BEIRUT (AP) -- The U.S. closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus on Monday in a new Western push to get President Bashar Assad to leave power and halt the murderous grind in Syria - now among the deadliest conflicts of the Arab Spring....

2/6/2012 8:11:13 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Targeting Iran's economy, the U.S. ordered tough new penalties Monday to further pinch the country's financial system and encourage Israel to give sanctions more time before any military action against Iran's nuclear program....

2/6/2012 8:11:16 PM

GRAHAM, Wash. (AP) -- Josh Powell's boys were coming for a visit, and he had preparations to make....

2/6/2012 8:58:34 PM

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) -- Sensing a possible threat, Mitt Romney criticized Rick Santorum's time in the Senate as "not effective" because of his past support for spending on pork-barrel projects as he worked to fend off an unexpected challenge in the next states to vote....

2/6/2012 8:11:27 PM

DENVER (AP) -- Long skeptical of Mitt Romney, tea party activists are either warming up to the GOP presidential front-runner or reluctantly backing him after abandoning hope of finding a nominee they like better....

2/6/2012 8:11:33 PM

DETROIT (AP) -- People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts....

2/6/2012 8:47:36 PM

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- After months of wavering, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took a decisive step Monday toward reconciliation with the Islamic militant group Hamas, a move Israel promptly warned would close the door to any future peace talks....

2/6/2012 8:18:59 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Many children stayed home Monday while parents demanded more protection at an elementary school where two teachers are suspected of molesting students in class....

2/6/2012 8:19:09 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Alexis McKenzie's mother had mild dementia, but things sounded OK when she phoned home: Dad was with her, finishing his wife's sentences as they talked about puttering through the day and a drive to the store....

2/6/2012 8:01:51 PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Bill Belichick gave clear instructions to his defensive unit: Let the runner score....

2/6/2012 8:17:45 PM