CINCINNATI (AP) — Federal appeals judges Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by “Joe the Plumber” that claimed his rights were violated by a state records search after he voiced public concern over taxes to then- candidate Barack Obama. The three- judge 6th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it will ask Congress for more money for Israel’s anti- rocket system known as the “Iron Dome.” In a statement released Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the system to defend against short-range rockets and mortar attacks has been critical in recent weeks when nearly 300 rockets were […]

ORLANDO, Fla. ( AP) — Officials with the National Hurricane Center had a message Tuesday for residents living in hurricane- prone areas: Don’t tape your windows. Center officials are joining with a consumer advocate group at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Fla., this week to encourage residents to skip taping their windows when a […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans’ rosy outlook about the U. S. economy remains resilient as they focus on the good in the barrage of conflicting economic news. A widely watched barometer of consumer confidence barely budged in March after last month hitting the highest level it had been in a year. Americans continued to be […]

DUBLIN (AP) — Bailed-out Ireland announced Tuesday it will stage a referendum on the European fiscal treaty on May 31, a vote whose outcome could help boost international confidence in the country — or block it from accessing further aid. The campaign will pit a government that describes the treaty as a path to renewed […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A passenger aboard a US Airways flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Fort Myers, Fla., was arrested after attacking crew members before being wrestled to the floor. The incident happened Tuesday afternoon, just hours after passengers aboard a Jet- Blue flight from New York to Las Vegas wrestled down the plane’s agitated […]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it aims to estimate crop production and analyze natural resources when it launches a satellite on a long-range rocket next month. The United States and South Korea view the launch as a cover for testing longrange missile technology. An unnamed North Korean space technology official said today […]

CONIFER, Colo. ( AP) — Firefighters were hoping to start containing at least part of a mountain wildfire today that forced hundreds of residents to flee, damaged 28 homes and may have caused the deaths of two people. Strong gusts and erratic fire behavior forced crews to focus largely on protecting homes overnight instead of […]

LOS ANGELES ( AP) — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is drastically reorganizing his money- and delegate-deprived campaign, scaling back a traditional operation to focus on low-cost social media and an effort to cajole delegates to back him over front-runner Mitt Romney. One- third of Gingrich’s campaign staff has been laid off and his campaign […]

BAMAKO, Mali ( AP) — Several thousand people took to the streets of Mali’s capital in support of the military takeover and a new constitution. Mali began today under a new constitution written in haste by the leaders of last week’s military coup and read on state TV Tuesday night. While the constitution includes many […]