BOSTON – I was driving in the car last week with my youngest daughter when she commented on the high price of gasoline. She’s 12 years old, and she has heard her share of grumbling at the pump, but with gas now beyond $3 a gallon in our neighborhood — …

MIAMI – A mother said “demons” told her to kill her 9-month-old baby and stab her 3-year-old daughter, seriously wounding the toddler, police said Saturday. Liset Hernandez, 36, was arrested and charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of aggravated child abuse, Miami Detective Delrish Moss …

NEW YORK – Are you reeling from a painful breakup? Going through a divorce? Unwilling to let go of an erstwhile lover? If so, then Nick Lachey’s new solo album, “What’s Left of Me,” could prove cathartic; If not, it might leave you a bit depressed. Lachey’s much-publicized split from …

WASHINGTON – Michael Hayden doesn’t run from a fight, which is just what seemingly awaits the 61-year-old Air Force general expected to be named the new CIA chief. Weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the then-head of the National Security Agency was telling intelligence-gathering teams how they would …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Gunmen wounded an Iraqi general Thursday in southeast Baghdad and a blast killed three people in the heart of the capital as President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair prepared for a meeting on Iraq strategy now that a new government is in place. Brig. Gen. …

WASHINGTON – Majority Leader Bill Frist said he remained hopeful the Senate could take up the nomination of CIA director-nominee Michael Hayden before the Memorial Day recess, installing a veteran of intelligence controversies and four-star general atop the civilian spy agency. But on Thursday evening, Frist had yet to reach …

WASHINGTON – The publishing industry enjoyed a strong year in 2005, with increases in both revenues and the number of books sold. But projections for long-term growth remains limited because people increasingly don’t read, according to a study released Friday. Over the past few years, the number of books published …

NEW YORK – In his first public comment on a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President Bush on Wednesday said the world wants to know: “When will you get rid of your nuclear program?” The United States and other nations agree that Iran shouldn’t have a nuclear weapon or …

ALBANY, N.Y. – Universal Music Group Recordings Inc., the world’s largest record company, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a payola case that claimed the company provided vacations, electronics and other bribes to increase radio play for their artists, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Thursday. The …

NEW YORK – Magician David Blaine was pulled from an aquarium by divers Monday nearly two minutes short of his goal of setting a world record for holding his breath underwater. Blaine was trying to free himself from chains and handcuffs while bidding to break the record of 8 minutes, …