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ATLANTA – The woman who said she gained the trust of suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols (search) by talking about her faith while he held her hostage was presented with $70,000 in reward money Thursday for helping authorities capture him. Ashley Smith (search), a 26-year-old widowed mother of one, was …

ROME – Italy (search) demanded answers Saturday as former hostage Giuliana Sgrena was taken off a flight from Iraq hooked to an intravenous drip for a shoulder wound inflicted when American troops fired on a car taking her to the Baghdad airport. The Italian agent who negotiated her freedom was …

NEW YORK – Ed McMahon (search), the longtime sidekick of “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson (search), is writing a memoir, titled, of course, “Here’s Johnny!” “The stories he shares, with Johnny’s blessing given before his death, paint a picture of the enigmatic Carson, so cool before the camera, yet genuinely …

Warning signs of a stroke (search) may start up to a week before the actual attack, a new study suggests. Researchers found that almost one out of every three ischemic stroke survivors suffered “ministrokes,” known as transient ischemic attacks (search), prior to the actual event, and most of these ministrokes …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The U.S. military decided Tuesday to conduct an accelerated inquiry to learn why American troops opened fire, killing an Italian intelligence agent and wounding an Italian journalist he helped rescue from insurgents in Iraq (search). The decision to fast-track the investigation into the attack, which has strained …

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II (search) blessed tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists who packed St. Peter’s Square for Easter Sunday (search) by making the sign of the cross with his hand, but he was unable to speak. Aides had readied a microphone, and the pope appeared …

Here’s what is on tap for Monday: “FOX & Friends First” Starts at 6 a.m. ET With the legal battle for Terri Schiavo (search) at an end, can Florida Governor Jeb Bush to use his executive power to step in and save her life? We’ll ask Janet Folger, president of …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A U.S. soldier was killed during operations west of the Iraqi capital, the military said Saturday. The soldier, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (search), died Friday “in a non-hostile accident” in Anbar province, the military said in a statement. The military said it was investigating …

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court (search) rejected an appeal Monday to reinstate a state law requiring girls under age 18 to get parental consent (search) for abortions except under the most dire of medical emergencies. Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling that struck down the Idaho law …

PHOENIX – Almost two years to the day after their company was ambushed, former POW Jessica Lynch (search) on Tuesday honored fallen comrade Army Spc. Lori Piestewa (search) — the first American servicewoman killed in the Iraq war. The women were best friends who served together in the 507th Maintenance …