AP - The arrest of Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law in the shooting deaths of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew confirmed what police officials have quietly said for weeks: that the 27-year-old convicted felon was the prime suspect in the slayings.

AP - The meeting appeared routine — a businessman and politician stopped at a sandwich shop to chat about plans to develop a nearby parcel of land.

AP - For a journal written by a man many consider a confident and charismatic religious prophet, Joseph Smith's first sentence betrays an inkling of self-doubt — it's scratched out.

AP - A television anchorwoman killed in her home had been sexually assaulted and beaten so badly in a suspected burglary that her jaw shattered and she broke a hand while trying to fend off her attacker's blows, her parents said Monday.

AP - Nearly 200 passengers on a flight from El Salvador landed Monday in Los Angeles after spending nine hours aboard a grounded plane at a smaller airport as the airline and customs officials tried to work through apparent confusion.

AP - Stoic and publicly silent through months of a sex scandal, the woman whose relationship with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick led to his downfall fought tears Monday as she pleaded guilty and admitted to lying under oath.

AP - The mayor of Alabama's largest city was arrested Monday on charges of steering millions of dollars of bond work to a friend in exchange for more than $230,000 in bribes to pay for an expensive wardrobe and flashy jewelry.

AP - A judge dismissed indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday and told the southern Texas prosecutor who brought the case to exercise caution as his term in office ends.

AP - Saying he has "lived a blessed time," Sen. Edward Kennedy smiled broadly and flashed a thumbs up as he accepted an honorary degree Monday from his alma mater during a rare special convocation at Harvard University.

AP - A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season.

AP - Max Rameau delivers his sales pitch like a pro. "All tile floor!" he says during a recent showing. "And the living room, wow! It has great blinds."

AP - The man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller will get back about half of the gold coins and cash seized by authorities after he was arrested for allegedly kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter.

AP - A worker trampled to death when customers stormed a Wal-Mart for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving had no experience in crowd control and was placed at the entrance because of his hulking frame, police and a lawyer said Monday.

AP - Barack Obama promised "a new dawn of American leadership" in a troubled world, announcing a strong-willed national security team headed by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who fought him long and bitterly for the presidency, and Robert Gates, the man who has been running two wars for George W. Bush.

AP - Stranded airline passengers lingered in Chicago's airports Monday as a storm tapered off after delivering a wintry mix to the Midwest including snow, gusty winds and ice that led to at least two traffic deaths.