WASHINGTON – Daniel Pipes (search), the Middle East scholar who has been called a bigot by Muslim groups and denounced by senators, makes no apologies for his views, and said he believes some of his Muslim critics are dangerous extremists who need to be exposed. “The problem is, right now, …

BERLIN – Millions of Germans experienced the fall of Nazi Germany 70 years ago Friday as total defeat. Today, most Germans view it as liberation from 12 years of tyranny. In a symbol of the shift in perception, the German Parliament plans a special session Friday to reflect upon “a …

WASHINGTON – Black conservatives and other watchdog groups say theypressuredNASCAR (search)to cut off its annual gifts to theRev. Jesse L. Jackson’sRainbow/Push Coalition (search)because they don’t want the popular motor sports giant to be the victim of a race-based shakedown racket. And these active critics of the perennial civil rights leader …

Ethan & Uma| Madonna| Rocco | Johnny Cash, B.B. King Did ‘Kill Bill’ Kill Uma’s Marriage? Now that the five-year marriage of youngish actors and Oscar nominees Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke appears to be over, friends have been pointing fingers and making accusations. The most frequent rumor — other …

MEXICO CITY – Thirteen people have been reported missing following the withdrawal of vigilantes from a violence-wracked city in southern Mexico, a human rights official said Tuesday. The disappearances add to confusion surrounding the takeover of the city of Chilapa by so-called “community police” earlier this month. The vigilantes, claiming …

TROY, Ohio – A third of four children exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide from a furnace in a home has died. Thirteen-year-old Jakia Jones died on Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Her cousins 14-year-old Dionanna Bishop and 13-year-old Dejah Bishop died on Friday after a relative found them …

SEATTLE – The Justice Department’s report on Ferguson is resonating with other communities where residents feel its findings sound familiar: a mostly white police department overseeing a mostly minority town, patterns of racial profiling and profit-driven law enforcement. Felix Vargas, chairman of a Hispanic organization in the Washington city of …

PAWNEE, Okla. – The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality says medical waste including used vials and syringes has been found in the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma. Agency spokeswoman Erin Hatfield says the department was notified Monday of the discovery in Pawnee County and will send investigators to the scene …

GADSDEN, Ala. – Defense lawyers are asking a jury to spare the life of an Alabama woman convicted of running her granddaughter to death. Jurors will be back in court in Gadsden on Wednesday for a sentencing hearing for 49-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard. The jury convicted Garrard of capital murder …

NEW YORK – Rule changes that govern how New York City jails operate will create highly restrictive Rikers Island housing units for dangerous inmates and also amend when and how solitary confinement can be used. The proposed amendments to inmate minimum standards were made public Friday. The board that oversees …