KABUL, Afghanistan – It was a scene from a spy novel. A little after 9:30 p.m. ET, I arrived at a back gate of Joint Base Andrews. No guard or intercom, I just drove up and it opened. I was in. The security guards verified...

President Barack Obama, on a surprise nighttime trip to Afghanistan, told war-weary Americans that he would keep his promise to wind down the unpopular conflict by the end of 2014 but also vowed he would not abandon the strife-torn country prematurely. In a televised address from an aircraft hangar at Bagram Air Base, Obama said [...]

Facebook will launch its initial public offering (IPO) on May 18, with a corporate roadshow to mark the announcement beginning on Monday, May 7. The IPO is expected to be the largest ever by an Internet-based company. The date of the launch has remained somewhat in limbo as Facebook awaited approval from the Securities and [...]

The Dow closed at its highest level in more than four years on Tuesday after U.S. manufacturing expanded at a faster pace than expected in April, easing jitters about a slowdown in the economic recovery. The Dow now sits at levels not seen since December 2007. The gains leave the benchmark S&P 500 within about 16 points of a high reached in May 2008. A convincing break above that level could set the market up for more gains, traders said. ...

The Occupy movement targeted May Day as the day "the people of the planet will take to the streets." Crowds formed in many major cities, joining protesters worldwide on International Workers Day to demand economic equality. But the day remained mostly peaceful. Promised stoppages of mass transportation and commerce by the Occupy movement largely fizzled [...]

An Arkansas woman who cashed a $1 million lottery ticket may have to give up the winnings to a woman who threw away the ticket after she bought it, according to a judge's ruling Tuesday.

Alexander Dale Oen stood on top of a world championship podium less than a year ago, wiping away tears as the Norwegian national anthem played in triumph again just three days after the country was rocked by a massacre by a right-wing extremist.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday reminded Wisconsin voters that the impact of the recall decision before them holds major national implications. "For the next five weeks, Wisconsin is going to be the center of the American political universe," Christie told supporters of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker during a rally in Oak Creek, held [...]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese leaders that risk being overshadowed by the case of an activist said to be under US protection.

A day after breaking down and falling ill on the witness stand, Cheri Young, the wife of John Edwards' former aide Andrew Young, was grilled by the defense at Edwards' federal corruption trial in North Carolina, admitting that her husband drank "a lot" and took Ambien while trying to hide Rielle Hunter, the former presidential [...]