A crane hoists a key piece of oil spill evidence from the Gulf of Mexico, giving investigators their first chance to personally scrutinize the blowout preventer.

9/4/2010 7:46:03 PM

9/4/2010 7:46:03 PM

American Muslims are boosting security at mosques, seeking help from leaders of other faiths and airing ads underscoring their loyalty to the United States.

9/4/2010 3:21:49 PM

Craigslist closed the adult services section of its website, a week after a group of state attorneys general complained about illegal ads promoting prostitution.

9/4/2010 10:03:05 AM

After toying with tens of millions of coastal residents and tourists along the East Coast, Earl finally made landfall Saturday morning — but in Canada's Nova Scotia province.

9/4/2010 1:17:35 PM

Author Joe McGinniss  is packing his bags and notebooks and leaving for his Massachusetts home after living next door to his subject, Sarah Palin, for three months in Wasilla, Alaska.

9/4/2010 3:35:06 PM

The powerful earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around Christchurch, New Zealand, also ripped an 11-foot wide fault line in earth surface.

9/4/2010 6:07:13 PM

Trent Richardson ran for two touchdowns and Greg McElroy passed for 218 yards to help No. 1 Alabama beat San Jose State 48-3 on Saturday night.  The defending national champs shrugged off the absence of injured Heisman winner Mark Ingram and suspended defensive end Marcell Dareus in the opening mismatch.

9/4/2010 7:49:20 PM

After jumping out ahead of Purdue, 20-3, in the first game of the Brian Kelly era, Notre Dame's lead began to slip away as the Boilermakers notched a safety followed by a touchdown to close the gap to eight. But the Irish defense clamped down and David Ruffer notched his thrid field goal as Notre Dame held on for the 23-12 win Saturday in South Bend.

9/4/2010 6:04:54 PM

Two days after the restart of peace talks, Israeli aircraft strike targets in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fire a rocket into Israel.



Hamas - Gaza Strip - Israel - Middle East - Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip

9/4/2010 2:44:08 PM

A pier on Manhattan's West Side caught on fire on Saturday, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air above the Hudson River and the West Side Highway. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.



Manhattan - West Side Highway - Hudson River - West Side - Hudson Valley

9/4/2010 1:41:05 PM

Jeff Demps had a long scoring run, John Brantley added a fluky touchdown pass late and No. 4 Florida overcame an error-filled game to beat Miami (Ohio) 34-12 Saturday.

9/4/2010 2:39:08 PM

French trade unions protested on Saturday against a clampdown on immigrants, launching a week of action against tightening security and pension reforms on which President Nicolas Sarkozy has staked his political reputation.



Nicolas Sarkozy - French people - Trade union - Paris - President Nicolas Sarkozy

9/4/2010 10:46:58 AM

American upstart Beatrice Capra got blown away Saturday — by the excellence of Maria Sharapova and the bad, blustery conditions caused by the remnants of Hurricane Earl.  Treating the wind and an opponent with nothing to lose as mere annoyances, Sharapova put a 6-0, 6-0 thumping on Capra at the U.S. Open.

9/4/2010 6:28:18 PM

9/4/2010 6:28:18 PM

If you have an extended break this Labor Day weekend to relax, these products could help you do just that. But be warned that extreme relaxation can result in extreme laziness.



Labor Day - Holiday - Work - Barbecue - Golf

9/3/2010 9:42:21 AM

Matt Leinart - Shopping - Greeting Cards - Stationery - Gifts

9/4/2010 11:18:56 AM

Oil billionaires David and Charles Koch have jumped on board an effort to suspend California's global warming law by making a million-dollar contribution this week.



California - Charles G. Koch - Environment - Global warming - Climate change

9/4/2010 11:34:59 AM

Paul Conrad, the political cartoonist who won three Pulitzer Prizes and used his pencil to poke at politicians for more than 50 years, died Saturday, his son said. He was 86.

9/4/2010 1:20:02 PM

Crime and the sale of donated aid supplies are undermining the aid effort for Pakistan's flood victims.



Pakistan - Asia - Government - Flood - Business and Economy

9/4/2010 11:54:20 AM

The death toll from a Pakistani Taliban suicide attack on a Shiite Muslim procession rose to 65 Saturday as critically wounded people died in hospitals, while a suspected U.S. missile strike killed seven insurgents in a restive tribal area.

9/4/2010 11:09:34 AM

9/4/2010 11:09:34 AM

Authorities searched a Northern California landfill Friday for signs of a missing man authorities said might be a fifth murder victim linked to a suspect who was shot and killed by police after a high-speed chase on Aug. 31.

9/4/2010 11:29:57 AM

It was a bittersweet and unlikely reunion.



Reunion - Family - Home - Parenting - Africa

9/4/2010 10:52:31 AM

Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker played in far different conditions Saturday and wound up with a share of the lead halfway through the Deutsche Bank Championship. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, rebounded and shot up the leaderboard with a 6-under 65.

9/4/2010 5:11:37 PM

Anti-war protesters hurled shoes and eggs at Tony Blair on Saturday as he arrived for the first public signing of his fast-selling memoir.



Tony Blair - Prime Minister - History - Parliament - Northern Ireland

9/4/2010 4:11:42 PM

Despite the smells of fried dough and roasted meat wafting from the Minnesota State Fair, Salim and Zuleyha Ozonder were focused on the people who were leaving, not the food or festivities beckoning from across the street.

9/4/2010 9:45:42 AM

Several relatives of 104-year-old reclusive heiress Huguette Clark went to court Friday, asking for a guardian to protect her. Msnbc.com's Bill Dedman reports.

9/3/2010 7:07:19 PM