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  CBO: Senate Immigration bill would help economy

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping immigration legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, at the same time it would bestow legal status on an estimated 8 million immigrants living in the United States unlwfully.

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  US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war

  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police.

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  10 Things to Know for Wednesday

  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

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  House passes far-reaching anti-abortion bill

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House on Tuesday passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that conservatives saw as a milestone in their 40-year campaign against legalized abortion and Democrats characterized as yet another example of a GOP war on women.

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  Military plans would put women in most combat jobs

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring "the days of Rambo are over," a top general said Tuesday that cultural, social and behavioral concerns may be bigger hurdles than tough physical fitness requirements for women looking to join the military's special operations units.

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  3 charged with enslaving disabled Ohio mom, child

  ASHLAND, Ohio (AP) — A mentally disabled woman charged with shoplifting a candy bar asked to be jailed because three people "had been mean to her" — then went on to tell authorities about her time spent in unfathomably cruel servitude, along with her young daughter, at the hands of three people, auhorities said Tuesday.

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  Award-winning journalist Michael Hastings dies

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings, whose unflinching reporting ended the career of a top American army general, died early Tuesday in a car accident in Los Angeles, his employer and family said.

• Selma Blair abruptly exits 'Anger Management'

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Selma Blair is making a sudden exit from the Charlie Sheen sitcom "Anger Management."

• Spurs and Heat tied at 95 to OT in Game 6

  MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James shrugged off a poor start to get 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to play that helped put Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs into overtime tied at 95 on Tuesday night.

• Police visit home of Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez

  NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — State and local police spent hours at the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday night as another group of officers searched an industrial park about a mile away where a body was discovered the day before.

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  Chef describes kids' grief over Jackson's death

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's personal chef described for jurors the home lives of the children during the final months of the singer's life and their ongoing grief over their father's death nearly four years ago.

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  NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying.

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  Award-winning journalist Michael Hastings dies

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings, whose unflinching reporting ended the career of a top American army general, died early Tuesday in a car accident in Los Angeles, his employer and family said.

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  Hoffa mystery still fascinates after 4 decades

  OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The latest possible resting place of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is an overgrown farm field where the normal calm of chirping crickets is being drowned out by a beeping backhoe, the chop of an overhead news helicopter and the bustle of reporters and onlookers.

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  Search for Hoffa mystery endures for decades

  Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance almost 40 years ago has been the stuff of urban legend, prompting numerous theories about what happened to the former Teamsters leader.

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  FBI digging at former home of famed NY mobster

  NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents with jackhammers and shovels were digging Tuesday under a New York City house once occupied by a famed gangster who inspired Robert De Niro's character in the movie "Goodfellas."

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  18 mayors: Limit use of food stamps to buy soda

  NEW YORK (AP) — The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 15 other cities are reviving a push against letting food stamps be used to buy soda and other sugary drinks.

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  Oklahoma executes inmate for couple's 2000 deaths

  McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a 36-year-old man on Tuesday for taking part in the brutal killing of a ranching couple 13 years ago.

• Rural lawmakers push for farm bill votes in House

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Farm-state lawmakers are scrambling to win bipartisan support for a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill on the House floor this week.

• Tropical depression heads toward southern Mexico

  MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters say a tropical depression is dumping heavy rains on Central America and could be near tropical storm-strength when it reaches the eastern coast of Mexico.

More

• 
  US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war

  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police.

• A look at US-Taliban relations

  Word that the Taliban and U.S. will hold formal talks to find a political solution to end nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan comes after years of failed efforts at peace talks. A look at the evolution of U.S. relations with the Taliban:

• Australian jailed for life for rape, murder

  MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A serial sex offender was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for raping and murdering an Irish immigrant while free on parole after previous convictions for raping five women.

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  AP EXCLUSIVE: US war games send signal to Assad

  ZARQA, Jordan (AP) — Under the watchful eye of stern-faced American advisers, hundreds of U.S.-trained Jordanian commandos fanned across this dusty desert plain, holding war games that could eventually form the basis of an assault in Syria.

