Copyright (c) 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/i/2753 Most Recommended U.S. en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:30:05 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/i/2753 http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142b.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_minnesota_senate ap/20090701/us_minnesota_senate AP us Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:57:58 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_minnesota_senate"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.aad46f7624d14769aa46489bc442ef2c.correction_senate_franken_mncl101.jpg?x=130&y=119&q=85&sig=a5jQBDh26lgm2jljpXTGWA--" align="left" height="119" width="130" alt="Newly certified Minnesota U.S. Senator Al Franken and Minnesota's other U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar held up their arms in victory during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Franken's win followed a decision Tuesday by the Minnesota Supreme Court declaring him the winner and a concession by former Sen. Norm Coleman. (AP Photo /Craig Lassig)" border="0" /></a>AP - Now that Al Franken is headed for the Senate, which Franken will show up in Washington?</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_minnesota_senate"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.aad46f7624d14769aa46489bc442ef2c.correction_senate_franken_mncl101.jpg?x=130&y=119&q=85&sig=a5jQBDh26lgm2jljpXTGWA--" align="left" height="119" width="130" alt="photo" title="Newly certified Minnesota U.S. Senator Al Franken and Minnesota's other U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar held up their arms in victory during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Franken's win followed a decision Tuesday by the Minnesota Supreme Court declaring him the winner and a concession by former Sen. Norm Coleman. (AP Photo /Craig Lassig)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor ap/20090703/us_sc_governor AP us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:30:40 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.d6880e47e97846069ea967dcf3ce8070.sc_governor_scmc101.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=nCnduYAmDOfYpFjCmVA71A--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves the Governor's Mansion Friday, July 3, 2009 in Columbia, S.C. A day earlier, his spokesman said Sanford planned to fly to Florida accompanied by state security for the long holiday weekend. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)" border="0" /></a>AP - After a week that offered the world a glimpse into the conflicted mind of philandering South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, his constituents differed Friday on whether he should leave office.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.d6880e47e97846069ea967dcf3ce8070.sc_governor_scmc101.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=nCnduYAmDOfYpFjCmVA71A--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="photo" title="South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves the Governor's Mansion Friday, July 3, 2009 in Columbia, S.C. A day earlier, his spokesman said Sanford planned to fly to Florida accompanied by state security for the long holiday weekend. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_teens_shot_detroit ap/20090702/us_teens_shot_detroit AP us Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:35:29 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_teens_shot_detroit"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.7bd6f1fc4d2e485ea7ffc5e05feb544b.teens_shot_detroit_mico101.jpg?x=130&y=77&q=85&sig=rtOregWv2YQIzCushqF8Lw--" align="left" height="77" width="130" alt="Students look out the windows of the Cody 9th Grade Academy in Detroit, July 2, 2009 after shots were reportedly fired Thursday morning, two days after seven teenagers were shot and wounded as they waited nearby for a bus. Police received multiple 911 calls about shots fired near the school around 9:45 a.m., spokesman Rod Liggons said. Only students who were accompanied by parents were allowed to leave. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)" border="0" /></a>AP - Reports of shots fired near a Detroit school have sent dozens of students fleeing from classes just two days after seven teenagers were shot near the school.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_teens_shot_detroit"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.7bd6f1fc4d2e485ea7ffc5e05feb544b.teens_shot_detroit_mico101.jpg?x=130&y=77&q=85&sig=rtOregWv2YQIzCushqF8Lw--" align="left" height="77" width="130" alt="photo" title="Students look out the windows of the Cody 9th Grade Academy in Detroit, July 2, 2009 after shots were reportedly fired Thursday morning, two days after seven teenagers were shot and wounded as they waited nearby for a bus. Police received multiple 911 calls about shots fired near the school around 9:45 a.m., spokesman Rod Liggons said. Only students who were accompanied by parents were allowed to leave. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_killing_spree ap/20090704/us_sc_killing_spree AP us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:37:42 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_killing_spree"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.e38f6220c7a84dcd8123b6c8a7a4ca20.sc_killing_spree_scspa102.