Former Galleon Trader Handed 5-1/2-year Sentence

NEW YORK - A former trader at the Galleon Group hedge fund was sentenced on Wednesday to five-and-a-half years in prison, a term the judge said should serve as a warning to Wall Street that insider trading was a serious crime.

Law Professor Liu Confirmed For California High Court

SAN FRANCISCO - Goodwin Liu, a University of California law professor whose confirmation to a federal appeals court was blocked in the U.S. Senate, was confirmed on Wednesday to serve as a justice on California's top court.

Colorado Logger Says Cut Off Toes To Free Himself

DENVER - A western Colorado logger said on Wednesday that he amputated all the toes on his right foot with a pocket knife to free himself after a 7-ton trailer landed on his foot, trapping him in an isolated forest.

California Bill To Fund College For Illegal Immigrants Advances

LOS ANGELES - A California bill dubbed the state's "Dream Act" that would allow illegal immigrants to receive public funds for college education was approved on Wednesday by the state Senate.

U.S. Quake Rattled Nuclear Plant's Waste Casks: Report

WASHINGTON - The earthquake that shook the U.S. East Coast last week rattled huge, heavy casks holding radioactive nuclear waste at a Virginia plant, moving them as much as 4.5 inches from their original position, the plant's operator has said.

Judge Blocks NM Governor On Immigrant Driver Licenses

SANTA FE, New Mexico - A New Mexico judge on Wednesday blocked a move by the state's Republican governor to make it harder for illegal immigrants to keep driver's licenses in the state.

Upstate New York Surveys Damage, Worries About Local Economy

KEENE, New York - Residents of normally picturesque upstate New York towns struggled on Wednesday to dig out from devastation left by Hurricane Irene, which destroyed homes, cut off roads and threatened the local economy.

President Obama Offers Disaster Aid To New Jersey

LITTLE FALLS, New Jersey - New Jersey residents struggled with flooded homes, blocked roads and power outages on Wednesday as rivers and creeks overflowed following Hurricane Irene, and some areas were declared disaster zones.

Wildfires Again Rage Through Texas And Oklahoma

DALLAS - Wildfires raged through Texas and Oklahoma again on Wednesday, threatening homes and buildings and charring thousands of acres of parched, dry land.

Waters Recede But Storm Victims Suffer In East

PATERSON, N.J./BRATTLEBORO, Vermont - Floodwaters finally started to recede from areas of the U.S. northeast devastated by Hurricane Irene but many communities were still under water on Wednesday as relief workers battled cut-off roads and raging rivers to deliver emergency supplies.

Katia Speeds Up In Atlantic, Not Clear If Threat To U.S.

MIAMI - The East Coast is mopping up after Hurricane Irene's weekend battering that killed around 40 people and authorities and residents are looking out anxiously over the Atlantic and asking: Is another one coming?

Judge Blocks Parts Of Texas Abortion Law On Sonograms

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A federal judge temporarily blocked key provisions of a Texas abortion law on Tuesday that would require women seeking the procedure to view a sonogram and listen to the heartbeat of their fetus.

Irene Damage In North Carolina At Least $71 Million

RALEIGH/WILMINGTON, North Carolina - Hurricane Irene destroyed or severely damaged at least 1,100 homes and caused more than $71 million in damage in North Carolina's seven hardest-hit counties, Governor Beverly Perdue said on Tuesday.

Polygamist Leader Sedated, Responsive In Hospital

SAN ANTONIO - Jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, serving a life sentence for raping two child brides, was under sedation but still conscious in a Texas hospital on Tuesday, prison officials said.

Federal Agency Accuses American Samoa Of Age Bias

LOS ANGELES - The government of American Samoa was accused of discriminating against older workers, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by a federal agency.

Record-breaking River Flooding Swamps New Jersey

PATERSON, New Jersey - Swollen rivers submerged stretches of northern New Jersey on Tuesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, damaging homes, flooding roads and stranding residents, hundreds of thousands of whom had no power.

Some U.S. Firms Paid More To CEOs Than Taxes: Study

WASHINGTON - Twenty-five of the 100 highest paid U.S. CEOs earned more last year than their companies paid in federal income tax, a pay study said on Wednesday.

Oklahoma City Fire Sends Horses, People Fleeing

OKLAHOMA CITY - A wildfire in a wooded area of Oklahoma City forced hundreds of homes to be evacuated on Tuesday, destroying some and causing panicked horse owners to let their livestock loose, residents and a fire official said.

Airlifts, Water Rescues In Wake Of Hurricane Irene

PATERSON, New Jersey - Emergency workers plucked dozens of residents from doorways and windows as Hurricane Irene's floodwaters rose on Tuesday, swallowing homes, submerging cars and turning the streets of this working class town into lakes.

AT&T Vows To Bring Back 5,000 U.S. Jobs If Merger Approved

LOS ANGELES - Telecommunications giant AT&T Inc, whose proposed buy of T-Mobile USA is under scrutiny by U.S. regulators, promised to bring 5,000 wireless call-center jobs back to the United States if the deal wins approval.