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WASHINGTON – The White House said Friday that the United States is the world leader on human rights, despite outrage in Europe over reports of secret CIA prisons where terrorism detainees may have been mistreated. The administration has refused to address the question of whether it operated secret sites that …

SEATTLE – Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Friday it has severed ties with Ralph Reed (search), a conservative Republican lobbyist who once headed the Christian Coalition and is now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia. “It would not be appropriate to have a consultant on retainer that is seeking elective office …

Washington, D.C.—The American people spoke loud and clear on Tuesday and the so-called mainstream media still haven’t heard them. With nearly 60 million, President Bush received more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. It is a clear mandate for a popular president to continue defending this country from …

Hypertension may be redefined — again. At a recent meeting of hypertension experts, doctors proposed a new definition of hypertension, taking the emphasis away from the blood pressure numbers and placing it on a person’s overall risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s not that your doctor won’t take your …

Looking to score a rock … and while you’re at it, a husband? John Molloy, who interviewed 2,500 couples of all ages and backgrounds for his book, “Why Men Marry Some Women and Not Others,” (search) said the only way to get a guy down on one knee is to …

DECATUR, Ga. – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (search) told Agnes Scott College (search) graduates that all women must “decide what we want to do and how we will contribute.” “There has never been a time in human history where it has been better to be a young woman alive and …

WASHINGTON – The Homeland Security Department is considering whether it should seek authority for its pilots to shoot down errant planes around the nation’s capital like the one that came within three miles of the White House this month, according to an internal agency memo obtained by The Associated Press. …

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Pentagon (search) analyst previously accused of leaking top-secret information to a pro-Israel group was charged Tuesday with illegally taking classified government documents out of the Washington area to his West Virginia residence. Lawrence A. Franklin (search), 58, was not authorized to take such documents to his …

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Former child star Macaulay Culkin (search) took the witness stand Wednesday to testify for the defense in Michael Jackson’s (search) child molestation trial, blasting allegations that he was once molested by the pop star as “ridiculous.” Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked Culkin, now 24, what …

CAPE COD, Mass. – Boy Scout Dylan DeSilva (search) was looking for a way to help Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan be prepared. So the 12-year-old from Cape Cod started small by saving his allowance to buy items such as bug spray, tissues, sunscreen and potato chips. His parents …