Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman. Though female jurisprudence is not much different from that of male judges, women tend to be more pro-women's rights and to tilt more toward plaintiffs in sex-discrimination cases.
AP - A General Motors Corp. bankruptcy filing seemed inevitable after a rebellion by its bondholders forced it to withdraw on Wednesday a plan to swap bond debt for company stock.
AP - North Korea threatened military action Wednesday against U.S. and South Korean warships plying the waters near the Koreas' disputed maritime border, raising the specter of a naval clash just days after the regime's underground nuclear test.
AP - Sales of previously occupied homes rose modestly from March to April as buyers who were brave enough to dive into the market took advantage of prices that were 15.4 percent below year-ago levels.
Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by agents linked to al Qaeda two days before the September 11 terrorist attacks. Though he died eight years ago, Massoud remains a national hero in Afghanistan. He's also the prototype for the tough but enlightened leader Afghanistan desperately needs, some Afghans say.
Two U.S. security contractors involved in the shooting death of an Afghan civilian said they were pressured to say they had been drinking in order to protect the company's contract.
It was a typical November day in 1971 when an eighth-grader left her house in a sleepy New Hampshire town with her pet dog. Later that evening her dog returned home acting frantic, family members said. The little girl's body was found the next day, beaten, raped, strangled and run over by a car repeatedly.