HARRISBURG, Pa. - U.S. presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are trading barbs, she saying he's all talk and he accusing her of trying to score political points.Clinton said Tuesday the Illinois senator's actions don't match his talk on issues such as troop withdrawal from Iraq and calls to rethink free trade agreements, the Los Angeles Times reported. In both instances, she said he pledged one thing but his advisers spoke of other options. "There's ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft Tuesday said he received no special treatment from the Justice Department in receiving a $52 million contract.Ashcroft's company was awarded a no-bid contract last year by a U.S. attorney who once worked for him to monitor an Indiana company, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He could receive up to $52 million for monitoring the company accused of wrongdoing.Not one tax dollar was involved in the "deferred prosecution ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - W.R. Grace has agreed to pay the largest sum in the history of the U.S. Superfund program to clean up asbestos contamination in Montana.The Justice Department announced Tuesday that the company would pony up $250 million for the chemical decontamination project in Libby that began in 2001.The deal settles a bankruptcy claim brought by the federal government in order to recover costs for the cleanup of homes, businesses and schools that were contaminated ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - President George Bush is aware of the rising price for crude oil and its affect at U.S. gas stations, the White House said Tuesday."The price of crude oil and therefore the price of gasoline is very high," having an impact on individual consumers and business, said presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "We are very concerned about it."However, it would not be correct to think Bush could do something that "can have an immediate ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Navy Adm. William Fallon resigned as the U.S. Central Command commander, citing the perception that he disagreed with the Bush administration over Iran.Recent published reports indicated "a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objective have become a distraction at a critical time," Fallon, the top Pentagon commander in the Middle East, said Tuesday in a statement. "Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of ... [full story]

AUSTIN, Texas - The process of dividing up Texas' delegates between U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton could last into the summer.The Houston Chronicle said Tuesday that the delegate count wouldn't become official until the state Democratic convention June 5-7 in Austin, and that smaller conventions in various counties and congressional districts later this month would have an impact on the final tally. In the recent Texas primary, Obama, D-lll., unofficially received 108 delegates to ... [full story]

COLORADO SPRINGS - U.S. Air Force officials would like Russia to be more open about its increased schedule of strategic bomber flights, the Denver Post reported Tuesday.The North American Aerospace Defense Command, based in Colorado Springs, reported that fighters were scrambled 46 times last year in response to Russian bombers. Such operations had become rare with the end of the Cold War. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the big ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. -- A 22-year-old Salem man has been arrested following preliminary investigation into the murder and alleged sexual abuse of his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter, police announced.   Russell Ros of Salem has been charged with murder in connection with the death and alleged sexual abuse of his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter. MCSO photo  According to a Salem Police Department news release, Natalia Lee was taken to Salem Hospital late Saturday evening and died shortly after midnight March ... [full story]

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- A traffic stop for a speeding violation on the Oregon State University campus early Sunday morning led to one arrest and one citation, the seizure of more than $2,000 cash, over a pound of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms – drugs troopers believe would have been sold on the campus had they not been intercepted.   Drugs and cash seized during traffic stop on OSU campus. Sean Nada (inset). - OSP photos  Oregon State Police ... [full story]

CLACKAMAS, Ore. -- Deputies are asking the public's help in identifying a man caught on a Target store surveillance video in southeast Clackamas, Oregon, Saturday afternoon as he masturbated and wiped his sperm on a nearby woman shopping with her three-year-old daughter.   If you can identify this man who was caught on video surveillance masturbating then wiping sperm on a nearby woman shopping with her three-year-old daughter, call 503.723.4949. CCSO photo. The woman, a 30-year old Vancouver, Washington ... [full story]