Republicans Insert Healthcare Into Student Loan Fight

WASHINGTON - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives defied a veto threat by President Barack Obama on Friday and voted to take money from his healthcare overhaul to extend low-interest rates for federal student loans.

Campaign Treasurer For NYC Comptroller Indicted

- The 25-year-old campaign treasurer for New York City Comptroller John Liu has been indicted for making a false statement to federal officials, according to a court filing, further weakening Liu's bid to become mayor in 2013.

Former U.S. Presidential Hopeful Edwards' Defense Says Aide Lied

GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Former U.S. Senator and presidential contender John Edwards' defense sharpened its attack on the government's lead witness on Friday, saying his ego and greed motivated him to take his former boss down in a federal campaign finance case.

Bomb-complex Search Urged Over Huawei, ZTE Fear

WASHINGTON - A congressional panel has approved a measure designed to search and clear the U.S. nuclear-weapons complex of technology produced by Chinese telecommunications companies that have been accused of working closely with China's government and military.

Police Say Found Bunker Of Man Accused Of Killing Family

SEATTLE - Authorities have found a bunker in mountains near Seattle that they believe belongs to a missing survivalist suspected of murdering his wife and daughter and setting fire to the family home in northwest Washington state, police said on Friday.

FBI Assisting In Search For California Woman Last Seen In Panama

IRVINE, California - The FBI is assisting Panamanian authorities in the search for a Southern California woman who went missing from the Central American country in November, a spokesman for the agency said on Friday.

U.S. Secret Service Limits Alcohol, Hotel Guests On Trips Abroad

WASHINGTON - Heavy drinking and bringing foreign nationals back to hotel rooms on trips abroad is now banned by the U.S. Secret Service in the wake of a growing scandal over allegations that agents consorted with prostitutes in Colombia this month.

Dolphin Stuck In California Wetlands Draws A Crowd

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California - A dolphin who took a wrong turn from the Pacific Ocean into a Southern California wetlands became an unwitting star on Friday when scores of motorists on a nearby busy highway stopped to watch it swim in circles.

New York Prosecutors Probe Law Firm Dewey & LeBoeuf

NEW YORK - New York prosecutors are looking into allegations of wrongdoing by a key leader of the troubled law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, according to an email sent by firm management to partners on Friday.

Boeing Debuts First 787 Dreamliner Made In South Carolina

CHARLESTON, South Carolina - Boeing Co on Friday unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner made in its new South Carolina assembly plant, a factory at the center of a bitter labor dispute last year and the site of a recent manufacturing glitch that threatened to disrupt the 787 production rate target.

Rash On Passenger Causes Quarantine Of Plane In Chicago

CHICAGO - Passengers and crew were held for more than two hours on an airplane at Chicago's Midway Airport on Thursday while a passenger with a rash was checked out for a possible infectious disease, but none was found, authorities said.

"Joke" To "Hijack Plane, Kill Obama" Gets Utah Man In Trouble

SALT LAKE CITY - A purported practical joke on a colleague that threatened a plane hijacking and the assassination of President Barack Obama has landed a Utah man in trouble with federal authorities.

Accused 'kingpin Of Cockfighting' Arrested In Texas

EDINBURG, Texas - Deputies arrested a purported "kingpin of cockfighting" who they said profited off a Texas cockfighting ring that was the scene of an ambush last week where masked gunmen killed three men and wounded eight others, the local sheriff said on Thursday.

Trayvon Martin's Killer Raises More Than $200,000 For Defense

- George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who is accused of murder in the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has raised at least $200,000 through a website set up to fund his defense, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Bird Strikes On Airliners Targeted In Congress, At Airports

NEW YORK - Never mind unruly passengers, baggage fees and wind shear. The real scourges of air traffic these days are black-bellied plovers, herring gulls and yellow-bellied sapsuckers, aviation experts say.

Kentucky Judge Orders State To Consider Single-drug Executions

LOUISVILLE, Ky - A Kentucky judge ordered state officials to consider using a single drug to carry out executions instead of a series of three drugs used by many states where the death penalty is legal.

Philadelphia Transit Workers Hit $172.7 Million Jackpot

PHILADELPHIA - Cheers and songs broke out at the Philadelphia's transit agency offices on Thursday when 48 employees learned they had literally hit the jackpot - the $172.7 million Powerball lottery prize.

ACLU Sues Over Border Patrol Stops In Pacific Northwest

SEATTLE - The Border Patrol is unjustifiably stopping people based on their skin color in Washington state's Olympic Peninsula, just across the water from Canada, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a lawsuit filed on Thursday.

U.S. On Guard For Attacks Ahead Of Bin Laden Anniversary

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has reviewed potential threats to the United States before next week's anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, but there is no concrete evidence al Qaeda is plotting any revenge attacks, the White House said on Thursday.

Insight: Falling Home Prices Drag New Buyers Under Water

- More than 1 million Americans who have taken out mortgages in the past two years now owe more on their loans than their homes are worth, and Federal Housing Administration loans that require only a tiny down payment are partly to blame.