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Pa. suspect: Caretaker by day, 'Jihad Jane' online (AP)

AP - Colleen LaRose spent long days caring for her boyfriend's father in a second-floor apartment in Pennsburg, a small town north of Philadelphia. But online, federal authorities say, the devoted caretaker developed a daring alter ego, refashioning herself as "Jihad Jane" while helping recruit and finance Muslim terrorists — and eventually moving overseas to try to kill an artist she perceived as an enemy to Islam.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 5:18 pm

Obama decries waste, fraud in gov't health system (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama denounced waste, inefficiency and downright fraud in the government's health care system on Wednesday as he sought to rally public support for his revamped overhaul plan. "Improper payments cost taxpayers almost $100 billion last year alone," Obama said at a rally in this St. Louis suburb.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 5:07 pm

Police: Burglar uses church equipment to view porn (AP)

AP - Second-degree burglary charges have been filed against an Ames man who broke into a church where he allegedly used the institution's electronic equipment to watch pornography. Police allege the 55-year-old man broke into the First Christian Church on Thursday. After gathering items from around the building, he is believed to have gone to the basement to spend the night.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 5:04 pm

Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks (AP)

AP - The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:57 pm

Biden scolds Israel over settlement plan (Reuters)

Reuters - Vice President Joe Biden publicly scolded Israel on Wednesday over a Jewish settlement plan, saying it was undermining peace efforts after Palestinians agreed to U.S.-mediated talks.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:50 pm

Sebelius piles pressure on insurers (Reuters)

Reuters - Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies on Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits to make coverage more affordable and to stop fighting the Obama administration's reform effort.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:48 pm

NY governor in hot water, 2nd-in-command steps up (Reuters)

Reuters - With Governor David Paterson enveloped in scandal, New York's lieutenant governor is leading the notoriously difficult budget process and freeing up his boss to fight for his political life, experts say.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:44 pm

Israel-U.S. relations tense up as Biden visits (AP)

AP - An open diplomatic row during the visit of Vice President Joe Biden has shined a spotlight on the U.S. failure to rein in Israeli settlement ambitions and deepened Palestinian suspicions that the United States is too weak to broker a deal.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:20 pm

Garciaparra rejoins Red Sox for day, then retires (AP)

AP - Nomar Garciaparra rejoined the Red Sox for one day and then retired, ending a 14-year career in which he won two batting titles with Boston and was once a beloved player in the city.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:05 pm

Church abuse scandal reaches pope's brother (AP)

AP - Church abuse scandals in Germany have reached the older brother of Pope Benedict XVI and are creeping ever closer to the pontiff himself.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:02 pm

Female WWII aviators honored with gold medal (AP)

AP - They flew planes during World War II but weren't considered "real" military pilots. No flags were draped over their coffins when they died on duty. And when their service ended, they had to pay their own bus fare home.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:02 pm

'Lost Boys' actor Corey Haim dead in Calif. at 38 (AP)

AP - Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38. Haim died early Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 4:02 pm

Swedish artist has no regrets over prophet drawing (AP)

AP - The point of a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was to show that artistic freedom allows mockery of all religions, including the most sacred symbols of Islam, the Swedish artist who created it said Wednesday.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 3:59 pm

U.S. says hikers detained in Iran call families (Reuters)

Reuters - Three American detained in Iran last year and accused of spying have been allowed to telephone their families, although formal consular access has not been granted, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 2:26 pm

Gunmen storm US charity in Pakistan killing six aid workers (AFP)

AFP - Militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the offices of a US-based Christian charity in Pakistan on Wednesday, killing six aid workers in an attack blamed on Islamist rebels.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 1:47 pm

Another runaway Toyota Prius reported (Reuters)

Reuters - Federal regulators said they were looking into a report of another runaway Toyota Prius, this one in Westchester County, New York, where police said a woman pulling out of a driveway zoomed across a busy street and into a stone wall.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 1:46 pm

Biden condemns Israel settlement move at Palestinian talks (AFP)

AFP - US Vice President Joe Biden told Palestinian leaders on Wednesday that Washington will hold accountable any side that hurts peace prospects, pointedly citing Israel's settlement expansion plans.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 1:39 pm

Iraq PM said to be ahead on eve of vote results (Reuters)

Reuters - Initial results from Iraq's national election are likely to be released by Thursday, Iraqi and U.N. officials said on Wednesday, as further signs emerged of a strong showing for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 11:56 am

Pelosi faces biggest test on healthcare vote (Reuters)

Reuters - The leader of the House of Representatives -- a persuasive arm twister and deal maker -- faces her toughest challenge yet: getting 216 votes to pass final legislation revamping the U.S. healthcare system.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 11:13 am

Brown says UK to maintain AAA credit rating (Reuters)

Reuters - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday he believed Britain would maintain its coveted top credit rating and announced a pay freeze for senior civil servants and military officers to help tame a record deficit.

Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:25 am