Jolie, 37, wants other women to hear of her decision. She chose to have the surgery after learning that she carries the BRCA1 gene. Studies show women with that gene have a much greater chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

The apple trees are heading for full blossom in Michigan after a disastrous 2012 crop, when only 15 percent of the apples survived. But this year's harvest is expected to rebound.

The Associated Press is protesting what it calls a massive and unprecedented intrusion into its news gathering. The target of that wrath is the U.S. Justice Department, which secretly collected phone records for several AP reporters last year.

Simpson says the defense never told him of a plea deal offer and that his lawyer had a conflict of interest in the case.

Lanny J. Davis, a onetime crisis manager in former President Clinton's White House operation, doesn't give President Obama's communications team high marks.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, the AP president says there can be 'no possible justification' for the breach of confidential communications.

As part of its inappropriate scrutiny of conservative applicants for tax-exempt status, the IRS wanted copies of tweets and personal information about board members.

The high court ruled unanimously that when farmers use patented seed for more than one planting in violation of their licensing agreements, they are liable for damages.

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on Monday against an Indiana farmer who claimed his use of a patented seed was exempt from the patent. The Goliath in the "David and Goliath" case was the chemical giant Monsanto Corporation.

The survey showed that slightly more people (40 percent) thought the administration had been dishonest about Benghazi than those who said honest (37 percent).

A bill making its way through the Louisiana Legislature would let Cajun citizens celebrate their ancestry by customizing their driver's license, adding the phrase "I'm a Cajun" below their photograph.

Bloomberg News' Editor in Chief Matthew Winkler has apologized for the use by reporters of proprietary data about subscribers to the company's business terminals. The practice was entrenched in a newsroom that was carved out of the lucrative terminals leasing division.

Young entrepreneurs are revitalizing parts of the city, starting up businesses in what were once empty warehouses. They're creating buzz and enthusiasm. But in a city where the population is declining and the tax base is crumbling, there are doubts about how much impact their efforts will have.

Parents should talk to their children about avoiding alcohol long before they try that first drink. But how? Some scripts and talking points could make the task easier.

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the NHL by the family of hockey enforcer Derek Boogaard, who was 28 when he died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and oxycodone in May of 2011. The suit accuses the NHL of being negligent and with supplying the painkiller to Boogaard.

The Philadelphia abortion provider was found guilty of three charges of first-degree murder for illegal late-term abortions he performed at his clinic. He faces a possible death sentence.

The IRS is under fire for directing additional scrutiny toward conservative groups seeking 501(c)(4) status. But the controversy reveals a question struggled to answer clearly: Precisely what are so-called "social welfare" organizations allowed to do in electoral politics?

At a news conference in the White House East Room on Monday, President Obama responded to criticism surrounding the IRS targeting conservative groups and the administration editing talking points about September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Minnesota is poised to become the 12th state to legalize gay marriage. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign the bill on Tuesday, making Minnesota the second state in the Midwest to allow same sex couples to marry. Iowa's Supreme Court legalized it in 2009. Minnesota's embrace of gay marriage caps a dramatic political story that's dominated state politics for two years.

A Philadelphia doctor who performed abortions has been found guilty on three counts of murder. On Monday, a jury convicted Kermit Gosnell of performing late-term abortions that killed three babies after they were born alive. The physician argued that they had actually died in the womb. Gosnell is also charged in the death of a female patient who was killed by a lethal dose of sedatives and painkillers.