WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is losing old friends and can’t win new friends in the new Egypt. Trying to secure a way home for seven American democracy experts trapped in the country, the Obama administration is facing a wrathful campaign of retribution from Hosni Mubarak’s old allies of the dictatorship, which the U.S. long supported but then turned away from last year. It is getting no help from the most legitimate force now in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, and... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans don’t share Rick Santorum’s absolutist take on abortion. He’s out of step on women in combat. He questions the values of the two-thirds of mothers who work. He’s even troubled by something as commonplace as birth control — for married couples. Even among a Republican presidential field eager to please religious conservatives, Santorum’s ideas stand out. A Catholic father of seven whose kids are home-schooled, Santorum may seem to wear his conservatism as comfortably as... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans don’t share Rick Santorum’s absolutist take on abortion. He’s out of step on women in combat. He questions the values of the two-thirds of mothers who work. He’s even troubled by something as commonplace as birth control — for married couples. Even among a Republican presidential field anxious to please religious conservatives, Santorum’s ideas stand out. A Catholic father of seven whose kids are home-schooled, Santorum may seem to wear his conservatism as comfortably as... Read more

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — He’s eluded authorities for more than five years, a mountain man who roams the wilderness of southern Utah, breaking into remote cabins in winter, living in luxury off hot food, alcohol and coffee before stealing provisions and vanishing into the woods. Investigators have clawed for clues, scouring cabins for fingerprints that match no one and chasing reports of brief encounters only to come up short, always a step behind the mysterious recluse. They’ve found abandoned... Read more

BEIJING (AP) — A U.S.-based human rights group says Chinese authorities have detained hundreds of Tibetans who went to India to receive religious instruction from the Dalai Lama. Human Rights Watch says in an online statement it is the first time since the late 1970s that Chinese authorities have detained large numbers of ordinary Tibetans and forced them into re-education classes. Tibetan monks and nuns are routinely made to attend patriotic education classes. The statement posted Thursday says the exact... Read more

Syria rebels now include al-Qaida in Iraq, and group is tied to bombings, US officials say WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. intelligence officials pointed to al-Qaida in Iraq on Thursday as the likely culprit behind recent bombings in Syria, the deadliest attacks against the Syrian government in the 11-month uprising. Though the U.S. has called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, his fall could lead to a power vacuum that al-Qaida’s largest regional affiliate or other extremist groups... Read more

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — A coalition of Muslim and civil rights groups is asking Gov. Chris Christie to investigate reports of secret surveillance of Muslim communities by the New York Police Department. Sixteen New Jersey organizations have signed a letter asking the governor to investigate the extent of the surveillance in New Jersey and whether local law enforcement agencies were involved. The letter cites a series of stories by The Associated Press that detailed the monitoring or recommended surveillance... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — The leader of Egypt’s largest Islamist party has rejected U.S. threats to cut aid over a spat about nonprofit groups operating in the country, saying they are out of line and could imperil the peace deal with Israel. The comments by Mohammed Morsi, the leader of the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, were carried by the state news agency Thursday and were posted on the party Facebook page. Egypt claims the four U.S. groups are fomenting... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge cleared the way Thursday for a tiny Bronx church to continue meeting for religious services at a New York City public school despite an appeals court ruling upholding the city’s ban on use of the schools for worship services. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska on a request for a temporary order while the facts are aired was the latest development in a 17-year-old legal battle. It came just as the... Read more

ROME (AP) — The new cardinal from Hong Kong said Thursday that he wants to “keep the door open” between the Vatican and the Chinese government while acknowledging there are “lots of battles” ahead for the Catholic church. Bishop John Tong says he wants to keep up dialogue and friendships without renouncing principles, noting the United States has not compromised its positions on human rights with its reception this week for Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. He said in an... Read more