WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats blocked a few of President Bush’s conservative judicial nominees for years and then lost seats last fall. Now, they are accusing Republicans of devoting too much time to the issue and ignoring pocketbook concerns. It is a political pivot, designed to gain advantage from polls that show the public increasingly…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Specialists are crediting greater public attention to child abuse and other family related violence with helping cause a steep drop in reported domestic crimes. Between 1993 and 2002, the rate of family violence fell from about 5.4 victims to 2.1 victims per 1,000 residents age 12 and older, according to a Justice…

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average gasoline price nationwide for all grades dropped less than 2 cents in three weeks, continuing a slide in pump prices that began in April, according to an industry analyst. The average retail price for all three grades dropped 1.65 cents to $2.16 per gallon between May 20 to Friday,…

NEW YORK (AP) — A red-light district tentatively cleared for construction on the Internet — the “.xxx” domain — is being billed by backers as giving the $12 billion online porn industry a great opportunity to clean up its act. A distinct online sector for the salacious, one with rules aimed at forbidding trickery, will…

NEWPORT (AP) — Authorities charged 144 people at possibly the largest cockfight in the country, officials said Sunday. Several SWAT teams, helicopters and dozens of state troopers participated in the raid Saturday on the sprawling Del Rio Cockfight Pit. They seized about $40,000 in cash and killed more than 300 roosters. “Reputedly, this was the…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A $15,000 tax-free signing bonus being offered by the Tennessee National Guard is enticing soldiers with the 278th Regimental Combat Team to reenlist for six more years at a time when many want to get out. “That’s a good down payment on a house or a vehicle,” said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy…

NASHVILLE (AP) — About half of Tennessee’s 910,000 public school students qualified last year for free or reduced-price meals at school. The number — a national measure of poverty — has been climbing in recent years. And it is expected to keep increasing, in part, because new eligibility guidelines will make it easier for families…

MEMPHIS (AP) — Supporters of three longtime Memphis politicians facing corruption charges could end up on their juries, legal experts say. Former Democratic Sens. John Ford and Roscoe Dixon, and Sen. Kathryn Bowers, also a Democrat, are among seven individuals charged in an elaborate FBI sting called “Tennessee Waltz.” Both critics and supporters have said…

By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer HAROLD FORD JR. NASHVILLE — A day after Harold Ford Jr. announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate came the news Democrats dreaded: his uncle had been arrested back home in Tennessee on public corruption charges. The U.S. representative has spent much of his political career trying…

WASHINGTON (AP) — If there is a Supreme Court vacancy this summer, President Bush may look no farther than the Capitol for a member of Congress who can be confirmed quickly. Past presidents have done it, more than two dozen times. While admittedly long shots, GOP Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of…