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=HuLqGZbUZ82L0yM5kSuJQQ--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="Reward posters hang in the window of a local business in Gaffney, S.C. Friday, July 3, 2009. Sheriff's deputies searched Friday for a serial killer blamed for four deaths over the past six days as terrified residents wondered who might be next. (AP Photo/Spartanburg Herald Journal, John Byrum)" border="0" /></a>AP - A terrified rural South Carolina community hunkered down over the Fourth of July after the sheriff said a serial killer was on the loose, and longtime residents were reminded of a murderer who terrorized the town in the 1960s.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_killing_spree"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.e38f6220c7a84dcd8123b6c8a7a4ca20.sc_killing_spree_scspa102.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=HuLqGZbUZ82L0yM5kSuJQQ--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="photo" title="Reward posters hang in the window of a local business in Gaffney, S.C. Friday, July 3, 2009. Sheriff's deputies searched Friday for a serial killer blamed for four deaths over the past six days as terrified residents wondered who might be next. (AP Photo/Spartanburg Herald Journal, John Byrum)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_state_budgets ap/20090703/us_state_budgets AP us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:26:14 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_state_budgets"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.d57a37b12f2b4941b561d0ea147057cc.state_budgets_sc101.jpg?x=94&y=130&q=85&sig=1hqDwwBCCQKcRLsm7rVNLA--" align="left" height="130" width="94" alt="Citing the Legislatures failure to pass a budget plan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announces that he is declaring a fiscal emergency to address California's deficit during a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Lawmakers will have 45 days to send him a plan to balance the state's budget which ended the fiscal year with a $24.3 billion deficit.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0" /></a>AP - Several states are facing the prospect of government shutdowns and program cuts as they enter the first weekend of the fiscal year and July Fourth holiday without a budget in place.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_state_budgets"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.d57a37b12f2b4941b561d0ea147057cc.state_budgets_sc101.jpg?x=94&y=130&q=85&sig=1hqDwwBCCQKcRLsm7rVNLA--" align="left" height="130" width="94" alt="photo" title="Citing the Legislatures failure to pass a budget plan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announces that he is declaring a fiscal emergency to address California's deficit during a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Lawmakers will have 45 days to send him a plan to balance the state's budget which ended the fiscal year with a $24.3 billion deficit.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_americanapparel nm/20090701/us_americanapparel Reuters us Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:23:13 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_americanapparel"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090701/i/r1340894265.jpg?x=130&y=91&q=85&sig=jvrKWQoUolSFNwRH01G4qA--" align="left" height="91" width="130" alt="Clothes hang in the store at the American Apparel factory in downtown Los Angeles in this October 17, 2008 file photo. A U.S. federal probe has found that about a third of American Apparel's factory workers in the Los Angeles area had supplied suspect or invalid records and were not authorized to work in the United States. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson" border="0" /></a>Reuters - A U.S. federal probe has found that about a third of American Apparel's factory workers in the Los Angeles area had supplied suspect or invalid records and were not authorized to work in the United States.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_americanapparel"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090701/i/r1340894265.jpg?x=130&y=91&q=85&sig=jvrKWQoUolSFNwRH01G4qA--" align="left" height="91" width="130" alt="photo" title="Clothes hang in the store at the American Apparel factory in downtown Los Angeles in this October 17, 2008 file photo. A U.S. federal probe has found that about a third of American Apparel's factory workers in the Los Angeles area had supplied suspect or invalid records and were not authorized to work in the United States. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_palin_resigning ap/20090704/us_palin_resigning AP us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:30:05 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_palin_resigning"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090704/capt.02ca8b9102b040229bbefb8ddc40a53a.palin_resigning_akwtf101.jpg?x=130&y=126&q=85&sig=jq8Vf2rrOAbADlqcfXfUTw--" align="left" height="126" width="130" alt="Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)" border="0" /></a>AP - Even for a nonconformist, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has defied political logic with her sudden, stunning announcement to leave office more than a year early.