BAGHDAD, Iraq – Shiite lawmakers chose incumbent Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be Iraq’s new prime minister Sunday even though his current government has been criticized for not dealing effectively with the Sunni-led insurgency or rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Kurdish leaders expressed concern over the Shiite choice, which marks a key …

WASHINGTON – Consumers, lured to the malls by unusually warm weather in January and eager to spend their Christmas gift cards, boosted retail sales outside of autos by the largest amount in more than six years, the government reported Tuesday. The Commerce Department said retail sales excluding autos were up …

I’m confused. Help me here: Former President Jimmy Carter uses Coretta Scott King’s funeral as a platform to suggest that the response to Hurricane Katrina was based on the color of people’s skin. Isn’t the majority of the New Orleans police department the same color as the people the former …

This is a partial transcript from “Hannity & Colmes,” February 23, 2006, that has been edited for clarity. ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Welcome back to “Hannity & Colmes.” Beginning on March 3 the world’s best baseball players will gather to compete for their home countries for the first time ever in …

LOS ANGELES – A paparazzo facing charges involving an incident with actress Reese Witherspoon was found dead this month in a Brentwood apartment, the coroner’s office confirmed Thursday. The body of Todd Kevin Wallace, 44, was positively identified but the cause of death was not determined pending results of toxicology …

WASHINGTON – Following months of criticism about security gaps at the nation’s seaports, the Bush administration is requiring background checks for port workers to look for links to terrorism and ensure they are legal U.S. residents. The heightened scrutiny — which will begin immediately — drew praise Tuesday from some …

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – At Kentucky Fried Chicken, Colonel Harland Sanders’ face remains a staple on company signs and food containers. Now the goateed image of the restaurant chain’s founder appears on a sticker meant to head off any concerns about eating chicken if bird flu spreads to the United States. …

MEXICO CITY – Five children were killed and nine people were injured in central Mexico when lightning bolts struck a metal cross on a hillside as people decorated the cross in preparation for a May 3 religious holiday, authorities reported on Monday. The accident occurred late Sunday at a rural …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – U.S.-led coalition warplanes bombed a suspectedTaliban camp in southern Afghanistan, killing three insurgents, while five more militants and one policeman died in a fierce gunbattle, officials said Tuesday. The aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles and dropped one bomb late Monday on the camp in the Lashkar Gah …

WASHINGTON – Widespread criticism of the government’s sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina was largely deserved, the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog concludes in a report rapping the agency for focusing on terrorism at the expense of preparing for natural disasters. The report by Inspector General Richard L. Skinner, to be …