GOP flies high, but midterm won't be a breeze
A Republican takeover of the House — maybe even the Senate — looks less impossible every day. Still, money and message problems continue to weigh the party down.
Two months before election day, the U.S. economy is teetering. President Obama's approval ratings are anemic. Republican voters are pumped. The smart money is betting against Democratic incumbents.
BP oil well declared to be no longer a threat to gulf
With the replacement of the failed blowout preventer and a cement plug in place, the well's seal is almost permanent, the federal spill response chief says. The final step will be to plug the well from the bottom.
With a new blowout preventer in place and a 5,000-foot column of cement filling its core, the BP well is no longer in danger of leaking oil, the federal spill response chief said Saturday — although he said it must still be plugged from the bottom for the job to be complete.
Saving the healing herbs of the bayou
Much of the land of the native Houma people is now underwater, and after the oil spill, one healer's great-grandson fears that the traditional plants once used to save the ill will soon be lost too.
Jason Pitre grew up hearing stories of how his great-grandfather healed babies on the cusp of death using herbs and plants found along Louisiana's bayous. The tribal healer, or traiteur , was known by the native Houma people for his potions and salves that seemed to treat any sickness.
In the end, Earl's worst damage in New England was to seasonal businesses hoping to end their summer on a high note.
Oil dispersant effects remain a mystery
BP sprayed chemicals massively in confronting the gulf spill, but scientists aren't sure how much good — or bad — they did.
In the wake of the BP oil spill, gaping questions remain about a key tool used during cleanup: the nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants sprayed over the water or onto the gushing wellhead on the seafloor. Do the chemicals help recovery, hinder it — or neither?
How Sasha and Malia spent their summer vacation
The first daughters saw the Jonas Brothers and visited L.A. and Niagara Falls. Malia got braces; Sasha went to Spain. But it's all over Tuesday, when school starts.
Malia and Sasha Obama have enjoyed a summer that most American children can only dream of — vacations stretching from Maine to California, with a couple of foreign trips in the mix, and a Jonas Brothers appearance at the White House.
Craigslist shuts down adult ads
The link to the adult section of the site is replaced with a black bar that says 'censored.' State attorneys general had said the ads veered close to illegally promoting prostitution.
Craigslist appears to have surrendered in a legal fight over erotic ads posted on its website, shutting down its adult services section Saturday and replacing it with a black bar that says "censored."