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_palin_resigning"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090704/capt.02ca8b9102b040229bbefb8ddc40a53a.palin_resigning_akwtf101.jpg?x=130&y=126&q=85&sig=jq8Vf2rrOAbADlqcfXfUTw--" align="left" height="126" width="130" alt="photo" title="Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_python_strangling ap/20090702/us_python_strangling AP us Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:32:32 GMT AP - A pet Burmese python measuring more than 8 feet long broke out of a terrarium and strangled a 2-year-old girl in her bedroom Wednesday at a central Florida home, authorities said. Shaiunna Hare was already dead when paramedics arrived at about 10 a.m., Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_economy_california_budget nm/20090703/us_economy_california_budget Reuters politics Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:42:19 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_economy_california_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090703/i/r390293795.jpg?x=130&y=85&q=85&sig=_JDztgTjttAN2JZe0W1G4Q--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) talks in his office about the state's budget impasse in San Francisco, California July 3, 2009. State officials have begun issuing billions of dollars in "IOUs" to avoid a cash crisis, after lawmakers failed to balance the budget by the start of the state's new fiscal year on Wednesday, leaving a $26.3 billion deficit. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Top California lawmakers raised hope on Thursday that an elusive budget deal could be at hand, as officials began issuing billions of dollars in "IOUs" to avoid a cash crisis on the second day of a new fiscal year without an agreement to balance the state's books.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_economy_california_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090703/i/r390293795.jpg?x=130&y=85&q=85&sig=_JDztgTjttAN2JZe0W1G4Q--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="photo" title="California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) talks in his office about the state's budget impasse in San Francisco, California July 3, 2009. State officials have begun issuing billions of dollars in "IOUs" to avoid a cash crisis, after lawmakers failed to balance the budget by the start of the state's new fiscal year on Wednesday, leaving a $26.3 billion deficit. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_odd_rookie_arrest ap/20090703/us_odd_rookie_arrest AP odd Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:42:29 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_odd_rookie_arrest"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.d79896e4171a4b209b120e91c0d492f2.rookie_arrest_ny131.jpg?x=97&y=130&q=85&sig=qTrqWzZ.YvqeZ_aKvz4fyg--" align="left" height="130" width="97" alt="This undated image provided by the New York Police Department shows Dariel Firpo. Firpo, a New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started. One of the NYPD's newest officers has made his first arrest just minutes after graduating from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden. (AP Photo/New York Police Dept.)" border="0" /></a>AP - A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_odd_rookie_arrest"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.d79896e4171a4b209b120e91c0d492f2.rookie_arrest_ny131.jpg?x=97&y=130&q=85&sig=qTrqWzZ.YvqeZ_aKvz4fyg--" align="left" height="130" width="97" alt="photo" title="This undated image provided by the New York Police Department shows Dariel Firpo. Firpo, a New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started. One of the NYPD's newest officers has made his first arrest just minutes after graduating from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden. (AP Photo/New York Police Dept.)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor_records ap/20090701/us_sc_governor_records AP us Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:49:23 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor_records"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090630/capt.e2da6973aa75488eb36f800b1163302f.aptopix_sc_governor_scmc110.jpg?x=102&y=130&q=85&sig=Nosfp_GOLyaPxd2jvLR7RQ--" align="left" height="130" width="102" alt="South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks during an interview with The Associated Press about his relationship with an Argentine mistress, in his Columbia, S.C., Statehouse office on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. During the interview Sanford said that he 'crossed lines' with a handful of women other than his mistress but never had sex with them. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)" border="0" /></a>AP - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has backed out of a promise to release personal financial records to the media proving he did not use state money for trips to see his mistress.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor_records"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090630/capt.e2da6973aa75488eb36f800b1163302f.aptopix_sc_governor_scmc110.jpg?x=102&y=130&q=85&sig=Nosfp_GOLyaPxd2jvLR7RQ--" align="left" height="130" width="102" alt="photo" title="South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks during an interview with The Associated Press about his relationship with an Argentine mistress, in his Columbia, S.C., Statehouse office on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. During the interview Sanford said that he 'crossed lines' with a handful of women other than his mistress but never had sex with them. