Advocacy groups cite Bloch's ties to the administration. >>

WASHINGTON -- As congressional Democrats move to force President Bush to veto a war spending bill that would start a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, they are simultaneously pursuing a carefully crafted offensive aimed at another target: Republican lawmakers. >>

Traces of a chemical banned 30 years ago cause brain abnormalities in newborn lab animals that are similar to defects in children with autism, according to a new study by University of California scientists. >>

The Bush administration's chief environmental officer came under fire from the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill this morning for failing to act more aggressively to address global warming in response to the Supreme Court ruling that greenhouse gas emissions are subject to federal regulation. >>

A "full-scale riot" broke out today at a medium-security men's prison, according to the mayor, and pictures taken from television helicopters showed at least two fires burning in the courtyard. >>

Gunman was holding two high school girls captive and saying it would all be over at 4. SWAT stormed in, and one girl died. He knows he did the right thing, and yet ... >>

The faulty administration of two of the three chemicals leaves some inmates suffocating and conscious, a report says. >>

David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose sweeping career as a newspaper reporter and author included coverage of the civil rights struggle in the South and the Vietnam War as well as probing accounts of media barons and sports legends, was killed Monday in a car crash in the Bay Area. >>

President says Gonzales did nothing wrong in firing eight U.S. attorneys. >>

Negotiators in the House and Senate agree on a $124-billion spending compromise. A Bush veto is certain. >>

The Office of Special Counsel will investigate U.S. attorney firings and other political activities led by Karl Rove. >>

Gonzales 'increased my confidence in his ability to do the job,' president says. But others wonder if the White House fears Rove could be targeted. >>

Trustees warn that the program's mammoth hospitalization trust fund is projected to run a deficit in 2019. >>

The Supreme Court refuses to throw out a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging loan fraud. >>

Educators and experts offer ways to reduce risks, including better training and communication. >>

Justices to decide search rights of passengers when a driver is pulled over. >>

The research lasted a decade and involved more than 100,000 women. >>

The VA settles a lawsuit by adding the star to its list of 'belief' emblems. >>

DARLINGTON, S.C. — A jury acquitted a convicted sex offender Monday of raping two teenage girls who authorities said were kidnapped and left to die in his underground bunker. >>

ANCHORAGE — A former state lawmaker and prominent lawyer was found conscious but suffering from hypothermia on an island Monday, a day after his boat was discovered cruising unmanned in a Juneau bay. >>

Faces up to five years in prison. >>

A Border Patrol agent was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of an unarmed illegal immigrant at the border in January. >>

A man facing eviction from a luxury apartment complex in Houston shot and killed the manager and then himself, police said. Two other people were injured. >>

Demand for the Gardasil vaccine against cervical cancer is outstripping supply as the state offers the shots for free, but there are no plans to accelerate distribution, a public health official said. >>

The state quarter will feature a picture of King Kamehameha the Great overlooking a relief map of the main Hawaiian islands with the state's Hawaiian-language motto written on the coin. >>