For years, varied and sometimes wild claims have been made about the origins of a group of dark-skinned Appalachian residents once known derisively as the Melungeons. Some speculated they were descended from Portuguese explorers, or perhaps from Turkish slaves or Gypsies. More »DNA study seeks origin of Appalachia's Melungeons
A Colorado man who was admitted to the hospital for a kidney stone received surprising news when the nurse came back with test results revealing he was actually a woman. Denver photographer Steve Crecelius said he’s felt a little different all his life. “When I... More »Man Admitted to Hospital for Kidney Stone, Discovers He's a Woman
A new Amnesty International report paints a gruesome picture of summary executions, torture and ill-treatment in North Korea as Kim Jong Un succeeded his late father, Kim Jong Il, as the country's ruler last December. The country used firing squads or staged traffic accidents to execute 30 officials involved in talks to unite North and [...] More »Report: N. Korean officials executed in staged traffic accidents
DES MOINES, Iowa – On his first visit back to the Iowa state fairgrounds since the 2008 campaign, President Obama tonight used a grassroots rally to launch sharp new attacks against rival Mitt Romney over the debt and deficit and vigorously defend his own handling... More »Obama Accuses Romney of 'Cow-Pie of Distortion' on Debt, Deficits
Bill Clinton he was not. When it came to smoking pot, the teenage Barack Obama had rules. You had to embrace "total absorption" or face a penalty. When you smoked in the car, "the windows had to be rolled up." And he could horn his way in, calling out "Intercepted!" and grab the joint out [...] More »Obama’s high school pot-smoking detailed in Maraniss book
The story behind a photograph showing a 5-year-old black boy touching President Obama's hair may be coming to your inbox soon. The New York Times published the adorable back story about the photo—which has been hanging in the West Wing of the White House for more than three years—on Thursday, and it's quickly become the [...] More »Boy who touched Obama’s hair: Story behind White House photo is probably in your inbox
Tru and Tashia Ulman thought they were just touring a Wisconsin airport with a group of Scouts. Then something caught their eye that caused them to sprint through the concourse and jump—right into the arms of the parents they hadn't seen since October. Fox 11 was on the scene at the Outagamie County Regional Airport [...] More »Wisconsin military couple surprise their children at airport
Update: 5:42pm EST Police in Oregon say the mother of three children allegedly abandoned in a shed has been found. They released the following statement on Friday afternoon: "The mother of the missing children has been located, and we thank everyone who helped with information. We do not need any additional tips." The search began [...] More »UPDATE: Mother of three abandoned Oregon children found
For the first time in history, there are now more unemployed Americans who attended at least some college than people who only graduated high school or dropped out of high school, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Seasonally unadjusted BLS data from April show that about 4.7 million of the nation's 9 million unemployed either [...] More »Most unemployed Americans attended at least some college, for the first time ever
Brian Banks' Accuser Contacted Him on Facebook and Recanted Her Story More »Former Rising Football Star Exonerated in Rape Case
Now we've seen our share of geeky marriage proposals in our day, but Isaac Lamb's insanely epic live lip-dub proposal may just be the most epically awesome "she said yes!" story of them all. The Portland actor had his brother sit girlfriend Amy … Continue reading More »Is this the world’s most epic marriage proposal?
Picture this: A small Norwegian island dotted with pine trees, rocky coasts, rustic farms and private, wooden cottages. It sounds almost like the perfect romantic getaway. But the residents are actually inmates confined to what some are calling the "world's nicest prison." CNN has an excellent, in-depth look at Bastoy Prison, located on a one-square-mile [...] More »A look inside the ‘world’s nicest prison’
Here’s a riddle: What comes in group of four and is the color of French’s Mustard? After a week of deliberations, the four alternate jurors have become the prime distraction for the assembled press corps and spectators in the courtroom. On Thursday the alternates –... More »John Edwards Juror Flirts With Him
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Cleanup workers will soon attack a jumble of debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami that litters an Alaskan island, as residents in the state gear up to scour their shores for everything from buoys to building material that has floated across the Pacific. The cleansing project slated to start on Friday on Montague Island is expected to last a couple weeks, and organizers say it marks the first major project in Alaska to collect and dispose of debris from the tsunami. The March 2011 tsunami, caused by a magnitude 9. ... More »Alaskan crews gear up to tackle Japan tsunami debris
To millions of TV news viewers, Walter Cronkite might well have been the most trusted man in America. But, according to a new biography, he committed unethical, biased no-nos that would get him fired these days, writes Newsweek's Howard Kurtz. Kurtz describes the new book, Cronkite, by Douglas Brinkley, as "sweeping and masterful" in its [...] More »Biography paints Cronkite’s darker side
George Zimmerman's view of the Sanford, Fla., Police Department shifted during an eight-month period in 2011, CNN is reporting. Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, called what he saw on ride-alongs with police "disgusting" at a public community forum in January 2011. However Zimmerman changed his tune [...] More »George Zimmerman changed his view of Sanford police, files show
What is the Bavarian city located on the Danube River that was a legislative seat of the Holy Roman Empire from 1663 to 1806? Without a deep knowledge of geography or the Holy Roman Empire, most people wouldn’t be able to answer that question, but... More »Texas Teen Wins National Geographic Bee
Everything you need to get up to speed on the big story of the day May 25 is National Missing Children's Day. Etan Patz, its poster child, remains missing. After 33 years, a man has stepped forward to confess to strangling Patz. Proof will be another matter, as the former grocery store worker has not [...] More »Y! Big Story: The missing
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs. More »Typical CEO made $9.6M last year, AP study finds
Scores of climbers were headed for the summit of Mount Everest on Friday in what is expected to another busy weekend on the top of the world. More »Days after deaths, another crowd attempts Everest
EducationThese flexible online degrees could help you go to school on your terms.
These five online degrees could make fitting school into your schedule a cinch.