Arias seeks life sentence, promises good behavior

Phoenix — Jodi Arias begged jurors Tuesday to give her life in prison, saying she “lacked perspective” when she told a local reporter in an interview that she preferred execution to spending the rest of her days in jail.

Benghazi suspects ID’d, but no arrests

Washington — The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say.

Metro Detroit organizations pitch in on Oklahoma tornado relief efforts

The wreckage left behind by a powerful tornado in the Oklahoma town of Moore was difficult for Allison Koenigbauer to describe.

Energy released more powerful than Hiroshima bomb, experts say

Washington — Wind, humidity and rainfall combined precisely to create the massive killer tornado in Moore, Okla. And when they did, the awesome amount of energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.

Briefs: Senate panel OKs bill to offer millions citizenship

Washington — The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved far-reaching immigration legislation that gives a chance at citizenship to millions living in the country illegally.

Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

Moore, Okla. — The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

• Interactive: The Oklahoma tornado

Police release photos from Tucson shooting rampage

Tucson, Ariz. — Authorities on Tuesday released nearly 600 photos that investigators took in the aftermath of the Tucson shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others.

Worried parents seek out kids in tornado’s wake

Moore, Okla. — The parents and guardians stood in the muddy grass outside a suburban Oklahoma City church, listening as someone with a bullhorn called out the names of children who were being dropped off — survivors of a deadly tornado that barreled through their community.

Official: No drugs, alcohol found in Newtown gunman

Hartford, Conn. — Toxicology tests on the body of the Newtown school shooter did not turn up any alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medications, an official close to the investigation said Tuesday.

Court: U.S. can keep bin Laden photos under wraps

Washington — A federal appeals court Tuesday backed the U.S. government's decision not to release photos and video taken of Osama bin Laden during and after a raid in which the terrorist leader was killed by U.S. commandos.

Man commits suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Paris — Crowds of visitors were cleared out of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a man put a letter on the altar of the 850-year-old monument Tuesday, pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head, the cathedral's rector said.

Jersey shore readies for first post-Sandy summer

Seaside Heights, N.J. — The boardwalks are back, and so are most of the beaches, even if some are a little thinner this year.

Connecticut foster mom pleads guilty for spoon-spanking

Norwich, Conn. — A Connecticut foster mother faces 100 days in jail after acknowledging she spanked a 4-year-old girl with a wooden spoon.

Montana man dies in Yosemite climbing accident

Yosemite National Park, Calif. — A Montana man died in a rock climbing accident as he tried to climb to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, ...

Photos from shooting that killed 6, wounded Giffords to be released

Tucson, Ariz. — Authorities are set to release more than 300 photos on Tuesday that investigators took in the aftermath of the Tucson shooting rampage ...

Customs seizes elephant meat, dead primate in Los Angeles

Los Angeles — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Los Angeles have made some unusual seizures, including elephant meat, a dead primate and ...

Burmese python caught in South Florida sets new record

Miami — Wildlife officials say a Burmese python nearly 19 feet long has been captured in South Florida.

Briefs: Top court to hear case on prayer at public meetings

Nation

Oklahoma twister followed path of ’99 storm

New York — Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999.

Hearing postponed for Boston bombing suspect

Boston — A judge has agreed to postpone a probable cause hearing for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tornado levels Oklahoma City suburbs; death toll rises

A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, killing at least 51 — including 20 children — flattening entire ...

Attacks kill 95 in Iraq, hint of Syrian spillover

Baghdad — Iraq’s wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 ...

Senate committee OKs immigration bill

Washington — Far-reaching legislation to grant a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the ...

Tornado-hit states brace for more bad storms

Shawnee, Okla. — When Lindsay Carter heard on the radio that a violent storm was approaching her rural Oklahoma neighborhood, she gathered her ...

Arias trial wraps for day after series of motions

Phoenix — Defense attorneys for Jodi Arias asked the judge to remove them from the case and declare a mistrial Monday, arguing the frenzy surrounding the ...

Small Florida city anxious to learn who won $590.5M Powerball

Zephyrhills, Fla. — It could be an anxious wait of up to two months for people in a small Florida city to find out who won the highest Powerball jackpot ...

Commutes long, slow after Connecticut train derailment

Bridgeport, Conn. — Connecticut commuters planned for long, slow trips to and from work Monday following last week's train collision that that injured ...

South Korea: North Korea fires sixth projectile into waters

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea fired short-range projectiles into its own eastern waters Monday for a third straight day, Seoul officials said. The ...