Ken Stanford

A fire racing through rural north-central Washington destroyed about 100 homes, leaving behind smoldering rubble, solitary brick chimneys and burned-out automobiles as it blackened hundreds of square miles in the scenic Methow Valley.

The surge of Central American children crossing the U.S. southern border has shifted the politics of immigration, weakening one of the most potent arguments Democrats plan to make against Republicans in November and in the next presidential election.

Earnings gains from Google, Honeywell and other big U.S. companies drive the stock market to a higher close, wiping out much of its loss from the day before.

The GasBuddy National Average (courtesy of http://media.gasbuddy.com) has fallen to $3.583/gal, the lowest price since April 8, when it was $3.580/gal.

The Georgia Department of Labor

A gauge designed to predict the economy's future health increased in June for a fifth consecutive month, supporting the view that economic growth should accelerate in the second half of this year.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Oklahoma must allow gay couples to wed, marking the second time it has found the U.S. Constitution protects same-sex marriage.

The United States began building a case Friday that would pin the blame for the downing of the passenger jet over Ukraine on separatist forces supported by Russia, in a disaster that could dramatically escalate the crisis in Ukraine.