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The painkiller Vioxx (search), pulled from the market last fall because of reported heart problems and strokes in users, could come back on sale if federal regulators conclude it and similar drugs have benefits that balance the risks. Dr. Peter S. Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories, told a joint …

Watch “On the Record” weeknights at 10 p.m. ET From Tennessee to California, the nation seems swept by a rash of female teachers accused of having sexual relations with their students. What drives these women to seduce young children? We’ll get an inside look at their sick obsession on a …

WASHINGTON – Twenty senators from farm states have written to Japan’s ambassador in the United States, urging his country to follow up on its promise to lift an import ban on American beef (search). The letter, sent Wednesday, also raised the possibility of a trade battle if Japan does not …

This is a partial transcript from “The O’Reilly Factor,” Feb. 18, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “The O’Reilly Factor” weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and listen to the “Radio Factor!” BILL O’REILLY, HOST: In the “Unresolved Problem” segment tonight, right now the only college …

BOGOTA, Colombia – A U.S. judge has taken out ads in Colombian newspapers and magazines ordering the country’s main rebel group to appear in his Washington courtroom to face charges of kidnapping three Americans in 2003. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, are accused in the summons, first …

WASHINGTON – The leaders of the 9/11 commission late Friday disputed a congressman’s criticism that the panel did not adequately investigate a claim that four hijackers were identified as Al Qaeda (search) members more than a year before the attacks. In a joint statement, former commission chairman Thomas Kean and …

The state attorney general wants the country singer who made the song “Redneck Woman” (search) a hit to stop “glamorizing” the use of smokeless tobacco at her concerts. State officials said Gretchen Wilson (search) can be seen on concert jumbo screens pulling a can of Skoal from her pocket while …

WASHINGTON – TheDefense Department (search)spent an estimated $100 million for airline tickets that were not used over a six-year period and failed to seek refunds even though the tickets were reimbursable, congressional investigators say. The department compounded the problem by reimbursing employee claims for tickets bought by the Pentagon, the …

NEW YORK – Stocks may fail to extend their recent rally as a slowing growth outlook and higher interest rates offset strong second-quarter earnings. Some investors said gains in stocks may be limited next week as equity prices already reflect prospects for the economy and corporate profits in the second …

SOMERSET, Pa. – A Somerset man assaulted an 11-day-old infant and fractured the baby’s arm, leg, skull and nose during an altercation with the child’s grandmother, police said. Jeremy Smith, 31, has been in Somerset County Jail since Jan. 1 for allegedly assaulting the woman, but the infant’s injuries were …