Arkansas Senate overrides veto of voter ID bill

Arkansas Senate overrides veto of voter ID bill
McCain, other US senators tour Mexico border
Head found in '89 IDed, linked to serial killer
Internet slowed by cyber attack on spam blocker
Excerpts of Calif. gay marriage case at high court
1 home destroyed in Washington state landslide
Colo. theater shooting suspect offers guilty plea
Lakers World Peace out 6 weeks, needs knee surgery
Boy, 4, found with dead mom was living on sugar
US swipes at China for hacking allegations
Egypt court challenges Morsi over top prosecutor
Octogenarian lesbian widow gets her day in Supreme Court
Hunters seek to boycott Colorado over gun laws
Stock market recovers most of an early loss
Rolling Stones to play UK's Glastonbury Festival
Ex-Florida GOP chair gets 1½ years for stealing
Hughes to start season on Yankees' disabled list
Gay marriage equality box spreads on social media
Sharapova beats Errani in Key Biscayne quarters
Brazilian doctor suspected of killing patients
Egypt could hold delayed election in October: Mursi
NBC executive: We're not replacing Matt Lauer
Former U.N. monitor Mood calls for Syria no-flight zone
Publisher speeds up e-book access for libraries
Obama back at forefront of immigration debate
Ohio teens released in Twitter threat case
NBC's Wolfe, Gosk, expecting baby in August
Oil pulls back from 5-week high; pump price drops
Mali extremist group says fighters, leader OK
Records provide new look at Ariz. shooting spree
Record-breaking cyberattack hits anti-spam group
Supporters ask Iowa governor to commute '74 killer
Supreme Court indicates it may strike down marriage law
Newtown TV coverage, 'Girls' win Peabody Awards
Bomb explodes near Acropolis in central Athens
Pierson, 1st female Secret Service head, sworn in
Stocks slide, following European markets lower
Cyprus to cap cash withdrawals, scrutinise transactions
Cyprus to reopen banks, impose capital controls
Pivot, network for millennials, tries to change TV

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:36 PM PDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Senate has voted to override Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of legislation that would require voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot.

McCain, other US senators tour Mexico border

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:34 PM PDT

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — A group of influential U.S. senators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month as negotiations reopened between union workers and business groups over visas for low-skilled workers.

Head found in '89 IDed, linked to serial killer

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT

Almost 25 years after her severed head was found on a New Jersey golf course, police on Wednesday identified the woman they believe was the first victim of a notorious Long Island serial killer.

Internet slowed by cyber attack on spam blocker

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the largest ever cyber attacks is slowing global internet services and the disruption could get worse, experts said on Wednesday, after an organization blocking "spam" content became a target. Spamhaus, a London and Geneva-based non-profit group which helps weed out unsolicited "spam" messages for email providers, said it had been subjected to "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) attacks on an unprecedented scale for more than a week. ...

Excerpts of Calif. gay marriage case at high court

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:31 PM PDT

Excerpts from arguments before the Supreme Court on Wednesday about a federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of benefits afforded straight married Americans, from a transcript released by the Supreme Court:

1 home destroyed in Washington state landslide

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:30 PM PDT

SEATTLE (AP) — A "massive" landslide gave way with a sound like thunder into the Puget Sound, knocking a home off its foundation, isolating or threatening more than two dozen other homes and taking out a road near Seattle.

Colo. theater shooting suspect offers guilty plea

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:28 PM PDT

DENVER (AP) — Lawyers for Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes have offered to have him plead guilty and serve the rest of his life in prison to avoid the death penalty.

Lakers World Peace out 6 weeks, needs knee surgery

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:27 PM PDT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers' push for the playoffs just got a whole lot tougher.

Boy, 4, found with dead mom was living on sugar

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:26 PM PDT

UNION, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey authorities have identified a woman found dead in an apartment with her malnourished 4-year-old son as offers pour in from around the world to adopt the boy.

