ATLANTA – A rape defendant accused of killing a judge and three others during and after his escape from the downtown courthouse pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder charges that could bring the death penalty. At the brief hearing,Brian Nichols (search), 33, was polite and soft-spoken, answering routine questions from …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A bomb tore through a jeep carrying Afghan anti-drug police in eastern Afghanistan (search), killing three officers and injuring two more, an official said Sunday, in the first deadly attack on the country’s new counternarcotics forces. The bomb hit the vehicle on Saturday in Kunar province, where …

NEW YORK – Citigroup Inc. (C) and Wachovia Corp. (WB), two of the four largest U.S. banks, on Friday reported record quarterly profits, as consumers borrowed more, bad loans declined and costs were kept in check. Citigroup, the largest bank, said first-quarter profit increased 3 percent, while Wachovia, the fourth-largest, …

WASHINGTON – A boss sends a red bra to a former female subordinate who had a falling out with him. Government e-mails distribute profanity and a picture of a partly nude woman. An order to better protect patients in a medical experiment takes two years to complete. All of that …

WASHINGTON – Senior U.S. military commanders have become so pleased with events in Iraq that they expect troop levels (search) to drop to about 100,000 by early next year, depending on the persistence of the insurgency and local security-force training, defense sources confirmed to FOX News. “We’re hitting our goals,” …

WASHINGTON – Timberland Co. (TBL) posted record first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, exceeding analysts’ estimates by about 20 percent. Solid sales for its trademark boots in the United States and abroad were boosted by favorable exchange rates, and its stock price hit an all-time high. The shoemaker also said it saw …

WASHINGTON – President Bush’s standing with the public is slumping just three months into his final term, but Americans have an even lower regard for the job being done by Congress. Bush’s job approval is at 44 percent, with 54 percent disapproving. Only 37 percent have a favorable opinion of …

WASHINGTON – A group of European Union lawmakers sought Tuesday to find out from U.S. officials, lawmakers and human rights groups whether any European countries were involved in secret CIA prisons or flights for terror suspects. Clandestine prisons and secret flights via or from Europe to countries where suspects could …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A car bomb possibly targeting a convoy of coalition troops killed three people in the capital Sunday, while one French and 16 Afghan soldiers were killed and about 40 other troops wounded in two firefights in southern Afghanistan, officials said. The country’s foreign minister, meanwhile, claimed that …

WARSAW, Poland – About 270,000 people on Friday attended a Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the same Warsaw square where his predecessor had inspired Poland’s Solidarity movement against communist rule a quarter-century before. The faithful filled the rain-drenched Pilsudski Square, standing resolutely in ponchos and under umbrellas. Church bells …