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  Cuban dissident: Repression forced family to flee

  MIAMI (AP) — One of several Cuban dissidents recently allowed to visit Europe and the U.S. after Cuba changed its travel laws said Tuesday she decided to seek refuge in Miami after facing continued repression on the island.

More

• 
  CBO: Senate Immigration bill would help economy

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping immigration legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, at the same time it would bestow legal status on an estimated 8 million immigrants living in the United States unlwfully.

• 
  Military plans would put women in most combat jobs

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring "the days of Rambo are over," a top general said Tuesday that cultural, social and behavioral concerns may be bigger hurdles than tough physical fitness requirements for women looking to join the military's special operations units.

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  Medicare: Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar — but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system.

• AP sources: 4 US troops killed in Afghanistan

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense officials say four U.S. troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

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  NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying.

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  Google asks FISA court to lift gag order

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the federal government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a First Amendment right to divulge how many requests it receives from the government for data about its customers in the name of national securty.

• Rural lawmakers push for farm bill votes in House

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Farm-state lawmakers are scrambling to win bipartisan support for a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill on the House floor this week.

• Obama opens 24-hour trip to Germany

  BERLIN (AP) — President Barack Obama is opening a 24-hour visit to Germany, the culmination of which will be a speech Wednesday at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate.

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  Civil rights groups sue NYPD over Muslim spying

  NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department's widespread spying programs directed at Muslims have undermined free worship by innocent people and should be declared unconstitutional, religious leaders and civil rights advocates said Tuesday after the filing of a federal lawsuit.

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  Obama's influence, limitations on display at G-8

  BERLIN (AP) — Now a veteran of the international summit scene, President Barack Obama wielded significant influence over the agenda at this week's Group of Eight meetings, but had only modest success in achieving the results he sought.

More

• 
  18 mayors: Limit use of food stamps to buy soda

  NEW YORK (AP) — The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 15 other cities are reviving a push against letting food stamps be used to buy soda and other sugary drinks.

• Gender report of Shah Rukh Khan baby investigated

  NEW DELHI (AP) — Health officials in Mumbai are investigating reports that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his wife know the sex of a baby they are having through a surrogate mother.

• Study: Doctors often on board to help sick fliers

  Is there a doctor on board? Surprisingly often, there is — in half of in-flight medical emergencies — and sick airline passengers almost always survive, a new study finds.

• HHS chiefs seeks review of lung transplant policy

  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is calling for a review of policies affecting patients needing lung transplants as a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl whose parents say she's been denied the life-saving surgery because of her age remains hospitalized on a vetilator.

• Feds tell NY judge they'll comply with order letting girls of any age buy morning-after pill

  NEW YORK (AP) — Feds tell NY judge they'll comply with order letting girls of any age buy morning-after pill.

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  Cancer Society hits 100 as US cancer rate falls

  NEW YORK (AP) — The American Cancer Society — one of the nation's best known and influential health advocacy groups — is 100 years old this week.

• Teen birth rates decline in most US states

  The U.S. teen birth rate fell 25 percent over five years to a record low of 31 births per 1,000 teens ages 15 to 19, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Nevada ACLU backing suit against 'patient dumping'

  LAS VEGAS (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is joining a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging what it calls Nevada's policy of sending state psychiatric hospital patients to cities outside the state.

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  Komen breast cancer charity names new CEO

  DALLAS (AP) — Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Monday that it has a new CEO.

• Nearly all US states see hefty drop in teen births

  NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report.

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• Wilson, Nobel winner for physics, dies in Maine

  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Physicist Kenneth Wilson, who earned a Nobel prize for pioneering work that changed the way physicists think about phase transitions, has died in Maine, where he retired to enjoy kayaking with his wife. He was 77.

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  Airborne laser reveals hidden city in Cambodia

  SYDNEY (AP) — Airborne laser technology has uncovered a network of roadways and canals, illustrating a bustling ancient city linking Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

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  Official: Solar plane to help energy use on ground

  CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — The plane parked outside the airport looks more like a giant exotic insect or maybe an outsized balsa wood toy airplane.