US swipes at China for hacking allegations

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:25 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has taken its first real swipe at China following accusations that the Beijing government is behind a widespread and systemic hacking campaign targeting U.S. businesses.

Egypt court challenges Morsi over top prosecutor

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:18 PM PDT

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian appeals court on Wednesday annulled a presidential decree appointing the top prosecutor in a new challenge by the judiciary to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi that throws the country's legal system into confusion.

Octogenarian lesbian widow gets her day in Supreme Court

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:12 PM PDT

By Joseph Ax WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gay marriage supporters in front of the Supreme Court only wanted to see one celebrity on Wednesday. As Edith Windsor walked out of the court after arguments in her case challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a huge roar erupted from hundreds of protesters gathered on the steps. "Edie! Edie!" they chanted as the diminutive 83-year-old laughed and blew kisses to the crowd. Windsor sued the federal government after she was forced to pay additional estate taxes because it did not recognize her marriage to a woman, Thea Spyer, under the law known as DOMA. ...

Hunters seek to boycott Colorado over gun laws

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:09 PM PDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Hunters across the country say they are boycotting Colorado because of recent legislation meant to curtail gun violence.

Stock market recovers most of an early loss

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:09 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes recouped most of the ground they lost and are closing mostly lower on Wall Street.

Rolling Stones to play UK's Glastonbury Festival

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:06 PM PDT

LONDON (AP) — The Rolling Stones will be taking the stage again this summer at one of Britain's leading music festivals.

Ex-Florida GOP chair gets 1½ years for stealing

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:06 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida was sentenced Wednesday to one-and-a-half years in prison for stealing $125,000 in party funds, marking the fall of a man who once was one of the most powerful political figures in the state.

Hughes to start season on Yankees' disabled list

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:05 PM PDT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes will join Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson on New York's disabled list for the start of the season.

Gay marriage equality box spreads on social media

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Bud Light said it with beer cans and Martha Stewart with red velvet cake as companies and celebrities from Beyonce to George Takei joined millions of social media users in posting and tweaking a simple red logo in support of gay marriage.

Sharapova beats Errani in Key Biscayne quarters

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PDT

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Four-time runner-up Maria Sharapova has overcome an uneven performance at the Sony Open to reach the semifinals by beating Sara Errani 7-5, 7-5.

Brazilian doctor suspected of killing patients

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:57 PM PDT

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's health ministry says a doctor is suspected of killing seven terminally ill patients in a southern Brazilian hospital.

Egypt could hold delayed election in October: Mursi

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PDT

By Tom Perry and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Wednesday parliamentary elections could be delayed until October, a postponement which could give his cash-strapped administration breathing space to negotiate an IMF deal. Mursi's original plan was for a four-stage election that would start in late April and put a parliament in place by July. But the schedule fell apart this month when a court canceled the presidential decree setting the dates. "Perhaps the elections will be held in the coming October," state news agency MENA quoted Mursi as saying. ...

NBC executive: We're not replacing Matt Lauer

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A top NBC News executive said Wednesday the network is not considering replacing Matt Lauer as anchor of the "Today" show despite reports that Anderson Cooper of CNN was approached about the job.

Former U.N. monitor Mood calls for Syria no-flight zone

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:51 PM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - The former head of a U.N. monitoring mission who tried in vain to secure a ceasefire in Syria's civil war said on Wednesday it was now time to consider imposing a no-fly zone over the country. The comments from Norwegian General Robert Mood came after NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen ruled out Western military intervention and called for a political solution to the two-year-old crisis which has claimed an estimated 70,000 lives. "I have come to the conclusion there has to be a leveling on the playing field," Mood, who headed the U.N. ...

Publisher speeds up e-book access for libraries

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:50 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The publisher of Khaled Hosseini, Harlan Coben and other popular authors has decided that it's comfortable with letting libraries offer e-book editions of brand new releases.

