Democratic leaders seek to resolve Burris saga
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Roland Burris failed to capture President-elect Barack Obama's old Senate seat Tuesday in a wild piece of political theater, but the Democrats' opposition cracked when a key chairwoman said seating him was simply the legal thing to do. Democratic leaders, set to meet with Burris on Wednesday, were searching for a way to defuse the dispute before it further overshadows the 111th Congress....

Engineer: Tenn. ash spill warning signs ignored
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The nation's largest government-run utility ignored two small leaks that could have provided a warning years before a coal ash pond collapsed, flooding a neighborhood with a billion gallons of sludge, a former federal regulator contends....

Coleman sues over Minnesota Senate recount result
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Republican Norm Coleman filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Democrat Al Franken's apparent recount victory in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, delaying a resolution of the contest for weeks or months....

Ala. policeman feared missing arrested in Vegas
DECATUR, Ala. (AP) -- Sgt. Faron White's job running a squad that targeted drug dealers, gamblers and other organized crime in a northern Alabama city earned him accolades but was filled with pressure....

State unemployment claim systems overwhelmed
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Electronic unemployment filing systems have crashed in at least three states in recent days amid an unprecedented crush of thousands of newly jobless Americans seeking benefits, and other states were adjusting their systems to avoid being next....

2 men, teen charged in gang rape of Calif. lesbian
MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) -- Two men and a teenager were charged Tuesday in the alleged gang rape of a lesbian in the San Francisco Bay area....

Gov. Schwarzenegger rejects latest budget proposal
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed an $18 billion deficit-cutting package Tuesday that legislative Democrats characterized as the only "game in town."...

AP Exclusive: Calendar shows key Ill. gov meetings
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich's official calendar shows he met with a top union official in his Chicago office the day before Barack Obama was elected president - just as federal prosecutors say the governor was scheming to trade Obama's Senate seat, possibly for a cushy union job....

Blagojevich race card lands softly in Senate fight
The first race card of the Obama era is now in play. In an apparent bid to save his political life - or perhaps just irritate and confound his enemies - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to wedge a black man into the all-white Senate. On Tuesday, Blagojevich's choice, Roland Burris, was turned away on Capitol Hill when he tried to take his seat....

Ex-eBay CEO largely unknown amid Calif. gov.'s bid
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Former eBay executive Meg Whitman brings intrigue and a big bank account to California's beleaguered Republican Party....