CHICAGO – Thousands of Kansas City and St. Louis residents voted a straight party ticket in last November’s election, but Missouri state Sen. John Loudon (search) has proposed that next time, voters take more time at the polls. “What the process is for is about electing leaders through thoughtful deliberation …

DETROIT – U.S. auto sales followed a familiar pattern in February with General Motors Corp. (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F), both seemingly stuck in reverse, losing more market share to fast-growing foreign rivals, analysts said Friday. “We are expecting both to be down,” Jeff Schuster, executive director of global …

This is a partial transcript from “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” February 18, 2005, that was edited for clarity. NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Well, more books on the Internet generally means fewer books for UPS (search) to deliver, the company announcing it still has a lot of work to do on …

NEW YORK – Time to face the facts: Dave Chappelle’s (search) hit Comedy Central series isn’t coming back, says one of its stars. “‘Chappelle’s Show’ (search) is over, man. Done,” comic Charlie Murphy (search) told TV Guide. “It took me a long time to be able to say those words, …

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers and interest groups are gearing up for a fight this fall over Social Security (search), each side hoping to use the retirement and disability program’s 70th birthday to build momentum. President Bush and House Republicans have yet to build a groundswell for shifting a portion of Social …

WASHINGTON – The White House withheld judgment on Friday on the latest proposal to break an impasse on an Iraq constitution (search) despite an attempt by President Bush to move the process forward with a phone call to a top Iraqi Shiite leader. Bush called Abdul-Aiz al-Hakim (search) on Wednesday …

JERUSALEM – Hamas (search) terrorists released a videotape Saturday purportedly showing a bombmaker believed to top Israel’s most-wanted list celebrating the Gaza Strip (search) pullout as a victory for armed resistance. Senior Hamas commander Mohammed Deif (search), who masterminded the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings, also urged …

SACRAMENTO, Calif – Should public officials be allowed to hold down jobs on the side? Following the disclosure that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (search) had a multimillion-dollar contract with bodybuilding magazines, some lawmakers and clean-government activists are talking about making California the first state to prohibit legislators and statewide officeholders from …

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – A judge issued an order Thursday prohibiting a Rio samba group from parading during carnival with a float depicting naked bodies of Holocaust victims. Judge Juliana Kalichszteim issued the injunction in response to a lawsuit by the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro, which asked …

WASHINGTON – More than 20 House lawmakers have signed their names to a bill that would ban the importation of “plastinated human remains.” The measure comes amid controversy involving “Bodies The Exhibition” now touring the country and the world. The exhibit features multiple human bodies, carved and sliced in half …