LAS VEGAS – President Bush has arrived here for a campaign fundraiser and the presentation of a volunteer award to a nurse who helped Hurricane Katrina evacuees. The president was greeted at McCarran International Airport by the state’s top Republicans — Gov. Kenny Guinn, Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jim …

LOS ANGELES – A spokesman for Chris Rock said the comedian hired celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano to investigate a model who claimed he was the father of her unborn child, according to a published report. Rock’s representative, Matt Labov, confirmed that the comedian’s representatives hired Pellicano after Hungarian model …

NEW YORK – That new Janet Jackson music making the rounds on the Internet is apparently not as new as you might think. The pop superstar, who is working on a new album, says someone has leaked songs she recorded at least two years ago when working with hitmaking producer …

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – In their sharpest dispute yet, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday blocked the ruling Hamas party’s plans to set up a shadow security force made up of militants and headed by the No. 2 fugitive on Israel’s wanted list. Abbas, who favors peace talks with …

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Cara Harrison drove 140 miles Monday just to vote for the next mayor of New Orleans, and she wasn’t alone. Hundreds of Hurricane Katrina evacuees boarded buses before dawn Monday in Texas and other states for the long trip to Louisiana, where they could cast early …

WASHINGTON – The federal government is on pace to have 11 top-priority reforms in emergency response completed by the June 1 start of hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday. But much of the success or failure in responding to disasters will depend on how well state and …

ATLANTA – The campaign manager for Secretary of State Cathy Cox resigned on Wednesday amid allegations that he altered an online biography of her Democratic opponent to add a mention of his son’s arrest in a fatal drunk driving accident. Cox said an internal investigation confirmed that the posting about …

Missouri – A car discovered at the bottom of an eastern Missouri lake matched the description of one belonging to a teenager missing for more than two weeks after a party near the lake, authorities said Monday. The car is the same model and color as Wade Lurk’s white 1990 …

Thursday’s episode of “The View” offered a precious glimpse into newswomen’s souls. Before Meredith Vieira announced on-air that she was forsaking the female chat fest for “Today,” Barbara Walters — “The View’s” matron saint — buried that blazing headline by paying tribute to … herself. While the media was still …

WASHINGTON – The number of U.S. workers making new claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week to 283,000, the government said on Thursday, although a more reliable long-term measure of claims fell to its lowest in 5-1/2 years. The Labor Department said initial claims for state jobless aid rose …