As US talks up diplomacy, NKorea takes hard line

As US talks up diplomacy, NKorea takes hard line
Close vote seen on background checks on gun buyers
1 dead, 1 missing in avalanches east of Seattle
Lawmakers pitch immigration plan with strong border control
U.S. top court weighs patentability of human genes
Some state dropping GED as test price spikes
Take the bait? NYPD anti-theft tactics criticized
Rubio says immigration law not 'amnesty'
WHO's China head: Beijing bird flu case not surprising
Gun debate revives questions about self-defense
Florida battles slimy invasion by giant snails
Once a serf, Pakistani woman enters election
How Chuck Schumer plays the congressional chessboard
‘SNL’ takes on gun control (VIDEO)
States line up in favor of federal adoption law
Attack kills Iraqi election candidate, 2 others
Furs fly as Chinese consumers drive boom in U.S. mink farming
Likely tax cheats flock South, West
Investigation into Texas prosecutor slayings quickens its pace

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 11:25 AM PDT

TOKYO (AP) — The United States and Japan opened the door Sunday to new nuclear talks with North Korea if the saber-rattling country lowered tensions and honored past agreements, even as it rejected South Korea's latest offer of dialogue as a "crafty trick."

Close vote seen on background checks on gun buyers

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 11:02 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan Senate proposal to expand background checks for gun buyers gained the backing of one Republican and the potential support of a second Sunday as sponsors said the vote expected this week was too close to call.

1 dead, 1 missing in avalanches east of Seattle

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT

SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. (AP) — A woman who had been buried in five feet of snow has died, and one man was still missing Sunday morning after a pair of spring avalanches struck separate groups hiking in the mountains each of Seattle, authorities in Washington state said.

Lawmakers pitch immigration plan with strong border control

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 11:07 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tighter border security must be one goal of immigration reform if the measure is to pass Congress, lawmakers who support the plan said on Sunday as they tried to build support for a proposal that should be outlined in coming days. The plan expected later this week envisions toughening border security to discourage new immigrants, while detailing clear steps that aspiring citizens can take if they are already in the country. ...

U.S. top court weighs patentability of human genes

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 10:04 AM PDT

By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soon after learning that his son had autism, Hollywood producer Jon Shestack ("Air Force One") tried to get researchers investigating the genetic causes of the disorder to pool their DNA samples, the better to identify genes most likely to cause that disorder. But his approach to scientists at universities across the country in the late 1990s hit a brick wall: They refused to join forces, much less share the DNA. "Each thought they needed to hold on to it to publish and patent," Shestack said in an interview. "This seemed criminal to us." The U.S. ...

Some state dropping GED as test price spikes

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 09:34 AM PDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Several dozen states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test because of concerns that a new version coming out next year is more costly and will no longer be offered in a pencil and paper format.

Take the bait? NYPD anti-theft tactics criticized

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 08:49 AM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Sometimes the bait is a small amount of cash in a stray wallet. Or a credit card. Even a pack of cigarettes can do the trick.

Rubio says immigration law not 'amnesty'

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 08:14 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio says a proposed immigration bill expected to be introduced this week won't offer amnesty to those who entered the U.S. illegally.

WHO's China head: Beijing bird flu case not surprising

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 03:42 AM PDT

A World Health Organization official said Sunday that it wasn't surprising that a new strain of bird flu had spread to China's capital after sickening dozens of people in the eastern part of the country.

Gun debate revives questions about self-defense

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 09:19 AM PDT

The beam from the intruder's flashlight pierced the blackness of the bedroom at 4:45 a.m., sweeping across the down comforter and into Eric Martin's eyes. Outside, the streets of his Utah subdivision lay still and silent.

Florida battles slimy invasion by giant snails

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 10:50 AM PDT

By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - South Florida is fighting a growing infestation of one of the world's most destructive invasive species: the giant African land snail, which can grow as big as a rat and gnaw through stucco and plaster. More than 1,000 of the mollusks are being caught each week in Miami-Dade and 117,000 in total since the first snail was spotted by a homeowner in September 2011, said Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. ...

Once a serf, Pakistani woman enters election

Posted: 13 Apr 2013 09:12 PM PDT

Veero Kolhi is the first candidate to have escaped the thrall of a feudal-style land owner.

How Chuck Schumer plays the congressional chessboard

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 07:09 AM PDT

In the run-up to the November elections, Chuck Schumer worked tirelessly in attacking Republicans, from congressional conservatives to GOP frontman Mitt Romney. Since then, New York's senior Democratic senator has clocked more hours negotiating with his Republican colleagues than anyone else on his side of the aisle.

‘SNL’ takes on gun control (VIDEO)

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 06:24 AM PDT

"Saturday Night Live" devoted its cold-opening sketch to the gun control debate on Saturday, skewering the Senate's hard work on the legislation. "The Senate voted 68 to 31 to begin debating the idea of discussing gun control," President Barack Obama, played by Jay Pharaoh, said. "Let me say that again. They'd agreed to begin thinking [...]

States line up in favor of federal adoption law

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 07:49 AM PDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear an emotional family challenge to longstanding federal law on the adoption of Native American children, with several states, tribes and children's welfare groups lining up to support the current rules.

Attack kills Iraqi election candidate, 2 others

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 06:08 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say a roadside bomb explosion followed by a gunbattle north of Baghdad killed three people, including a Sunni candidate running in the upcoming provincial elections.

Furs fly as Chinese consumers drive boom in U.S. mink farming

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 04:19 AM PDT

Battered by the economic downturn and years of animal rights activism in their own backyard, American mink farmers are now in a different sort of quandary ...

Likely tax cheats flock South, West

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 07:02 AM PDT

Worried the Internal Revenue Service might target you for an audit? You probably should be if you own a small business in one of the wealthy suburbs of Los Angeles.

Investigation into Texas prosecutor slayings quickens its pace

Posted: 14 Apr 2013 08:53 AM PDT

(Reuters) - The investigation into the shooting deaths of two Texas prosecutors continued on Sunday, following the arrest of a former justice of the peace whose home was searched during a probe into the slayings. Residents of Kaufman, Texas, and local media have been buzzing over the arrest of Eric L. Williams, 46, who was booked into jail on Saturday on a charge of making a "terroristic" threat, which generally involves a threat to commit violence. ...