ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) -- A crane hoisted a key piece of oil spill evidence to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, giving investigators their first chance to personally scrutinize the blowout preventer, the massive piece of equipment that failed to stop the gusher four months ago....

Craigslist appears to have surrendered in a legal fight over erotic ads posted on its website, shutting down its adult services section Saturday and replacing it with a black bar that simply says "censored."...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- NATO commanders were overly optimistic when they predicted quick success taking the key Taliban-held town of Marjah last winter, the outgoing deputy commander said....

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Frustrated, discouraged and just plain mad, a lot of people who have lost jobs - or know someone who has - now want to see the names of Democrats on pink slips. And that's jeopardizing the party's chances in Ohio and all across the country in November's elections....

YARMOUTH, Mass. (AP) -- In the end, Earl's worst damage in New England was to seasonal businesses hoping to end their summer on a high note....

NEW YORK (AP) -- American Muslims are boosting security at mosques, seeking help from leaders of other faiths and airing ads underscoring their loyalty to the United States - all ahead of a 9/11 anniversary they fear could bring more trouble for their communities....

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Paul Conrad used his pencil like a weapon. His long lines and jagged angles seemed to point directly at the leaders he deemed charlatans and fools in need of deflating....

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) -- The powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around a New Zealand city also ripped a new 11-foot- (3.5 meter-) wide fault in the earth's surface, officials said Sunday....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hip-hop star Kanye West is still feeling the pain over his trophy grab from Taylor Swift last year - and he's expressing his pain all over Twitter....

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Cardinals have released Matt Leinart, parting ways with the former Heisman Trophy winner who was supposed to be the team's franchise quarterback but couldn't escape the backup role....