• 'Dead zones' predicted for Gulf, Chesapeake Bay

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Scientists in Michigan and Louisiana are predicting a big summer "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico unless a tropical storm hits the area shortly before or during the annual measurement. In the Chesapeake Bay, scientists expect a smaller-than-average area where there's too little xygen to support fish, shellfish and other aquatic life.

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  NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has eight new astronauts — its first new batch in four years.

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• Ed Koch's tombstone engraved with wrong birth date

  NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch meticulously planned his own funeral, but his tombstone has the wrong birth date.

• Minn. mother, son accused of stealing gopher feet

  PRESTON, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota mother and her 18-year-old son are accused of stealing nearly $5,000 in frozen gopher feet and selling them for a bounty.

• Hitchhiking cat 'Mata Hairi' headed home to Oregon

  HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A well-traveled cat named "Mata Hairi" will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain.

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  Morris the cat runs for mayor of Mexican city

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — This mayoral hopeful in Mexico promises to eat, sleep most of the day and donate his leftover litter to fill potholes.

• Bear with head stuck in jar is rescued in Pa.

  JAMISON CITY, Pa. (AP) — Four central Pennsylvania residents said they used only a rope and a flashlight during a wild chase to rescue a young bear whose head had been stuck in a plastic jar for at least 11 days.

• NJ Transit probes bizarre bus trip into New York

  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Some New Jersey bus commuters apparently have gotten an unexpected tour of the New York metro area they'd rather forget.

• Swedish male train drivers wear skirts to work

  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Commuters on a train line in northern Stockholm were met with an unusual sight this week: male train drivers and conductors wearing skirts to work.

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  US Marshals auction scammer's diamond, other loot

  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Want to own a 5-carat diamond from a Texas scammer?

• Danish supermarket got drugs instead of bananas

  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Drug traffickers back in Colombia must be going bananas over how their shipment ended up at Danish supermarkets and not on the streets.

• Group wants to knit cover for Pa. Warhol bridge

  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andy Warhol's art doesn't often conjure warm and fuzzy images — but a proposed tribute to him just might.

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• DreamWorks says TV revenue to hit $200M by 2015

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio behind "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda," said Tuesday that a new deal to provide original TV shows to Netflix will help it double the revenue it gets from TV shows to $200 million by 2015.

• Icahn changes tack, seeks $16B Dell stock buyback

  NEW YORK (AP) — Activist investor Carl Icahn on Tuesday proposed a $16 billion share buyback in his latest effort to thwart Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell's effort to take the struggling computer maker private.

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  NYC to offer free phone-charging stations in parks

  NEW YORK (AP) — It's a message busy New Yorkers hate to get: the low-battery message on your cellphone when there's no charger in sight.

• Hewlett-Packard puts Bradley in strategy role

  NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Bradley, the head of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s printing and personal computer business, has been appointed to a new position in charge of the company's strategy with a focus on China, the company said Tuesday.

• Sprint sues to stop Dish Clearwire buyout

  OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Sprint is suing to stop Dish Network's buyout of wireless data network operator Clearwire. The nation's third-largest cellphone carrier said the proposed deal violates the rights of Sprint and other Clearwire shareholders.

• Stuntwoman sues News Corp. over alleged phone hack

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who worked as a stunt double for Angelina Jolie sued Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. in Los Angeles on Tuesday, claiming she's a victim of a phone hacking scheme to obtain information about the actress.

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  With Samsung, Jay-Z's business continues to boom

  NEW YORK (AP) — He really is more than a businessman.

• US video game retail sales fall 25 percent in May

  NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. retail sales of video games, hardware and accessories declined 25 percent in May as demand for aging game consoles continued to fade and fewer new games launched compared with last year, according to market researcher NPD Group.

• Cape Wind gets $200M investment from Danish fund

  BOSTON (AP) — The Cape Wind offshore wind project has secured a $200 million investment from a Danish pension fund in what the wind farm's president said Tuesday is a milestone for the long-delayed project.

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  APPLE EVENT: New software, MacBooks, music

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple announced a digital radio service, new MacBook Air laptops and updates to its operating systems for Mac and mobile devices Monday.

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