Ken Stanford

It's Alumni Weekend at Brenau University and two days of activities and special events got underway Friday.

U.S. retail sales fell in March from February by the most in nine months, indicating higher taxes and weak hiring have made consumers more cautious about spending. Wholesale prices also declined.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a stark warning to North Korea on Friday not to test-fire a mid-range missile, while rejecting a new U.S. intelligence report suggesting significant progress in the communist regime's nuclear weapons program.

A powerful spring storm that brought tornadoes, hail and high winds to the Deep South after socking the Midwest was making its way toward the Carolinas early Friday, with three deaths blamed on the rough weather and thousands of people without power.

The number of U.S. homes repossessed by lenders last month fell to the lowest level in more than five years, the latest evidence that the nation's foreclosure crisis is abating amid an improving housing market.

A U.S. intelligence report concludes that North Korea has advanced its nuclear knowhow to the point that it could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, a jarring revelation in the midst of bellicose threats from the unpredictable communist regime.

A bipartisan immigration bill soon to be introduced in the Senate could exclude hundreds of thousands of immigrants here illegally from ever becoming U.S. citizens, according to a Senate aide with knowledge of the proposals.

The first hurdle cleared with deceptive ease, the Senate turns to the heart of the battle over curbing gun violence next week when it considers a proposal to expand required federal background checks to gun shows and online firearms sales.

Saying they are working to create an environment for private-sector employers to create jobs and to increase transparency, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Doug Collins are introducing legislation that would end the practice of enacting federal regulations through sue-and-settle litigation.

Six automakers, including Toyota, Honda and Nissan, are recalling nearly 3.4 million older-model vehicles worldwide because of defective air bags that can send shrapnel flying into the passenger compartment.