“West Memphis Three” may be released

Three men imprisoned for nearly two decades for the brutal murders of three 8-year-old boys in eastern Arkansas could be released from custody as early as Friday if a deal with prosecutors goes as planned, victims’ relatives and a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. A tentative...

Americans fear ‘rise of Soviet Union’

GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann said today that Americans “fear the rise of the Soviet Union” during an appearance on a conservative radio talk show.The Soviet Union broke up into 15 separate republics 20 years ago. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet...

Should Obama extend the payroll tax holiday and jobless benefits?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Now that the debt ceiling crisis is behind him, President Obama is ready to focus on the top problem plaguing the American economy: weak job creation.Part of his prescription for 2012 revolves around cutting payroll taxes by 2 percentage points and extending unemployment benefits....

S&P said to face U.S. probe on mortgages

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly overrating mortgage-backed securities, whose meltdown led to the 2008 financial crisis, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. However, the sources...

BP, others investigate new sheen in Gulf

(AP) LONDON – A new oil sheen has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, although energy company BP said Thursday the discovery had nothing to do with its operations and was far from the site of its disaster-hit Macondo well.A spokesman for another company involved in investigating the sheen said he...

Obama: ‘Lone wolf’ terror attack biggest concern

With the nation preparing to observe the 10th anniversary of hijacked airliners crashing in New York and Washington and along the Pennsylvania countryside, Obama said the government is in a state of heightened awareness.The biggest concern we have right now is not the launching of a major terrorist...