WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. John McCain said Friday he supports the U.S. mission in Iraq days after faulting the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing it would be “some kind of day at the beach.” The potential 2008 presidential candidate and staunch war supporter issued a statement explaining his …

WASHINGTON – The CIA says it has provided short summaries of Vice President Dick Cheney’s daily security briefings to defense attorneys for his indicted former chief of staff. The documents, which were provided in response to a March court order, summarize a wide range of national security issues that consumed …

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Friday that U.S. backing of Israel is responsible for flaming tensions in the Middle East and putting the world on course toward another “Holocaust.” “The fundamental blame falls again on the U.S. empire. It’s the empire that armed and supported the abuses …

SAN DIEGO – Ever curious about how far some executives will go to cheat investors? A lawsuit filed in June in U.S. District Court in New York by the liquidating trust for AremisSoft against the big British bank, Lloyds, tells a tale that should be a reminder of how elaborate …

PARIS – Al Qaeda has for the first time announced a union with an Algerian insurgent group that has designated France as an enemy, saying they will act together against French and American interests. Current and former French officials specializing in terrorism said Thursday that an Al Qaeda alliance with …

NEW YORK – Katie Couric began her first night as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” on Tuesday by standing in front of a video board displaying a fast-moving rundown of stories ranging from the Taliban to Suri Cruise. “Hi, everyone,” she said. “I’m very happy to be with you …

ALBEQUERQUE – Democrat Patricia Madrid, defeated by incumbent Republican Heather Wilson in the 1st Congressional District, conceded Tuesday, two weeks after the midterm election. Wilson had declared victory more than a week ago, but Madrid waited until after Monday’s Bernalillo County canvass to concede. The canvass gave Wilson a 875-vote …

CHICAGO – Connections engineered more than a century ago between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed should be changed to block the advance of invasive species that can cause irreversible damage, an environmental advocacy group says. Separating the two basins is the only way to stop the transfer …

An amateur soccer player who hoped to play the sport professionally was charged Tuesday with the stabbing death of a teen model who posed for Playboy and Cosmopolitan magazine, the Press Association reported. Ricardo Morrison, 21, did not speak during a hearing Tuesday at the Bolton Magistrates’ Court, where he …

SARASOTA, Fla. – Spitting is now OK in Sarasota. City commissioners voted Monday to abolish a law dating back to 1908 that banned spitting. They argued the law was unenforceable. Lawyers said it was used to target those in lower income neighborhoods. But for the past century it was illegal. …