Police: 3 found dead in Wash. home

SPOKANE, Wash. — Police in Spokane, Wash., say a woman and two children have been found dead in a triple homicide.

Romney, Paul face rare battle in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine – Mitt Romney and Ron Paul rarely even acknowledge each other in the Republican presidential race, focusing their attention and attacks on rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum instead. That curious detente is being tested in Maine’s caucuses this week, where Romney’s reputation as a political shape shifter is going head-to-head with Paul’s consistent libertarian views.

Marine honored for Afghanistan counterattack

SAN DIEGO — A Marine based out of Camp Pendleton was awarded the Silver Star on Friday for courageous service during a bloody, six-hour firefight in the war in Afghanistan.

APNewsBreak: Satellite spots tanks in Syrian city

LONGMONT, Colo. — Satellite image provider DigitalGlobe Inc. released photos Friday that appear to show Syrian army tanks and other armored vehicles in the city of Homs.

Greek premier says default would lead to 'chaos'

ATHENS, Greece — Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.

Uzbek man pleads guilty in plot to kill Obama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A man from Uzbekistan who pleaded guilty Friday to plotting to kill President Barack Obama with an automatic rifle claimed he was acting at the direction of an Islamic terror group in his home country.

Under fire, Obama adjusts his birth control policy

WASHINGTON — Under fierce election-year fire, President Barack Obama on Friday abruptly abandoned his stand that religious organizations must pay for birth control for workers, scrambling to end a furor raging from the Catholic Church to Congress to his re-election foes. He demanded that insurance companies step in to provide the coverage instead.

Gov't on pace for $1T deficit despite January dip

WASHINGTON — The federal deficit was lower through the first four months of the budget year than the same period last year. Still, the deficit is expected to top $1 trillion for the fourth year in a row, putting more pressure on Congress and President Barack Obama in an election year.

Dozens of pets rescued from Ohio fire find homes

MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — Several dozen animals have found temporary shelter after Ohio firefighters rescued at least 60 pets from a house fire in a Cincinnati suburb.

Comforter in Powell unit tests positive for blood

SEATTLE — Police in Washington state who searched a storage unit rented by Josh Powell found a stained comforter that tested positive for blood in initial exams, according to documents filed in court Friday.