LOS ANGELES (AP) — The jilted woman sits in front of the TV set and fast-food cartons, watching Judy Garland belt out “The Man Who Got Away” and wallowing in heartache. There’s an insistent knock on her door. It’s him. A torrid glance, an embrace, the music swells. Fade promisingly to black. For hopeless romantics,…

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Ah, the smell of money — there’s nothing quite like it. Some people, in fact, may soon be looking for ways to mask the special odor. Drug traffickers who ship profits abroad in suitcases are not apt to be thrilled with some inventions developed by federal scientists at the Idaho…

MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Vicente Fox said Thursday his government will formally protest recent U.S. immigration reforms, including the decision to extend walls along the border and make it harder for illegal migrants to get driver’s licenses. Fox didn’t give details of Mexico’s plan, but officials in his administration have raised the possibility of…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Star Trek: Enterprise” is about to go where it has never gone before: off the air, taking the “Star Trek” franchise with it. After the two-hour finale airs (8 p.m. EDT Friday on UPN) this will be the first time in 18 years that no first-run “Trek” series is on TV.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has changed its Web site advising parents how to talk to their children about sex after several groups said it presented biased and inaccurate information. The site received about 5 million hits in its first month of operation. In recent days, the section on sexual orientation was changed to…

CHICAGO (AP) — Perhaps within five years, the government is likely to recommend annual flu shots for every American — not just young children, the elderly and other at-risk people, public health advocates predict. The government panel that sets U.S. vaccine policy already has begun discussing “universal immunization” as a way to boost vaccination rates…

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge tossed South Carolina’s law barring distribution of sexually explicit pictures to minors over the Internet, ruling it violates the First Amendment and Congress’ authority over interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Patrick Duffy, ruling Monday in a case brought by booksellers and publishers, noted Internet filters are an equally…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has drawn up a shorter list than expected of U.S. military bases to close, but targeted communities still face a long, uphill fight to save their installations. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday was to disclose a list of what was expected to be dozens of stateside Army, Navy,…

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago officials voted Wednesday to ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones starting this summer and set fines of $50 and up for violators. The City Council approved the ordinance without debating it, angering some aldermen who worried about suburban residents and visitors being targeted as they cross the city line from…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s an unlikely suspicion, but a kinder, gentler Bill Maher seems to be emerging on television. On a recent episode of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” he made sure conservatives were as well-represented in the audience as on the panel. These days, Maher also prides himself on hosting a talk…