US Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

Former President George W. Bush was about to get an award from the University of Denver to recognize his humanitarian contributions to American society. But too many objected, and university leaders caved. Now Arrow Electronics Inc. chief Michael Long will receive the honor, National Review Online reported.

American jihadist Adam Yahiye Gadahn appears in a new al Qaeda video urging Syrian rebels to reject Western help and turn their insurgency into a global jihad, like the one in Iraq against the U.S. occupation. The Oregon-born 34-year-old speaks in Arabic, with English subtitles, in the hourlong video that was released by al Qaeda's multimedia arm, as-Sahab, on Tuesday.

Target is being sued by three former employees who said a managers' memorandum they stumbled upon was racist and that the treatment they received by bosses was discriminatory. The memo, distributed among managers, was actually aimed at reminding store leaders of the need to be sensitive to stereotyping, the Daily Mail reported.

Note to the Hempstead Union Free School District on New York's Long Island: It's "The Great Gatsby," not "The Great Gypsy." That's just one of about 30 mistakes on the school district's recommended list of summer reading books for students. Another, as The Associated Press reported: It's author Emily Bronte, not "Bonte."

A Wisconsin mining company has hired private paramilitary forces to defend and protect its property from environmentally minded protesters, on the heels of a confrontation with activists at the mine in June. The troopers are uniformed and carry tactical gear and semi-automatic weapons, Wisconsin Watch reported.

President Obama's words of wisdom to dozens of children who attended the White House's annual Kids' State Dinner on Tuesday: Food is fun. Eat healthy. He made the off-the-cuff remarks to the roughly 54 children who attended the event, hosted by first lady Michelle Obama, Yahoo News reported.

Sen. Rand Paul is threatening to block James Comey's nomination to lead the FBI if he does not get answers on the use of drones within the U.S. borders, just four months after his 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's pick to lead the CIA.

Some activists at the Texas Capitol were hurling expletives at the church during the lawmakers' discussion of an abortion bill that would ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a media organization reported.

Day 2 of the testimony of a former partner and friend of reputed mobster head James "Whitey" Bulger ended in drama and mayhem, with each shouting expletives across the courtroom. The chaos started when Kevin Weeks , who was close enough to Mr. Bulger that they spoke daily , said he witnessed the mob boss commit several killings.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) , More than 20 people are hospitalized in North Carolina after the second-story deck on condominium in Ocean Isle Beach collapsed onto a concrete patio below. WECT reports that 21 people were transported to hospitals Tuesday evening after the structure gave way.

Organizers said Tuesday that they were putting the final touches on a "character-development" national program for boys, in the most direct challenge to date to the decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow openly gay boys to participate in Scouting.

A descendant of Col. Charles Beckwith, who in 1977 founded the Army's Delta Force that today hunts and kills Islamic terrorists, passed the test in May to become a member of the elite special operations forces. The graduate is not a burly Beckwith man, but the late colonel's 20-year-old granddaughter.

House Republicans are meeting Wednesday to hash out their own strategy on immigration, but already one major difference has emerged between them and their Senate counterparts , they are far less enthusiastic about an eventual path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

When the Rev. Thomas Vander Woude learned about a young couple planning to abort their unborn baby that had been diagnosed with Down syndrome, the priest reached out and offered a deal: Deliver the child and he would help find an appropriate adoptive family. But he had to act fast.

The deadly derailment and explosion of rail cars carrying crude oil through Quebec last weekend highlighted the dangers of the growing trend of shipping more fuel by rail in the U.S. and Canada, and analysts say it may add to pressure on President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.