WASHINGTON – President Bush on Wednesday sent four nominations to the Senate to fill vacancies on federal appeals courts. Nominated were Kent Jordan of Delaware for the 3rd U.S. Circuit of Appeals; Debra Ann Livingston of New York for the 2nd Circuit; and Raymond Kethledge and Stephen Joseph Murphy III, …

WASHINGTON – Even though the once barreling U.S. economy is now slowing down, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Monday called recent increases in inflation unwelcome and pledged to make sure surging energy prices don’t make things worse. In deciding the Federal Reserve‘s next rate move in late June, Bernanke …

ALGIERS, Algeria – Soldiers launched a major assault on a hideout of Islamic insurgents, killing 19 militants, including the regional emir, or leader, the Algerian press reported Monday. Some 800 soldiers, police and communal guards, or government-armed militia, took part in the assault Sunday near Annaba, some 370 miles east …

WASHINGTON – Marijuana use worldwide is out of control because the plant grows everywhere, is in high demand and erroneously is considered by many to be harmless, a U.N. agency said Monday. Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, highlighted the marijuana problem …

MADISON, Wisconsin – A retired farmer who claims he was a Nazi SS officer has agreed not to open a memorial he built to Hitler, local officials say. Ted Junker, 87, had planned a grand opening for his shrine June 25 on his farm in southeastern Wisconsin. Word of the …

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Police have arrested a mother and father and accused them of giving marijuana to their young sons — as a reward for good behavior. Toni Lynn Carlson, 31, and Aaron Virgil Carlson, 23, were booked on suspicion of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia, possessing marijuana for sale, …

NEW YORK – U.S. stocks dropped Monday amid persistent worries about rising interest rates and slower economic growth after the latest warnings on inflation from Federal Reserve officials. Click here to visit FOXBusiness.com’s Investing page. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 99.34 points, or 0.91 percent, at 10,792.58. The …

LAS VEGAS – As a family court judge in Reno, Chuck Weller decides who gets the children, who pays child support and who gets visitation rights. Because of that, a lot of people have it in for him. Police think one of them, Darren Roy Mack, was so mad that …

NEW YORK – A clearly annoyed Manhattan judge issued an arrest warrant Friday for Boy George after the former Culture Club singer failed to appear in court to explain why he wants to change his sentence for falsely reporting a burglary. Judge Anthony Ferrara also ridiculed the singer’s suggestions for …

HOUSTON – Luis Robles awakened to a leaky ceiling and floodwaters creeping into his front yard, one of many residents beset by heavy rains that closed highways and flooded parts of Houston and southwest Louisiana. Robles, who has lived in the southeast Houston home for 13 years, said the flooding …