BETHLEHEM, N.H. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this week spurned chief rival Newt Gingrich's challenge for a one-on-one debate in the run up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses but dismissed the notion - suggested by the former House speaker - that he was afraid to participate in such a face-off.

PHOENIX (AP) -- A man found unresponsive in a jail cell after fighting with deputies at a Phoenix jail over the weekend has died after being taken off life support, an attorney representing his family said Wednesday.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Wal-Mart and health officials awaited tests Thursday on a batch of powdered infant formula that was removed from more than 3,000 stores nationwide after a Missouri newborn who consumed it died from a rare infection.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The so-called birther movement was dealt another legal blow Thursday when a federal appeals court tossed out a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship and his eligibility to serve as commander in chief.

Bank of America agreed to pay $335 million to resolve allegations that its Countrywide unit engaged in a widespread pattern of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers on home loans.

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) -- An Army intelligence analyst defied the nation's trust by indiscriminately pulling more than 700,000 documents from a supposedly secure computer network and giving reams of national secrets to WikiLeaks, a military prosecutor argued Thursday at the close of a hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning.

CHICAGO (AP) -- As Americans watch yet another political drama play out on Capitol Hill - this time over whether to extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits - they have a question for Congress: Can't you all just get along? For once?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Shoemaker visited six doctors in his quest to find the best treatment for his early stage prostate cancer - and only the last one offered what made the most sense to the California man: Keep a close watch on the tumor and treat only if it starts to grow.

These days, mommy bloggers don't just gab about spilled milk and poopy diapers. In fact, they've become so influential in the $22 billion toy market that toy makers go to great lengths to get their seal of approval. Their thumbs-up is particularly important during the holiday shopping season when toy makers hope to create the next hit toy.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress lurched toward Grinch-like gridlock on Tuesday as the Republican-controlled House rejected a two-month extension of Social Security tax cuts that President Barack Obama said was "the only viable way" to prevent a drop in take-home pay for 160 million workers on Jan. 1.