AP - A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.
AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he's inclined to approve an Army proposal to spend nearly $3 billion extra over the next four years to accelerate an expansion of its force. Army Secretary Pete Geren said speeding up the growth of the force, stretched thin by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, would mean recruiting faster and increasing the number of soldiers who re-enlist.
AP - Congress approved legislation Thursday that would potentially add 4 million children to a popular health care program, setting up a veto fight that President Bush probably will win but handing Democrats a campaign issue for next year's elections.
Mychal Bell, a black teen accused of beating a white classmate and the last of the so-called "Jena 6" behind bars, was released from custody today after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $45,000.
Private military contractor Blackwater USA "delayed and impeded" a congressional probe into the 2004 killings of four of its employees in Falluja, Iraq, according the House oversight committee said Thursday in a report.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Myanmar's ruling junta Thursday as its Southeast Asian neighbors urged a peaceful resolution to growing political unrest in the country.