CRAWFORD, Texas – The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who is holding a roadside peace vigil near President Bush’s ranch shares the same grief as relatives mourning the deaths of Ohio Marines, yet their views about the war differ. “I’m angry. I want the troops home,” Cindy Sheehan, 48, …

CHICAGO – Publisher John H. Johnson (search), whose Ebony and Jet magazines countered stereotypical coverage of blacks after World War II and turned him into one of the most influential black leaders in America, died Monday, his company said. He was 87. Johnson died of heart failure at Northwestern Memorial …

SHANGHAI – Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) is close to paying $1 billion and forking over its China operations for a 35 percent stake of China’s second-largest e-commerce operator, Alibaba.com (search), a source close to the discussions said on Wednesday. The deal is in the final hours of discussions, the source told …

HARRISBURG, Pa. – An activist filed a lawsuit Monday contesting a pay raise lawmakers approved for themselves last month, saying the state constitution prohibits the legislature from increasing its own members’ pay. The bill increased legislators’ base pay from $69,647 to $81,050 and gives a bonus to the scores of …

Melvyn Reed’s triple-bypass heart operation led to triple heartbreak. First one wife came to see the 59-year-old British car salesman in the hospital. Then another. And then a third. “Unfortunately, the timing of the visits went out of sync, and they all arrived at once,” the admitted bigamist, or even …

TOPEKA, Kan. – A debate over teaching evolution is resuming because some educators don’t want to pass up a chance to tell the State Board of Education how they feel about science standards favored by the theory’s critics. The board’s conservative Republican majority tinkered last month with proposed standards, adding …

This is a partial transcript of “Special Report With Brit Hume,” August 29, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “Special Report With Brit Hume” weeknights at 6 p.m. ET BRIT HUME, HOST: By almost any standard, Cindy Sheehan’s (search) war protest has been a public relations success. One …

NEW YORK – Stocks fell Tuesday as reports of the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina (search) trickled in and pushed oil prices to a record, renewing worry that high energy costs will hurt consumer spending and hamper economic growth. The Dow Jones industrial average (search) was down 50.23 points, or …

PHILADELPHIA – A man charged with strangling his pregnant girlfriend was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on first-degree murder charges. The victim, LaToyia Figueroa (search), 24, had been missing for more than a month when police arrested Stephen Poaches (search) as he allegedly tried to move her body. On Wednesday, …

Even if you lived in your house for less than two years, you might still be eligible for a tax break. Here’s how to save. You probably already know that selling your home at a profit provides one of the greatest tax breaks around. Singles can avoid federal income taxes …