School storm protection is spotty in tornado zones
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- With its single-story design and cinder-block walls, Plaza Towers Elementary School may have seemed sturdy when it was built a couple of generations ago. But a powerful tornado revealed the building's lack of modern safety standards, destroying the school and killing seven students.... 5/22/2013 5:29 PM

Okla. tornado damage: Thousands of homes, $1.5-$2B
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- The tornado that struck an Oklahoma City suburb this week may have created $2 billion or more in damage as it tore through as many as 13,000 homes, multiple schools and a hospital, officials said Wednesday as they gave the first detailed account of the devastation.... 5/22/2013 6:25 PM

3rd grader who loved to sing among tornado victims
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- Nicknamed `The Wall,' 8-year-old Kyle Davis loved soccer and going to Monster Truck exhibitions at the fairgrounds with his grandfather. JaNae Hornsby, 9, loved to draw, sing, and be a big sister and cousin to her younger relatives.... 5/22/2013 6:46 PM

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy.... 5/22/2013 7:14 PM

Broke no laws, IRS official says _ then takes 5th
WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.... 5/22/2013 7:24 PM

Man shot to death while questioned in Boston probe
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A Chechen immigrant was shot to death by authorities early Wednesday after he turned violent while being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, officials said.... 5/22/2013 5:52 PM

FBI: Arrest made in Wash. ricin letter scare
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- The FBI said Wednesday that agents have arrested a 37-year-old man after a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin were discovered in Washington state last week.... 5/22/2013 7:51 PM

Float driver says train seemed still before crash
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- The driver of a parade float involved in a train wreck that killed four war veterans in West Texas told investigators that the oncoming train appeared to be stationary, and that he didn't notice anything was wrong until he saw people jumping from the float, according to documents released Wednesday.... 5/22/2013 7:37 PM

In Arias trial, TV cameras never far behind
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Jodi Arias trial had all the ingredients of a circus the minute it started: sex and violence, a defendant more than willing to seek the spotlight, a judge who extended leniency in allowing lengthy testimony and cameras in court - and a media-savvy sheriff ready and willing to set up jailhouse interviews with his most famous inmate.... 5/22/2013 7:40 PM

Jury deciding Arias' sentence adjourns for day
PHOENIX (AP) -- Jurors in the Jodi Arias murder trial said Wednesday they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or death for killing her one-time boyfriend, prompting the judge to instruct them to keep trying.... 5/22/2013 7:56 PM