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Facebook falls flat in public debut

After all the hype, Facebook's first day as a public company ended where it began.

Jurors in Edwards trial will resume talks Monday

A jury deliberated for about five hours Friday in John Edwards' campaign corruption trial involving money from wealthy donors that was used to hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 White House bid. Talks will resume Monday, but the jury has already made several requests for evidence and office supplies, a sign they may be settling in for detailed discussions.

Advice to would-be Romney running mates: Run for the hills

Nothing is easier to mock in politics right now than the apparent reluctance of leading Republicans to sign on as Mitt Romney?s second banana. A few weeks ago, Jon Stewart summarized the way that Rob Portman was plugging his Senate colleague Marco Rubio, who in turn was passing the baton to Jeb Bush, with the line, ?Doesn?t anyone want the rock in crunch time??

Obama, Hollande hunt for Afghanistan compromise

Visiting French President Fran�ois Hollande told President Barack Obama on Friday that France's combat troops would leave Afghanistan by year's end and pledged to find a way "for our allies to pursue their mission" in talks at a looming NATO summit. The two leaders also bonded over jokes about fast food, a move that recalled [...]

Coulda, woulda, shoulda: Other big tech debuts

This is a good time to compare the giant social network with some of the other well-known tech outfits of the modern day, such as Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL).

Romney?s VP vetting process has begun

Mitt Romney's campaign has begun the vetting process to find a suitable running mate, a source close to the campaign told The Hill's Alexander Bolton: The team for Beth Myers, the Romney adviser leading the search for the GOP's vice presidential nominee, has already contacted potential running mates.

Joe Ricketts gave to every GOP candidate, even Gary Johnson

Billionaire political donor Joe Ricketts clearly has President Barack Obama in his line of fire this election season, as we learned this week. But when it comes to Ricketts writing checks, apparently all Republicans--and even some libertarians--are welcome.

Michael J. Fox looks past stem cells for Parkinson's cure

Michael J. Fox now believes the controversial therapy may not ultimately yield a cure for his disease, he told ABC?s Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview.

Edwards' downward spiral fueled by ambition, narcissism

In 2001, when I was a political/metro columnist for The Charlotte Observer, I had lunch with Sen. John Edwards at a Southern soul food restaurant on Tryon Street between the headquarters buildings of the twin banking colossi that defined this city.

Europe thinks the unthinkable on Greece

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - European officials are working on contingency plans in case Greece bombs out of the euro zone, the EU's trade commissioner said on Friday, as European share prices tumbled and Germany warned of continuing financial turmoil. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of Greece's harsher critics, said market unrest fuelled by the euro zone debt crisis could last another year or two. "Regarding the crisis of confidence in the euro ... in 12 to 24 months we will see a calming of the financial markets," he said. ...

Trayvon evidence fails to answer who screamed for help

An FBI expert said it was impossible to tell if the voice screaming for help belonged to the black Florida teenager or his shooter George Zimmerman.

Political misses: Cold War in the Sunshine State?

Republican congressman Allen West claims there are Communists in Congress and Biden gets loud.

American militant says he had 'privileged' life in book

An American who serves as a commander with a Somali militant group says in a new autobiography that he had a "privileged" childhood in Alabama before he joined the al-Qaida linked militants.

Suspect arrested in Miss. highway shootings

Authorities in Mississippi have arrested a suspect in two fatal highway shootings. The suspect had not been posing as a police officer in the shootings, as authorities previously thought.

?Predatory? prison phone rates: Civil rights leaders urge reform

What if it cost $17 to make a 15-minute phone call in the U.S.? How often would you call home? That's the dilemma facing many inmates who must rely on the prison phone service and pay sky-high rates. A bipartisan group of prison reformers is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to stop phone companies [...]
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Georgia woman learns toll of flesh-eating bacteria

Faced with the prospect of losing both hands and her one remaining foot, a young Georgia woman battling to survive a case of flesh-eating bacteria that has already claimed one leg mouthed the words "Let's do this."

Private rocket secretly carrying celebs to space

When SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket it will secretly be carrying celebrities. Actor James Doohan, who played Scotty on the original "Star Trek" series, died in 2005.
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Postal employee on workers comp caught running marathon

A U.S. District Court in Florida convicted a former Florida postal worker of health care fraud after she was caught participating in more than 80 long-distance races, including the Boston Marathon, all while taking workers' compensation for a back injury. Jacquelyn V. Myers, 55, was also convicted of making false statements and faces up to [...]
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Former VP Al Gore has a girlfriend

It appears Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former vice president Al Gore is back in the game. Back in the dating game, that is. He has, according to The Washington Post's Reliable Source blog, a "serious girlfriend." Her name is Elizabeth Keadle?better known as Liz?a well-heeled Democratic donor from Southern California in her 50s with [...]
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Funny letter from Ronald Reagan to seventh-grader resurfaces

An amusing letter from former President Ronald Reagan in response to a 13-year-old boy's request for disaster relief funds to clean up his room is making the rounds again on social media, thanks to a blog writer. Shaun Usher of Letters of Note tweeted the classic correspondence. Seventh-grader Andy Smith from Irmo, South Carolina, wrote [...]
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Video: Chinese fishermen catch 1,360-pound kaluga sturgeon

Chinese fishermen catch 1,360-pound kaluga sturgeon
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Star Trek Enterprise could be built in 20 years ... for $1 trillion

Whether you're a Trekkie or not, you have to admit that there's some sense of wonder toexploring the stars and�trying to find life on distant planets. Of course, the U.S.S. Enterprise is a fictional ship, but have you ever put ? Continue reading ?
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Man who fathered 30 kids says he needs a break?on child support

And you thought Octomom had her hands full?a Tennessee man who has fathered 30 children is asking the courts for a break on child support. Desmond Hatchett, 33, of Knoxville has children with 11 different women, reports WREG-TV. The state already takes half his paycheck and divides it up, which doesn't amount to much when [...]
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