JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has advanced the process of building 942 more settler homes in east Jerusalem under a new fast-track plan to tighten its grip on the territory, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state.
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. holiday retail sales this year grew at the weakest pace since 2008, when the nation was in a deep recession. In 2012, the shopping season was disrupted by bad weather and consumers' rising uncertainty about the economy.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Christmas Day twister outbreak left behind damage from Louisiana to Alabama while holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled sometimes treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Northern California received more rain and snow on Christmas Day, as the third storm system in a handful of days moved through the region.
WASHINGTON (AP) - New taxes are coming Jan. 1 to help finance President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Most people may not notice. But they will pay attention if Congress decides to start taxing employer-sponsored health insurance, one option in play if lawmakers can ever agree on a budget deal to reduce federal deficits.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gary Ramey and his adult daughter traveled 2,500 miles to hunt California bears with hounds last month, eager to take part in what he calls a time-honored tradition.
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) - Newtown celebrated Christmas amid piles of snow-covered teddy bears, long lines of stockings and heaps of flowers as volunteers manned a 24-hour candlelight vigil in memory of the 20 children and six educators gunned down at an elementary school just 11 days before the holiday.
BOSTON (AP) - Ben Affleck is taking his name off the list of possible candidates for U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat, which would be open if the Democratic senator from Massachusetts is confirmed as secretary of state.
Those hoping to spend the holiday watching streaming video from Netflix can now get back in front of their TVs, tablets and PCs after a Christmas Eve outage.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Freezing rain and sleet made for a sloppy Christmas morning trek in parts of the nation's midsection on Tuesday, while residents along the Gulf Coast braced for thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI wished Christmas peace to the world Tuesday, decrying the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria, urging Israelis and Palestinians to find the courage to negotiate and encouraging China's new leaders to allow more religious freedom.
NORWALK, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say a 55-year-old man was set on fire as he slept outside a donut shop in southern Los Angeles County.
NEW YORK (AP) - What a couple of mugs, sporting less-than-perfect physiques in the bargain.
WEBSTER, N.Y. (AP) - Police In Webster, N.Y., say the man who lured firefighters to their deaths in a blaze of gunfire left a typewritten note saying he wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people."
LOS ANGELES (AP) - After nearly 30 years of friendship and shared tastes in movies, music and comedy, Billy Crystal and Bette Midler have finally taken it to the next level: They did a film together.
The California Highway Patrol reopened Interstate 5 through the Grapevine early today after the pass was shut down due to overnight snow.
WASHINGTON (AP) - It took 5½ years.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A gunman killed a man, opened fire on police and holed himself up in a Watts home with three children inside before shooting himself, police said Friday.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican said Friday the conclave to elect a new pope will likely start in the first few days of next week, signaling that cardinals are coming to an end of discussions about the state of the church and who best among them might lead it.
BOSTON (AP) - A slow-moving storm centered far out in the Atlantic Ocean dropped more than a foot of snow on parts of New England, caused coastal flooding in Massachusetts and turned the morning commute in the region into a slushy crawl.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - It was the place where former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords last spoke and walked without limitations; where Emily Nottingham's son became the first Congressional aide to die in the line of duty; where a 9-year-old girl was gunned down while waiting to shake hands with a politician.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - She was an adventurer, a traveler who loved her small beach town and spent weekends enjoying its parks and beaches with her partner and two young boys.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A burst of hiring last month added 236,000 U.S. jobs and reduced the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. The strong job growth showed that employers are confident about the economy despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - An alleged drug trafficker was extradited from Mexico on Thursday to face charges in San Diego that he oversaw efforts to bring methamphetamine to the U.S., authorities said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A scout camp ranger says he's entitled to the $1.2 million reward for giving information leading authorities to surround ex-LA cop Christopher Dorner before he killed himself in a Big Bear cabin.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kelly Osbourne was hospitalized Thursday after fainting on the set of the E! network's "Fashion Police."
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - California's controller has issued a report accusing the bankrupt city of San Bernardino of failing to transfer more than $500 million in redevelopment funds.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - When Los Angeles residents flush their toilets, they could soon be helping fertilize crops in Kings County.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State lawmakers gave initial approval Thursday to a pair of bills that would expand Medicaid to more than 1 million low-income Californians, a critical step to implementing federal health care reforms.
CHICAGO (AP) - After years of clashing over the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the oil industry and environmentalists have achieved something extraordinary in Illinois: They sat down together to draft regulations both sides could live with.