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The 10 most expensive US natural disasters

Here are the top 10 priciest US natural disasters in billions of 2013 dollars adjusted for inflation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
USA Update Controversial Texas abortion bill will pass in new session, Rick Perry vows

A day after calling for another special legislative session, Texas Gov. Rick Perry vigorously defended the failed abortion bill Thursday at the National Right to Life Convention in Dallas.
Texas execution No. 500: 'This is not a loss,' says woman (+video)

Texas execution: On Wednesday, Kimberly McCarthy became the 500th person to die by execution in the state of Texas since the death penalty was reinstated more than three decades ago. McCarthy had been convicted of killing Dorothy Booth and stealing her diamond ring.
USA Update Filibuster of Texas abortion bill makes a star of Wendy Davis. Will that last? (+video)

A Democratic state senator in heavily Republican Texas, Wendy Davis rocketed to global social media prominence on the strength of her filibuster and the failure of the abortion bill she opposed.
Texas to execute woman: Capital punishment No. 500

Texas to execute woman: Kimberly McCarthy, convicted of murder, will be the 500th person executed in Texas since the state resumed carrying out the death penalty in 1982. She will be the first woman executed in the US since 2010.
Filibuster broken, but Texas abortion law fails to pass

Filibuster fails: Wendy Davis spoke for 11 hours in a filibuster but was stopped before the midnight deadline. Still, the Texas abortion law failed to pass when protestors managed to stall a vote.
Portrait of a filibusterer: Who is Wendy Davis?

Wendy Davis, the Democratic state senator from Fort Worth, Texas, is in the final hours of a 13-hour filibuster to defeat an anti-abortion bill. Wendy Davis was a single mom by the age of 19 but put herself through school and graduated from Harvard Law School with honors.
Asian tiger mosquitoes: What you need to know

Asian tiger mosquitoes are spreading in the continental US. Scientists warn that Asian tiger mosquitoes bite throughout the day, carry disease, and lay eggs that can survive winter.
Opinion After Supreme Court, Congress must move on Voting Rights Act

The Voting Rights Act has been America’s most effective tool to eradicate racial discrimination in voting. Today, a sharply divided Supreme Court has thrown the future of this critical tool in limbo by striking down a key provision. It’s now up to Congress to revive the act.
USA Update Texas abortion law won't go through if 13-hour filibuster succeeds

Texas abortion law would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and require abortion doctors to have visiting rights at nearby hospitals. The state is one of many trying to tighten restrictions.
Charter schools inconsistent but improving, national study finds

An update of a landmark 2009 study showed charter schools on the whole have turned their performance around and are serving poor and minority students especially well.
Texas abortion law, that would shut down clinics, stalls in Senate

Texas abortion law would effectively shut down most abortion clinics. But a Democratic filibuster looks likely to derail it. Texas is the latest conservative state to try to enact tough new laws on abortion.
Opinion Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action shows diversity still matters

Today’s 7-1 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in University of Texas admissions reaffirms the crucial role that diversity plays in a strong America – even while requiring the university to again jump through hoops to prove the validity of its admissions program.
Supreme Court sends Texas affirmative action case back to lower court

The 7-to-1 Supreme Court decision requires the lower court to apply a new, tougher test to the case: Schools challenged on race-based admissions policies must show that there are no workable, race-neutral alternatives to achieve diversity.
Whale of a win: Environmental victory protects whales from noise pollution

Michael Jasny, director of the NRDC Marine Mammal Project, contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Beef recall: National Beef product could contain E.coli

Beef recall involves 23,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may contain E.coli. The beef recall affects 12 states that received ground beef from Kansas facility owned by National Beef Packing Company.
FBI uses drones on US soil: Senators want assurances on privacy (+video)

FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the FBI is using drones to conduct secret surveillance on US citizens. Many lawmakers seemed surprised.
Supreme Court: For right to remain silent, a suspect must speak

Just being silent is not enough. The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that a suspect's silence during informal police questioning can be used as evidence of guilt unless the right is invoked.
Miss USA 2013: Top 6 Questions & Answers (+video)

The Miss USA pageant doesn't ask contestants to perform a talent or support a charity. But it does ask some challenging questions of its contestants. What did the celebrity judges ask the final six contestants – and how did the women answer?
Gun control backfires? Rick Perry lures Connecticut gunmakers to Texas. (+video)

Strong gun control laws were recently passed in Connecticut and New York, so Gov. Rick Perry will visit gunmakers in both states this week to try to bring them to gun-friendly Texas.
Cover Story School prayer: 50 years after the ban, God and faith more present than ever

School prayer was banned by the US Supreme Court 50 years ago, but there is probably more presence of religion in public school environments – through club ministries, classes, after-school and interfaith programs, and faith-based services – than ever.
USA Update FEMA denies disaster funds for West, Texas. Is that unusual?

West needs the disaster funds, say local and state politicians, but FEMA has turned down requests for non-natural disaster aid before. The decision is a new flash point between Texas and the Obama administration.
Students threaten to file complaint against school districts for criminal prosecution over tardiness, truancy

Students as young as 12 can be arrested and handcuffed at school under the current policy. The students who are threatening to file a federal complaint say the current rules are cruel and unusual punishment.
Energy Voices Keystone XL: the 'Kim Kardashian of energy'?

Keystone XL plays an outsize role in US energy discourse, earning the nickname "the Kim Kardashian of energy" from one US senator. But Keystone XL serves as an important touchstone for both its supporters and detractors.
Derecho windstorms could sweep the midwest: Who is in its path?

Derecho windstorms can blow 75 mph winds for hours, across vast distances. This derecho could affect Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and maybe Washington, D.C.