ATOTONILCO, Mexico – They name their babies Johnny and Leslie, so certain are they that their kids’ future lies in the United States. Returning migrants sprinkle English into their speech as they talk knowingly about job markets in U.S. towns. America may want to stop illegal immigration, but most Mexicans …

NEW YORK – Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) on Tuesday agreed to acquire privately held Conwood for $3.5 billion, expanding the second biggest U.S. cigarette maker’s reach into the smokeless-tobacco market. Conwood, which makes Kodiak snuff and Levi Garrett chewing tobacco, had 2005 sales of more than $450 million and operating …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Two U.S. Marines were killed and 22 wounded — two of them critically — in fighting in western Iraq, the U.S. military said Saturday. It was the biggest number of American casualties reported from a single engagement in weeks. A U.S. statement said the casualties were suffered …

WASHINGTON – Parishioners won’t find styrofoam at Towson Presbyterian Church, but they will notice shade-grown coffee, an ink cartridge-for-paper exchange and a recycling program led by the nursery school. This weekend, the church will focus on God’s creation for “Earth Day Sunday,” a special service many churches now celebrate in …

I got a few angry e-mails about putting on a “Blue on Blue” debate on Friday. That’s where I put two Democrats on to debate the differences and the arguments among the lefties. So Friday it was our own Bob Beckel, a Democratic strategist, and Maryscott O’Connor, who runs a …

HOUSTON – Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling on Tuesday addressed prosecution testimony that painted him as an earnings-obsessed leader so bent on meeting or beating Wall Street expectations that his minions resorted to fraud with his knowledge. The ex-CEO denied that he spearheaded a conspiracy that in part …

WASHINGTON – A dispute over testing is stalling the Army’s plans to move ahead with buying a new high-tech body armor now off-limits to soldiers. The stalemate is the latest development in a complex disagreement over the quality of the protective gear, known as Dragon Skin, that is made by …

TOKYO – Restructuring costs sank Sony deeper into red ink for the latest quarter amid a turnaround effort under Chief Executive Howard Stringer, the first foreigner to head the Japanese manufacturer. Sony Corp (SNE)., which brought the world the Walkman portable player and PlayStation 2 video-game machine, reported a 66.5 …

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. government released the most extensive list yet of the hundreds of detainees who have been held at the Guantanamo Bay prison — nearly all labeled enemy combatants, but only a handful of whom have faced formal charges. In all, 558 people were named …

NEW YORK – Security Council action against Iran Friday after a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was enriching uranium in defiance of the United Nations “We are ready to take action in the Security Council,” U.S. Ambasador to the U.N. John Bolton told reporters. “We’re concerned …