US Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

WASHINGTON , A federal judge Thursday ordered the government to stop genital searches of Guantanamo Bay detainees who want to meet with their lawyers, concluding that the motivation for the searches is not to enhance security, but to deter the detainees' access to attorneys.

SANTA ANA, Calif. , A Saudi princess charged with human trafficking was freed after her country's consulate posted her $5 million bail, but authorities imposed strict travel requirements and GPS tracking to keep her in Southern California.

SAN FRANCISCO , A little girl who was aboard the Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed died Friday, the same day that authorities confirmed one of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the disaster was hit by a firetruck. The disclosure about the teen raised the tragic possibility that she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath.

A group of Californians who support Proposition 8 have filed legal papers asking the state's highest court to order county clerks to stop granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera called the move "a desperate obstruction tactic" and said his office would promptly oppose their efforts.

Geraldo Rivera asserted Friday that all-female jury in the George Zimmerman murder trial "would have shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did." Mr. Rivera, appearing on Fox's "Fox and Friends," said the trial was poisoned by "race politics," accusing the Rev. Al Sharpton of MSNBC of being the catalyst for the state's decision to bring murder charges against Mr.

An IRS policy decision made 17 years ago resulted in the agency distributing billions of dollars in refundable tax credits to illegal immigrants , including $4.2 billion in 2010 alone , according to an oversight committee for the Treasury Department.

SANFORD, Fla. , A jury began deliberating George Zimmerman's fate Friday after hearing dueling portraits of the neighborhood watch captain: a wannabe cop who took the law into his own hands or a well-meaning volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin because he feared for his life.

While many across the political spectrum are happy to see Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leave her job in Washington, some who live on the West Coast say they'd just as soon not see her out there, after it was revealed Friday that she's poised to take over as head of the University of California school system.

A Georgia museum is catching flack for prohibiting a wheelchair-bound girl, 11, from entering because her wheels would dirty the carpets. Moreover, this is not the first time The Ships of the Sea Museum in Savannah, Ga., cited that reason to keep out a patron.

The Justice Department on Thursday dismissed suggestions by a Washington-based watchdog group that it helped organize a "pressure campaign" last year against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

The July 5 announcement by the Vatican that blessed John Paul II, the pontiff who died in 2005, has been "cleared" by Pope Francis for canonization was not overly surprising. From the chants of "Santo...

A lawsuit filed this week by gay couples against Pennsylvania's marriage law got a major boost Thursday when the state's top law officer said she would not defend the law. "I cannot ethically defend the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's version of DOMA where I believe it to be wholly unconstitutional," Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said at a press conference.

George Zimmerman prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda reportedly mislead the jury during his closing arguments Thursday afternoon, when he incorrectly told the jury that the defendant told neighbor and state witness Joe Manalo at the scene that he "killed" Trayvon Martin. But according to Manalo's testimony, he never said Zimmerman told him he "killed" Martin.

Bill Clinton isn't holding a grudge after a video surfaced of pop singer Justin Bieber peeing in a mop bucket and yelling expletives at the former president. "F--- Bill Clinton!" the 19-year-old is heard saying in the video, as he sprays Windex on a photo of Mr. Clinton's face.

Zimmerman prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech in his closing arguments, arguing that star witness Rachel Jeantel should be taken seriously, regardless of her "unsophisticated" testimony, National Review Online first reported.