Obama back at forefront of immigration debate

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:48 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After ceding immigration negotiations to Congress, President Barack Obama is stepping to the forefront of the debate this week, using television interviews and White House events to gently prod lawmakers to finish work on a bill that would overhaul the nation's immigration system.

Ohio teens released in Twitter threat case

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:46 PM PDT

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two Ohio teens accused of making online threats against a rape victim have denied the charges and been released on house arrest.

NBC's Wolfe, Gosk, expecting baby in August

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:43 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Today" weekend anchor Jenna Wolfe says she and NBC news correspondent Stephanie Gosk are expecting a baby girl in August.

Oil pulls back from 5-week high; pump price drops

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:39 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil rose near the end of trading Wednesday, and has now gone up more than $4 in less than a week.

Mali extremist group says fighters, leader OK

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:34 PM PDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — One of the three extremist groups being driven back in northern Mali by French-led forces says its fighters and leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, are fine and determined to keep attacking.

Records provide new look at Ariz. shooting spree

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:32 PM PDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Documents released Wednesday detailing the shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords show how the gunman had grown increasingly erratic and delusional in the months leading up to the rampage as he alienated friends and family and became paranoid that police were out to get him.

Record-breaking cyberattack hits anti-spam group

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:30 PM PDT

LONDON (AP) — A record-breaking cyberattack targeting an anti-spam watchdog group has sent ripples of disruption coursing across the Web, experts said Wednesday.

Supporters ask Iowa governor to commute '74 killer

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Supporters of an inmate serving life in prison for a 1974 murder are urging Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to commute his sentence so he can be released, and even the victim's family members say they've forgiven him.

Supreme Court indicates it may strike down marriage law

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:28 PM PDT

By Lawrence Hurley and David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of Supreme Court justices on Wednesday indicated they could be inclined to strike down a law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples, a move that would reflect the evolving nationwide sea change in attitudes to gay marriage. As a packed courtroom listened attentively on a second day of arguments on gay marriage, Justice Anthony Kennedy, a potential swing vote, warned of a "real risk" that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) infringes on the traditional role of the states in defining marriage. ...

Newtown TV coverage, 'Girls' win Peabody Awards

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:26 PM PDT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A local TV station's coverage of the Connecticut school massacre, the HBO drama "Girls," and a public-service campaign about Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts' medical battle were among 39 Peabody Award winners announced Wednesday.

Bomb explodes near Acropolis in central Athens

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:26 PM PDT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A bomb exploded outside a ship owner's house near the Acropolis in central Athens on Wednesday night, causing damage but no injuries, police said.

Pierson, 1st female Secret Service head, sworn in

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:25 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson has been sworn in as the agency's first female director.

Stocks slide, following European markets lower

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:24 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about Europe weighed on the stock market Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average had its biggest gain in three weeks.

Cyprus to cap cash withdrawals, scrutinise transactions

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:23 PM PDT

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus will limit the use of cheques to businesses, cap cash withdrawals to 300 euros per day and scrutinise all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros when banks reopen on Thursday, a Central Bank official said. Yiangos Demetriou, head of internal audit at the Central Bank, said the controls would allow unlimited use of credit cards within Cyprus, but set a limit of 5,000 euros ($6,400) per month abroad. He said the measures would remain in place for four days, contradicting an earlier report by the Athens newspaper Kathimerini that the controls would last seven days. ...

Cyprus to reopen banks, impose capital controls

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT

By Michele Kambas and Costas Pitas NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus reopens its banks on Thursday while limiting withdrawals, banning cheques and curbing the use of Cypriot credit cards abroad, among measures imposed to avert a bank run after it agreed a tough rescue deal with international lenders. The Central Bank said banks would open their doors at midday (5 a.m. EST) on Thursday after nearly two weeks when Cypriots could only get cash through limited ATM withdrawals. A central bank official said Cypriots would be allowed to withdraw no more than 300 euros ($380) a day. ...