Scott Brown, Republican from Massachusetts, has quickly learned the art of the backroom deal in the US Senate, almost six months since capturing the late Ted Kennedy's seat.

Toyota engines: A potential fault could affect some 270,000 Toyota vehicles, most of them sold outside Japan. But the company has not yet issued a recall.

Hundreds of beachgoers told health officials they felt unwell after swimming last week at oil spill-affected Pensacola Beach, Fla. Scientists cite many unknowns about the safety of swimming and working around the spill.

AP - President Barack Obama on Thursday blamed immigration policy gridlock on "political posturing and special interest wrangling."

AP - One of the suspects in an alleged spy ring has confessed to federal agents that he worked for Russia's intelligence service, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

AP - BP's massive oil spill became the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday based on the highest of the federal government's estimates, an ominous record that underscores the oil giant's dire need to halt the gusher.