More women having fewer kids
More women in their early 40s are childless, and those who are having children are having fewer than ever before, the Census Bureau reports.

Richards, Jones blow leads on track

Day 11 roundup: It was theirs to lose, and they did. Sanya Richards led in the stretch but was outrun to the finish in the 400 meters, Lolo Jones clipped the ninth of 10 barriers in the 100-meter hurdles Tuesday night — and just like that, two of America's top runners let Olympic gold medals slip away.

Credit squeeze hits college students
With the price of some top-priced colleges and universities north of $50,000 a year and lenders cutting back on student loans, financing a college education is getting harder.

Ten French soldiers die in Afghan fight

Taliban insurgents killed 10 French soldiers in a major battle east of the Afghan capital, the French president's office said on Tuesday, the biggest single loss of foreign troops in combat since 2001.

Veep speculation at fever pitch

American voters should know this week who will join Barack Obama as No. 2 on the Democratic presidential ballot.

NATO resists U.S. push on Russia

NATO pulled its punches against Russia on Tuesday, suspending formal contacts as punishment for the Georgia invasion but bucking U.S. pressure for more severe penalties.

NYT: Ethics worries dampen convention fun
Republican and Democratic convention party planners are scrambling to comply with new sweeping ethics rules that prohibit lobbyists from paying for gifts for members of Congress and their staffs. Corporations and convention party planners are scrambling to comply with sweeping ethics rules in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 that prohibit lobbyists from paying for gifts, including meals and music, for members of Congress and their staffs.

FBI tossed anthrax type used in attacks
Months after the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings, FBI scientists had — but destroyed — the unique strain of the bacteria used in the attacks that years later would lead them to Dr. Bruce Ivins, now the government's top suspect.

Snatched cigarette catches killer
A convicted rapist admitted to a 1998 murder and was sentenced to a long prison term Monday as another man once blamed for the crime called him a coward who ruined lives.

Hikers located after Grand Canyon flood

Authorities said Tuesday they have accounted for 11 hikers who were missing after flooding struck a remote part of the Grand Canyon.