Investigators seek cause of New York commuter train crash
- Federal investigators on Saturday searched for the cause of a rush-hour train crash in Connecticut that injured dozens of people commuting home from New York City, three of them critically.
Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600 million
AUSTIN, Texas - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could be even higher than the record $600 million being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday.
US Airways plane makes unusual belly landing at Newark airport
NEWARK, New Jersey - A US Airways flight made an emergency landing on its belly at Newark Liberty International Airport early on Saturday after the plane's landing gear failed to deploy, but no one was injured, airline and government officials said.
Tech, labor brandish dueling studies in immigration fight
WASHINGTON - The technology industry and organized labor are locked in a fight that threatens to complicate the U.S. Senate's immigration bill.
IRS chief declines to identify employees involved in scandal
WASHINGTON - The outgoing head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service angered Republican lawmakers on Friday by resisting their demands that he identify who at the tax-collection agency had inappropriately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.
Illinois Senate approves marijuana for medical uses
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Illinois Senate on Friday voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state in the nation after California to allow the drug's use for medical purposes.
Colorado sheriffs sue to block new gun-control laws
DENVER - A group of Colorado county sheriffs, angry about two new state gun control laws passed in the wake of last year's mass shootings in Connecticut and Colorado, filed a federal lawsuit on Friday seeking to block the laws from going into effect.
Obama seeks to cut Afghan war spending by 10 percent
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday trimmed his funding request for the war in Afghanistan and other overseas operations by 10 percent, reflecting his plans to wind down the U.S. presence in that country.
Pentagon chief vows to 'fix' military's sexual assault problem
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered top military chiefs on Friday to redouble their effort to address the problem of sexual assault, saying the frequency and perceived tolerance of the crime was eroding the military's ability conduct its mission.
O.J. Simpson's ex-lawyer says "poured his soul" into Nevada trial
LAS VEGAS - An attorney who O.J. Simpson claims botched his Nevada robbery trial five years ago told a court on Friday that he poured his "blood, sweat and soul" into defending the former football hero, who he said had been badly tainted by his sensational 1990s murder case.
McCain, Biden coming together for Sedona, Arizona forum
These days Washington is not known for bipartisanship, but every now and then a breakthrough is made. It is noteworthy that Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Senator John McCain, a Republican, are appearing together at a forum in Sedona, Arizona on Friday.



