MEXICO CITY - Bomb threats. Protests. Vows by Catholic bishops that legislators, doctors and women will be excommunicated. As Mexico City lawmakers prepare to vote Tuesday on the legalization of first trimester abortions in the nation's capital, the Catholic Church and pro-life groups are waging an emotional campaign against the measure that is pushing the city to the brink of violent confrontation. Several council members have received death threats in recent days. The colonial building ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The lead investigator into the massacre at Virginia Tech said his team would ask tough questions, such as why the campus wasn't secured, in its inquiry. The question has been raised frequently, Col. Gerald Massengill said on NBC's "Meet the Press," particularly since Virginia Tech was locked down in August when a gunman headed toward campus. Last week, Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people in two locations before killing himself. The retired Virginia State ... [full story]

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The former editor of the Santa Barbara News-Press is denying the publisher's allegations that his work computer contained child pornography. "It is false, defamatory, malicious and was published in full knowledge that it was untrue," former Editor Jerry Roberts told The New York Times. The allegations were published Sunday in a front-page article in the paper. They deepened a conflict involving wealthy publisher, Wendy P. McCaw, who has had a contentious ... [full story]

SEATTLE - A state lawmaker in Washington is closing in on reaching her goal of banning motorists from sending or reading text messages while driving. Rep. Joyce McDonald, a Republican, told The Los Angeles Times she decided to write a bill prohibiting DWT -- "driving while texting" -- when she was visiting a high school class in Seattle. She noticed students texting each other in class, and that led to a discussion of the practice. ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif. -- who recently took leave from Congress for treatment of cancer -- died at 68 in Carson, Calif., Sunday. Millender-McDonald was serving her seventh term in the House of Representatives. She was the first African-American woman to chair the House Administration Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued a statement calling Millender-McDonald "a trailblazer, always advocating for the full participation of all Americans in the success and prosperity ... [full story]

CACTUS, Texas - Tornadoes ripped through parts of Texas during the weekend, causing substantial damage in the towns of Cactus and Tulia. The tornadoes knocked down power lines in Cactus and damaged buildings in both communities, The Amarillo Globe-News reported. Wes Reeves, spokesman for Xcel Energy, said that by late Saturday night, 14,000 customers in the Texas panhandle were without power. A tornado near the town of Olton reportedly damaged an unknown number of homes. ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration admitted it knew of contamination problems for years at various food plants from which products were recalled. The FDA knew about problems at a peanut butter plant in Georgia and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people and sickened hundreds, The Washington Post reported. The subsequent recall of bagged spinach was one of the biggest recalls in U.S. history. The FDA ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - An agency that oversees the World Bank is asking for the resignation of the bank's president, former deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. In a document obtained by the Financial Times, the Independent Evaluation Group asked for Wolfowitz's immediate resignation, saying a continuation of his leadership will lead to "irreparable harm to worldwide efforts in poverty reduction and sustainable development." The pressure for Wolfowitz to resign mounted last week, when 42 of the ... [full story]

NEW YORK - New York City is planning to plant 1 million trees during the next decade as part of an effort to make it a greener city. City planners say the trees will help clean the air by soaking up carbon dioxide. The plan is also expected to make the city cooler in the summer, reducing energy demands, The New York Times reported. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a speech on Earth Day Sunday, said ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - A recent series of polls have found New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is losing support in the Democratic Party among certain voting segments. While the polls showed Clinton has maintained her stance as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, they did reveal the senator is losing the support of certain strategic groups to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, The Washington Times said Sunday. The polls found Clinton is experiencing losses in liberal ... [full story]