USA
Wholesale prices rose a higher-than-expected 1 percent in January, contributing to a 12-month 7.5 percent surge that is the fastest pace since 1981, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Higher prices for food and energy were cited as causes for the inflation.
Addressing the Fraternal Order of Police, Attorney General Michael Mukasey sought support Monday in his fight against changes to cocaine sentencing rules. Under new guidelines, the first wave of 1,500 crack convicts could apply for early release as early as next week. Mukasey says many eligible for sentence reductions are violent criminals "likely to repeat their criminal activities."
The Marine Corps has requested an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general of a nearly two-year delay in delivering mine-resistant trucks in Iraq, where the lack of such vehicles may have been a factor in hundreds of combat casualties.
The trial of three New York police detectives entered its second day Tuesday before a judge who weighed arguments about the 2006 shooting death of an unarmed man on the eve of his wedding. Protesters (above) carried signs representing 50 bullets fired at Sean Bell, who defense lawyers claim was out of control after a nightclub bachelor party.
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who resigned in 2004, agreed Monday to testify in a congressional hearing as a House subcommittee considered issuing him a subpoena. Lawmakers want Ashcroft, a Capitol Hill consultant, to answer questions about no-bid contracts he and others received to monitor out-of-court corporate settlements.
Teenagers at St. John's Episcopal Church in Charlotte, N.C., demonstrated their passion for fighting world hunger by raising an estimated $100,000 for the second straight year during a 30-hour "famine event" sponsored by the Christian organization World Vision, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The National Football League wrapped up its annual Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Tuesday, which brings several hundred of the best college prospects together for drills to help teams evaluate the talent before the league's April draft. Below, Boston College linebacker Jolonn Dunbar catches the ball during one drill.
