MONROEVILLE, Ala. – Harper Lee, author of the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” has written a rare published item — a letter for Oprah Winfrey’s magazine on how she became a reader as a child in a rural, Depression-era Alabama town. The 80-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner quit giving interviews about …

NEW YORK – Internet providers told Congress on Tuesday they’re doing all they can to combat online child pornography, but they were told to expect legislation. Several voiced skepticism about creating new laws that would force them to retain data about their users’ online activity. Any such measure would be …

BEIJING – A Chinese researcher for The New York Times pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of leaking state secrets in a case that rights activists say underscores Beijing’s continued rejection of press freedom. The closed-door trial for Zhao Yan, 44, who has been detained for 22 months, ended Friday …

HONOLULU – Alongside the submarines, ships and airplanes participating in large-scale military exercises in the Pacific this month, a team of sea lions and dolphins are expected to patrol the sea. These marine animals will be flown in from San Diego for simulated mine recovery and mine detection during the …

WASHINGTON – Jack Abramoff had brief conversations with President Bush almost a dozen times and the president knew him well enough to make joking references to Abramoff’s family, according to an e-mail the fallen lobbyist sent a magazine editor. Bush “joked with me about a bunch of things, including details …

WASHINGTON – Congress sent President Bush a second five-week extension of the Patriot Act as Senate negotiators worked to close a deal with the White House on renewing the antiterrorism law with some new civil liberties protections. “We need the Patriot Act,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter. “I’m prepared …

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Rage against caricatures of Islam’s revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world Saturday, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire. Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators have stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus, and they’ve set fire to the …

This is a partial transcript of “The Big Story With John Gibson,” February 16, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The vice president was involved in a terrible accident. And it profoundly affected him. Yesterday, when he was …

The young’uns have “American Idol” and “24,” but what’s on the tube for Grandma and Grandpa? Networks define their success by the number of viewers they can attract between the ages of 18 and 49, also known as the “crucial” 18-49 demographic. But with the Baby Boom generation now between …

NEW YORK – U.S. mortgage applications increased for the first time in four weeks as a rebound in demand for loans to purchase homes more than offset a decline in refinancing, an industry trade group said Wednesday. Click here to check out FOXBusiness.com’s mortgage calculator. The Mortgage Bankers Association said …