilot believed to have gone down in southern Oregon is expanding to include both private help and assistance from neighboring Oregon counties and a California county,... more

Law enforcement officials said Tuesday that nearly 100 guns and dozens of violent criminals have been taken off the streets of Oakland as part of an ongoing multiagency crackdown involving... more

Authorities say they have arrested three men and are seeking a fourth who kidnapped a Los Angeles County couple and tortured the man for days.Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said Tuesday that the... more

Weather Underground Forecast for Wednesday, May 30, 2012.A cold front that brought strong thunderstorms to the Northeast on Tuesday will clear the Atlantic coast during the day, leaving clearing... more

An inmate at the center of a legal fight between Gov. Lincoln Chafee and federal prosecutors is making his first appearance in federal court, but the battle over who gets to prosecute him on fatal... more

The man who has confessed to killing the 6-year-old boy at the heart of one of the nation's most prominent missing-child cases remained in a psychiatric hospital as court-appointed doctors... more

"I don't agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in. But I need to get 50.1 percent or more. And I'm appreciative to have the help... more

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is marking the 10th anniversary of the end of cleanup operations at the site with a tribute to recovery workers and first responders.The event is... more