WASHINGTON - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in an interview with Time magazine, tries to explain his change of heart on abortion. "It hit me very hard that we had so cheapened the value of human life in a Roe vs. Wade environment that it was important to stand for the dignity of human life," he said. "We learn with experience. We gain perspective over time, but the principles remain the same. I have a ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Officials at the U.S. Justice and Health and Human Services departments said they have arrested 38 people suspected of defrauding Medicare. The 38 people are accused of operating phony companies in southern Florida and billing Medicare $142 million for services that never took place, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Law enforcement officials said one of the accused purchased a $200,000 Rolls Royce Phantom using Medicare funds. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt ... [full story]

WARSAW, Poland - Poland may open its communist-era secret police files if a Warsaw court rules a new law on vetting citizens' past is illegal, media said Thursday. The controversial law, which went into effect March 15, is being debated at the Polish Constitutional Court at the request of far-left party officials who want Poles to affirm they did not collaborate with the communist regime, Polskie Radio reported. Polish President Lech Kaczynski said if the ... [full story]

PARIS - French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy was unapologetic as he returned to Paris and a hail of criticism after a three-day cruise on a billionaire's yacht. "I've no intention of hiding. I've no intention of lying. I've no intention of saying sorry," said Sarkozy, who will take office May 16, The Independent reported. The Independent said Sarkozy's political foes and even some of his backers questioned whether he should have taken a free flight to ... [full story]

NEW DELHI - India prepared to observe the 150th anniversary of its 1857 War, referred to as the First War of Independence against the British and the Sepoy Mutiny. It was on May 11, 150 years ago that the mutinous Indian soldiers from the nearby Meerut attacked British officers to free their land from the British East India Co.'s rule. Although freedom for the country would not come until 90 years later in 1947, the ... [full story]

MOSCOW - U.S. officials may soon lift trade restrictions on Russian uranium, a report in Moscow said Thursday. A 116 percent import duty on Russian uranium products supplied outside of a 1993 "Megatons to Megawatts" agreement could be lifted during a June visit by Russian nuclear chief Sergei Kiryenko, RIA Novosti reported. Under the 1993 agreement, highly enriched uranium from dismantled Russian nuclear weapons is converted into nuclear fuel for U.S. commercial reactors and sold ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush Thursday expressed concern over the message the Congress is sending by holding up funding for the Iraq war. Following a Pentagon briefing on the war, Bush said he is concerned "about what happens in the Middle East if the United States doesn't keep its word." The president said we should be concerned especially about the message perceived by al-Qaida, calling the terror group "public enemy No. 1." "There ... [full story]

LEVASY, Mo. - Tractors and boats were the vehicles of choice in Levasy, Mo., where the Missouri River flooded city streets and houses. Levasy Mayor Phyllis Dieckmann, who said she had 4 feet of water on her driveway, rode a tractor to City Hall Wednesday. "We'll probably go home by boat," she told The Kansas City Star. Officials said the river had breached levees in three places, although it wasn't clear whether the river had ... [full story]

CAMP PENDLETON, California - The bloody mess that Lt. William Kallop saw when he walked into an Iraqi family's house 18 months ago took his breath away. Minutes after one of his Marine units had pushed into the home in search of insurgents, Kallop found 10 to 15 people - including women, old men and children - dead on the living room floor. In one corner, a boy about age 6 and a girl who ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told a congressional committee Thursday he stands by the dismissals last year of eight U.S. attorneys. "My decision to ask for the resignations of these U.S. attorneys was not based on improper reasons and, therefore, the decision should stand," Gonzales said in remarks prepared for testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. "It would be improper to remove a U.S. attorney to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution ... [full story]