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HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A rapist who was on parole when prosecutors say he murdered a neighbor because he wanted the man's Harley Davidson motorcycle was hoping for a last-minute reprieve Wednesday, hours before his scheduled execution....

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A rapist who was on parole when prosecutors say he murdered a neighbor because he wanted the man's Harley Davidson motorcycle was hoping for a last-minute reprieve Wednesday, hours before his scheduled execution....

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey mother accused of causing skin burns to her young daughter by taking her into a tanning booth pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a child endangerment charge, and the tanning salon's owner appeared to corroborate her story....

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- An academic year that no Penn State senior was prepared for comes to a close this week when the university holds graduation ceremonies....

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- The judge overseeing the John Edwards campaign corruption trial sent the jury home Wednesday after eight days of talks without a verdict and released the four alternate jurors, who have garnered attention for their matching shirts but have not participated in the deliberations....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is expanding E. coli testing in some raw meat, a move expected to prevent more people from contracting the bacteria that can cause severe illness or death....

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Newt Gingrich, the colorful former House speaker and fiery partisan, formally exited the Republican presidential contest Wednesday and vowed to help Mitt Romney's bid to defeat President Barack Obama....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- An appeals court on Wednesday tossed out a convicted terrorist's lawsuit accusing a high-ranking Bush administration lawyer who wrote the so-called "torture memos" of authorizing illegally harsh treatment of "enemy combatants."...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- The first commercial cargo run to the International Space Station has been delayed again for more software testing....

ATLANTA (AP) -- While a black preacher told about 100 immigration protesters that incarcerated blacks and detained immigrants faced similar challenges, Jesse Morgan stood to one side of the May Day demonstrators, holding a large sign that read "Radical Queers Resist."...

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A woman whose own skin is deeply bronze-colored from regular visits to a tanning salon has been accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth in violation of state law, burning the girl's skin....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- About 15 million premature babies are born every year - more than 1 in 10 of the world's births and a bigger problem than previously believed, according to the first country-by-country estimates of this obstetric epidemic....

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- An aide who traveled with John Edwards testified Wednesday about the former presidential candidate's first meeting with a key donor whose money was eventually used to hide his mistress, describing how the donor soon became fond of Edwards....

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Republican Missouri House member has publicly announced he's gay and is calling on GOP leaders to end legislation that would limit discussion of sexual orientation in public schools....

DETROIT (AP) -- Unions angry that Detroit is trying to mend its financially-battered books by laying off hundreds of workers and imposing steep contract concessions on those who remain are considering an illegal strike....

ATLANTA (AP) -- While a black preacher told about 100 immigration protesters that incarcerated blacks and detained immigrants faced similar challenges, Jesse Morgan stood to one side of the May Day demonstrators, holding a large sign that read "Radical Queers Resist."...

ATLANTA (AP) -- An organ donation group says more than 100,000 people used a new Facebook feature the first day to declare they are donors....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government plans to speed up the process for testing E. coli in meat, a move that will help authorities more quickly track the source of the deadly bacteria and hasten recalls....

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- An American yacht destroyed while racing from California to Mexico ended up on the rocky shore of an island just past the border, according to a website that tracks boats by GPS, potentially undercutting the theory that it was crushed by a large ship....

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Thousands of protesters in New York demanded an end to income inequality and housing foreclosures. Police fired tear gas to disperse marchers in Oakland, Calif. And black-clad demonstrators smashed windows in Seattle and occupied a building owned by the Catholic archdiocese in San Francisco....