Council members discussed how the church should handle sexual abuse complaints, a possible budget deficit and how to cut costs. The $20,000 payments were among the options mentioned.

The man had been banned from the artsy cafe for acting out, but that didn't stop him from walking in, taking a seat at the bar and trying to place an order.

The priest always started his favorite "game" by having the young boy remove his underwear and put on loose-fitting shorts so he could fondle him more easily.

It's a spectacle that won't repeat for another century — the sight of Venus slowly inching across the face of the sun.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule parachuted into the Pacific on Thursday to conclude the first private delivery to the International Space Station and inaugurate NASA's new approach to exploration.

Republicans stung by the culture wars that dominated the nation's political discourse this year are standing down on social issues.

A jury's refusal to convict John Edwards was less a redemption of the former White House hopeful than a rejection of the Justice Department's boldest attempt to make an example.

Dorene Bowe-Shulman can't wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether same-sex married couples should get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples.

Former presidential candidate John Edwards was found not guilty on one of six campaign fraud charges Thursday, and the jury could not reach a verdict on the other counts

The unmanned cargo ship parachuted into the Pacific on Thursday, six hours after leaving the International Space Station. It brought back nearly 1,400 pounds of old gear.

The House faced a vote Thursday on legislation to ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus, putting Congress squarely in the middle of partisan jockeying for the women's vote in the fall elections.

Fifty years ago, a group of 106 influential cultural and civic leaders from Atlanta traveled to Europe to visit famous museums and demonstrate the ascendant southern city's commitment to culture.

The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a Canadian man's murder conviction and life sentence in the 1975 slaying of a fellow American Indian Movement activist.

Orange juice maker Tropicana markets its brand as fresh from the grove, but a series of lawsuits nationwide claim the company's juice is so heavily processed it shouldn't be called "natural."

Escalating violence in Syria has become the ultimate no-win political situation for President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in the city's restaurants, delis and movie theaters in the hopes of combating obesity

Jurors are hearing closing arguments in a landmark priest-abuse case in Philadelphia. Monsignor William Lynn is on trial for allegedly endangering children as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004.

President Barack Obama is welcoming his favorite foil, former President George W. Bush, back to the White House on Thursday for the official unveiling of Bush's portrait.

An appeals court has ruled that the heart of the law that denies a host of federal benefits to same-sex married couples is unconstitutional.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule left the International Space Station early Thursday and aimed for a Pacific splashdown to end its historic flight.

President Barack Obama is welcoming former President George W. Bush, back to the White House on Thursday for the official unveiling of Bush's portrait.

Now, with the city of Los Angeles taking the first step in outlawing them, the humble little polyethylene bag may be headed for the trash heap of history.

Legislation coming up for a House vote would make it a federal crime to carry out an abortion based on the gender of the fetus.

The world's air has reached what scientists call a troubling new milestone for carbon dioxide, the main global warming pollutant.

Escalating violence in Syria has become the ultimate no-win political situation for President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.