NORMAN, Okla. – One person was killed in an explosion near a packed football stadium at the University of Oklahoma (search) on Saturday night in what authorities said appeared to be a suicide. The blast, in a traffic circle about 100 yards from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (search), could be heard …

WASHINGTON – Election officials decided Thursday to stand by a rule allowing the president and members of Congress to attend state party fundraisers where “soft money” (search) is raised, even though they cannot raise the big donations for themselves. A judge last September ordered the Federal Election Commission to either …

NEW YORK – Blue chips rose on Tuesday as a jump in quarterly profit from electronics chain Best Buy boosted retailer stocks and offset an unexpected decline in retail sales. The Dow Jones industrial average (search) closed up 25.01 points, or 0.24 percent, at 10,547.57. The Standard & Poor’s 500 …

VIENNA, Austria – The U.N. atomic watchdog agency on Thursday approved a deal that exempts Saudi Arabia (search) from nuclear inspections, despite having misgivings that in an era of heightened proliferation fears the arrangement should no longer be applied. Although the Saudis resisted Western pressure to compromise and allow some …

WASHINGTON – Not only should consumers show their patriotism by buying products made in the U.S.A., but the federal government’s defense and homeland security agencies should too, say some lawmakers hoping to force compliance through legislation. But opponents say that requirement would hamper U.S. agencies from acquiring the best parts …

LOS ANGELES – Cedric the Entertainer (search) never watched “The Honeymooners (search)” while growing up, so to prepare for his role as Ralph Kramden in the movie version of the classic TV show, he did his homework by watching all the old episodes on DVD. “The Honeymooners” movie is an …

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A court appearance comes today for the two people accused of planting a finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. Anna Ayala (search) and Jaime Placencia (search) are scheduled to enter pleas in a California courtroom on conspiracy and other charges. The two are accused of …

DETROIT – Almost every automaker made significant strides in vehicle dependability in a new survey, but General Motors Corp. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F) and Toyota Motor Co. (search) were among the top performers, J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday. The closely watched survey, which has been published since the …

NEW YORK – It’s been more than 30 years since Bob Woodward (search) and Carl Bernstein (search) broke the Watergate scandal that brought down an American president. Many media analysts say a story like Watergate, in which the two enterprising Washington Post reports relied on “Deep Throat” as an essential …

DALLAS – Reacting to the Defense Department’s preliminary decision to close 33 major military bases and downsize 29 others, communities across the country are spending the next four weeks lobbying the Pentagon to change the list. Fairbanks, Alaska, had its regional hearing last week. Dallas is scheduled for this week. …