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_screaming_sex_arrests ap/20090703/us_screaming_sex_arrests AP us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:37:48 GMT AP - A 16-year-old girl thought she heard her mother being assaulted by her boyfriend and rounded up some friends who beat him up, only to learn later that the couple actually were having sex, the woman and police said. The girl misinterpreted the woman's amorous screams, and she and four other teens went to the woman's bedroom in the Torrington home on June 6, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_budget ap/20090702/us_california_budget AP business Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:56:21 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.b9c12ea4f890444d90477de946ee3771.california_budget_sc110.jpg?x=88&y=130&q=85&sig=KJJfBsHvNDUjYHhryLDKCA--" align="left" height="130" width="88" alt="State employee Erika Gallo joined hundreds of state employees in protesting against additional pay cuts and furloughs durng demonstration at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0" /></a>AP - California's controller will start paying many of the state's bills with IOUs as soon as Thursday after lawmakers failed to close the state's worsening budget deficit, adding a new measure of indignity to a state sinking deeper into dysfunction.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090701/capt.b9c12ea4f890444d90477de946ee3771.california_budget_sc110.jpg?x=88&y=130&q=85&sig=KJJfBsHvNDUjYHhryLDKCA--" align="left" height="130" width="88" alt="photo" title="State employee Erika Gallo joined hundreds of state employees in protesting against additional pay cuts and furloughs durng demonstration at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_xgr_immigration_enforcement ap/20090701/us_xgr_immigration_enforcement AP us Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:49:00 GMT AP - The Arizona House has defeated a bill that would have made it the only state in the nation to criminalize the presence of illegal immigrants by expanding its trespassing law. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_billy_mays_funeral ap/20090703/us_billy_mays_funeral AP us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:40:49 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_billy_mays_funeral"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.75b78ae92b5f4d08adf234b5ebf16750.billy_mays_funeral_paks101.jpg?x=130&y=90&q=85&sig=ru7UX5oyp8fRYZueGqHttg--" align="left" height="90" width="130" alt="Pallbearers wearing blue shirts with rolled up sleeves, carry the coffin of the television pitchman, Billy Mays, from the church where the funeral mass was held in Mays' hometown, in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks, Pa., Friday, July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)" border="0" /></a>AP - References to television pitchman Bill Mays' trademark image were everywhere at his funeral Friday near Pittsburgh.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_billy_mays_funeral"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.75b78ae92b5f4d08adf234b5ebf16750.billy_mays_funeral_paks101.jpg?x=130&y=90&q=85&sig=ru7UX5oyp8fRYZueGqHttg--" align="left" height="90" width="130" alt="photo" title="Pallbearers wearing blue shirts with rolled up sleeves, carry the coffin of the television pitchman, Billy Mays, from the church where the funeral mass was held in Mays' hometown, in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks, Pa., Friday, July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_parks ap/20090701/us_california_parks AP us Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:01:16 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_parks"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090629/capt.a8740543f392461da6be41f9521e671c.califronia_why_it_matters_carp108.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=9_PkfTIJ.D95Tias2nOeMA--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="The Save Our State Parks Campaign holds a demonstration outside the California State Capitol on Monday, June 29, 2009, to protest the proposed closure of as many as 220 state parks because of the state's $24.3 billion budget shortfall. Thousands of tourists from around the country flock to the state each year to visit its beaches, campgrounds and iconic sites. Visitors to the Golden State could lose that opportunity if lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger do not quickly find a compromise on the state budget.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0" /></a>AP - California officials said Wednesday they are trying to avert the federal government's threat to seize six parks that could be closed to help reduce the state's ballooning budget deficit.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_parks"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090629/capt.a8740543f392461da6be41f9521e671c.califronia_why_it_matters_carp108.jpg?x=130&y=79&q=85&sig=9_PkfTIJ.D95Tias2nOeMA--" align="left" height="79" width="130" alt="photo" title="The Save Our State Parks Campaign holds a demonstration outside the California State Capitol on Monday, June 29, 2009, to protest the proposed closure of as many as 220 state parks because of the state's $24.3 billion budget shortfall. Thousands of tourists from around the country flock to the state each year to visit its beaches, campgrounds and iconic sites. Visitors to the Golden State could lose that opportunity if lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger do not quickly find a compromise on the state budget.