WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran and Syria on Wednesday of instigating Muslim protests triggered by drawings of the Prophet Muhammad, and President Bush pleaded for an end to violence. “I have no doubt that Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments …

McKINNEY, Texas – Jurors in the murder trial of a woman accused of cutting off her baby’s arms deliberated for a third Friday, even asking the judge to define “deliberation.” The jury had deliberated for two days in the trial of Dena Schlosser, 37, before sending a note to State …

RICHFORD, Vt. – Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has left a hospital after he collapsed today while attending the funeral for a Vermont National Guardsman. Sanders collapsed Sunday at the funeral of Sgt. Joshua Johnson, who was killed last month in Iraq. Sanders left during the funeral in the Richford High …

VIENNA, Austria – Iran’s top nuclear official held last-minute talks with senior International Atomic Energy Agency officials on Wednesday. Gholamreza Aghazadeh had been scheduled to meet with Olli Heinonen, a deputy IAEA director general in charge of Tehran’s nuclear file, but a diplomat familiar with the meeting later said IAEA …

WASHINGTON – Today’s cold, dry climate on Mars evolved about 3.5 billion years ago, ending a period when that planet had seen moist conditions, research indicates. An international team of scientists developed a timeline for Mars’ geological evolution, reporting in Friday’s issue of the journal Science that the planet had …

Gas prices and mortgage rates could be the winner Democrats have been looking for these last six years. Bush administration economists are right to say the usual signs point to a strong economy that people ought to be happy about. But if they don’t recognize everyday truths, the vibrant economy …

DALLAS – Howard Stern’s getting a new neighbor in his extraterrestrial neighborhood. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is getting his own midday Sunday talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio starting this summer. The Dallas billionaire will air on Sirius Stars channel 102, right next to Stern’s two Sirius channels. The …

The following is the full text of a statement released by the White House by President Bush in support of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: Bush: Earlier today I spoke with Don Rumsfeld about ongoing military operations in the Global War on Terror. I reiterated my strong support for his leadership …

SAN FRANCISCO – President Bush has issued an unusual waiver that will allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accept state money for critical levee repairs, a senior Bush administration official said Friday. In a meeting planned Friday afternoon in San Jose with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bush did not …

WASHINGTON – Health officials said Monday they have ruled out the abortion pill RU-486 in one of two deaths in women who had taken the drug. The second remains under investigation. The one death was unrelated to either abortion or use of the pill, the Food and Drug Administration said. …