"This could be potentially a billion-dollar giveaway to phone monopolies, paid for out of consumers' pocketbooks," said Chris Murray, an attorney with Consumers Union.

The U.S. has not endured a deep and prolonged recession in more than a quarter century - enough time for many Americans to forget what one feels like.

Prosecutors have DNA tests and hair samples. They have testimony about "the smell of death" in the trunk of the suspect's car.

Despite pressure from elected officials and the military, the Bush administration has yet to equip some California National Guard planes for firefighting - a delay that could have grave implications during the worst of the wildfire season.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new economic plan Wednesday, a day after his Conservative Party's re-election victory fell short of a Parliament majority amid voter disgruntlement over his slow response to the global financial meltdown.

The country's prestigious Spanish Riding School, for centuries a bastion of masculinity, is modernizing: On Wednesday, the 436-year-old institution officially presented its first female riders-in-training.

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda and Attorney General Steve Six have announced a new federal law to help stop child predators.

The global financial crisis could hardly come at a worse time for nations seeking a new agreement on climate change that - on top of everything else - will cost tens of billions more dollars.

Mexican officials are trying to persuade Americans to visit Ciudad Juarez, touting the city in a new billboard campaign as a "land of encounters." But on this side of the border, that sounds like a cruel joke.

Residents of the San Fernando Valley breathed air free of smoke and ash for the first time in four days Wednesday under brilliant blue skies.

Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal - sports handicapper extraordinaire, Las Vegas gaming executive and the inspiration for the blockbuster movie "Casino" - died Monday. He was 79.

In a 13 News exclusive: A Burger King co-worker of slain teen Alheli Alcantara and the suspect in her murder, Deon Ross, said they all joked around with one another and got along well. Ross was transferred Wednesday to Pottawatomie County to be prosecuted.

Smaller school buses will have to be equipped with lap-and-shoulder seat belts for the first time under a government rule drafted following the deaths of four Alabama students on a school bus that nose-dived off an overpass.

In the midst of historic volatility on Wall Street there is a continuing trend of blacks saving and investing less than whites, according to a survey released Wednesday. The difference is attributed to various social and cultural reasons such as getting less exposure to personal finance concepts and advice.

Neal Hefti, a Big Band trumpeter, arranger and composer of themes for the movie "The Odd Couple" and the "Batman" television series, has died. He was 85.

Delpha Speak has 13 grandchildren and she didn't think it was completely implausible that one of her grandsons-in-law would call her to say he was in trouble. The 72-year-old retiree could tell something was wrong, and she wanted to do whatever she could to help.

A McDonald's cashier called 911 after a Vero Beach drive-thru customer allegedly offered to pay for his meal with marijuana. The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said the cashier called Monday with a description of the vehicle the suspect had been riding in.

"We thought he was going to end up being a backyard pet" instead of a show horse, Kelsey said. "When we found out he had a second chance I was really excited for him."

While normally effective on people, a Hernando deputy learned the hard way that Taser stun guns do not work very well on wild boars.

Authorities say relatives of a deceased Tehama County woman cremated her remains on a makeshift barbecue and continued collecting her retirement checks.

It's perfectly legal to take a loaded gun right up to the security checkpoint at some of the nation's biggest airports.

World grain prices have been tumbling back down the steep slope they climbed early this year, but from Manila's food stalls to London's supermarkets, everyday consumers aren't seeing it yet. The experts worry, meanwhile, that the wild swings may turn uphill again.

Topeka West battled Topeka High at Hummer Park in soccer.

A top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for incest. The Rev. James L. Bevel was a key architect of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., and other pivotal moments of the civil rights movement.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Monkeys taught to play a computer game were able to overcome wrist paralysis with an experimental device that might lead to new treatments for patients with stroke and spinal cord injury.