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceusreligionevolution afp/20090630/scienceusreligionevolution AFP us Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:40:28 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceusreligionevolution"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090630/capt.photo_1246368919264-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=88&q=85&sig=UCyFbQAbZGYBZ8WPA2vFQQ--" align="left" height="88" width="130" alt="Ken A. Ham President and Chief Executive Officer of Answer in Genesis stands with a mechanical Utahraptor at The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, in 2007. For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum, which has been dubbed a "creationist Disneyland," seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.(AFP/File/Jeff Haynes)" border="0" /></a>AFP - For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceusreligionevolution"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090630/capt.photo_1246368919264-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=88&q=85&sig=UCyFbQAbZGYBZ8WPA2vFQQ--" align="left" height="88" width="130" alt="photo" title="Ken A. Ham President and Chief Executive Officer of Answer in Genesis stands with a mechanical Utahraptor at The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, in 2007. For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum, which has been dubbed a "creationist Disneyland," seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.(AFP/File/Jeff Haynes)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_madoff_sec nm/20090702/us_madoff_sec Reuters business Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:48:59 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_madoff_sec"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r2955653956.jpg?x=130&y=85&q=85&sig=2PeLHEHOnnqTpmoEc3BE9A--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="A woman holds up a T-shirt with a message referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission outside the United States Courthouse in lower Manhattan, June 29, 2009, during the sentencing hearing for convicted swindler Bernard Madoff. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton" border="0" /></a>Reuters - A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer warned about irregularities at Bernard Madoff's financial management firm as far back as 2004, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing agency documents and sources familiar with the investigation.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_madoff_sec"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r2955653956.jpg?x=130&y=85&q=85&sig=2PeLHEHOnnqTpmoEc3BE9A--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="photo" title="A woman holds up a T-shirt with a message referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission outside the United States Courthouse in lower Manhattan, June 29, 2009, during the sentencing hearing for convicted swindler Bernard Madoff. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_internet_suicide ap/20090703/us_internet_suicide AP us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:06:15 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_internet_suicide"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.8ff71e4788f64f68bdc356c47b021b47.correction_internet_suicide_la109.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=oKFvkCadtbiSI9zjCWrxcA--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="FILE - In this Monday, May 18, 2009 file photo Lori Drew leaves Federal Court after a hearing in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge George Wu on Thursday, July 2, 2009, tentatively threw out the convictions of the Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who ended up committing suicide. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)" border="0" /></a>AP - A Missouri mother said she never should have been prosecuted for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old girl who ended up committing suicide.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_internet_suicide"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.8ff71e4788f64f68bdc356c47b021b47.correction_internet_suicide_la109.jpg?x=91&y=130&q=85&sig=oKFvkCadtbiSI9zjCWrxcA--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="photo" title="FILE - In this Monday, May 18, 2009 file photo Lori Drew leaves Federal Court after a hearing in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge George Wu on Thursday, July 2, 2009, tentatively threw out the convictions of the Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who ended up committing suicide. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599190866900 time/20090704/08599190866900 Time.com us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599190866900"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090704/capt.02ca8b9102b040229bbefb8ddc40a53a.palin_resigning_akwtf101.jpg?x=130&y=126&q=85&sig=jq8Vf2rrOAbADlqcfXfUTw--" align="left" height="126" width="130" alt="Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)" border="0" /></a>Time.com - Although her stated reasons are hard to pin down, insiders say the Alaska governor's decision is unlikely to lead to a presidential run in 2012</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestratedus/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599190866900"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090704/capt.02ca8b9102b040229bbefb8ddc40a53a.palin_resigning_akwtf101.jpg?x=130&y=126&q=85&sig=jq8Vf2rrOAbADlqcfXfUTw--" align="left" height="126" width="130" alt="photo" title="Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Time.com)