BARRINGTON, Ill. -- An Illinois woman said she was forced to molest two children hundreds of times by her abusive ex-brother-in-law.Barrington-area resident, Yolanda Dipert, 46, said her ex-lover and brother-in-law, Lee Dipert, 52, made her have sex with a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported Thursday."I did not know how to call the police. I was afraid that if I went to the police, me and the children would ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A suspension of troop withdrawals, a reduction in tours of duty and a choice for Iran topped U.S. President George Bush's remarks Thursday.Bush said he endorses Army Gen. David Petraeus' assessment that there should be a period of assessment and evaluation after the current troop drawdown ends in July."He'll have all the time he needs" to evaluate and assess the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, Bush said.Bush said he directed that the troop ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A four-month, $40 million media campaign is being readied by wealthy Democrats to attack Republican John McCain, the leader of the project says.At its helm will be David Brock, a former right-wing investigative reporter known for his anti-Bill Clinton work in the 1990s. The media, he said, has "fallen down on the job" when it comes to McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Brock's most recent book is called "Free Ride: John McCain ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The United States is a scofflaw in paying dues -- hundreds of millions of dollars in dues -- to international organizations, government data show.The debt, now $293 million, is projected to reach $478 million by the end of the year, based on data from the State Department and the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing it, USA Today said Thursday.One delinquent account is the U.N. peacekeeping office, which is owed nearly $160 million on obligations ... [full story]

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., says she's the only presidential candidate offering a real plan to end the war in Iraq.Stumping in Pennsylvania, Clinton took aim at both presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic competitor, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, The Washington Post reported Thursday. "One candidate will continue the war, one candidate only says he'll end the war, and one candidate is ready, willing and able to end ... [full story]

WESTPORT, Conn. -- Presumptive Republican U.S. presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, speaking at a global investment firm, tried to move away from several White House policies.In remarks made Wednesday in Westport, Conn., McCain pledged to confer more with congressional leaders on war matters and "be humble" when dealing with foreign leaders, The Washington Post reported Thursday. "I think you need to consult more closely and carefully, not with every member of Congress, but with the ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain have begun laying the foundation for funding fall campaigns for the U.S. presidency, their campaigns say.Obama, the Illinois senator battling Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., to be the Democratic presidential nominee, is signaling he may skip public financing for the general election, should he be nominated, The New York Times reported. His campaign says he raised $55 million in February and $40 million in March.McCain, meanwhile, indicated he ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government has embarked on a reported nationwide effort to get law-breaking illegal aliens off the streets and out of the country.The ambitious project, handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is expected to cost as much as $3 billion a year to identify and deport as many as 450,000 illegal immigrants locked up annually, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.Though connected with only about 10 percent of the nation's 3,100 jails, ICE ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Competing factions of the Republican party appear to be vying for influence in John McCain's bid for the White House, observers say.One component, the so-called pragmatists, some of whom think the Iraq war was a mistake, is showing concern that McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is coming under increased influence of the neoconservatives, credited with playing a major role in making the case for war, The New York Times said Thursday.Concerns ... [full story]

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Greenpeace activists, some of them wearing fox masks, protested in Prague Thursday against plans for a U.S. radar base on Czech soil.The fox disguises were related to the main object of their dispute, Greens Education Minister Ondrej Liska (fox in Czech), who had made allegedly ambiguous statements on the proposed radar installation.The radar base is to be located in the Brdy military district, southwest of Prague, the Czech News Agency said. ... [full story]