story

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon (search) says the political uproar over the disclosure of a secret military intelligence group is overblown and based on misinformation about the group’s makeup and mission. Stephen A. Cambone, the Pentagon’s top intelligence official, rushed to Capitol Hill on Monday after some members of Congress reacted …

When elderly Medicare (search) patients are diagnosed with colon cancer (search), it’s often the first time they’ve ever been tested for the disease. That defies screening guidelines, say the Cleveland researchers who report the finding. Gregory Cooper, MD, is on staff at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Jonathan Payes, MS, works …

PARIS – The trial of six men accused of plotting to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris opened with testimony from the suspected ringleader. Voluble French-Algerian Djamel Beghal (search), 39, told the Paris court on Monday that he had been kept in solitary confinement awaiting trial since his arrest in …

NEW YORK – Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) is in talks to sell its consumer over-the-counter drug line, which includes pain relievers Excedrin and Bufferin, cold medicine Comtrex and Keri lotions, according to published reports. The pharmaceutical giant, which has struggled to restructure in the face of lost patents on key …

PHOENIX – Seven of Arizona’s 15 counties have declared states of emergency to qualify for cleanup funding and aid from storm-related damage suffered over the past two weeks. The northwestern tip of the state and central regions were hit hardest during Tuesday’s most recent round of bad weather. At least …

ATLANTA – Home Depot Inc. (HD), the world’s largest home improvement retailer, Thursday said it sees earnings and sales rising in fiscal 2005 but below a 2004 rate of growth it now says will be higher than it previously forecast. The company, which is holding its analyst meeting in Atlanta, …

NEW YORK – Alcoa Inc. (AA), the world’s biggest aluminum producer, said Monday its quarterly net profit slipped because of higher energy costs, a weaker dollar and a charge it took for divesting non-core businesses. Pittsburgh-based Alcoa said net income was $268 million, or 30 cents a share, in the …

A columnist at the Newton Tab in Massachusetts suggests that school officials there wondering why scores on standardized math tests have plummeted in recent years look no further than recent curriculum changes for an explanation. About five years ago, writes Tom Mountain, the Newton school district opted to start emphasizing …

LOS ANGELES – More heavy rain spread across parts of California (search) on Sunday and snow piled deeper in the mountains as the state sat under a storm system that already had snowbound motorists, caused flooding and even slowed trains. The latest in a series of storms was blamed for …

U.S. health officials defended the safety of childhood vaccines Tuesday in an apparent attempt to answer vocal critics questioning the connection between some vaccines and autism. Officials told reporters that they are worried that concerns over possible connections between autism and the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal are discouraging parents from vaccinating …