Bill Chappell

The bidding hasn't closed yet, but a charity auction of a cup of coffee shared with Apple CEO Tim Cook has already attracted offers of more than $600,000 — more than 10 times its estimated value of $50,000. Cook is one of several celebrities taking part in the auction, which ...

The number of people who died in a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last week now stands at 15, officials said Tuesday. Some earlier reports had indicated that 14 people had lost their lives. At least 200 more were injured.

In Waco, TV station KXXV says that officials ...

Microsoft founder Bill Gates met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye Monday, part of a visit to build business ties and boost nuclear energy plans. But it was the handshake they shared that created the biggest stir in Korean society, after Gates greeted Park with a smile — and his ...

Update at 6:02 p.m. ET. Charges Dropped:

Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a Mississippi man they accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama and two other public servants, according to a court order obtained by the AP.

"In a court order calling for the charges to be dismissed, ...

A federal court has approved a settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and Anheuser-Busch InBev that will allow the mammoth beer company to complete its purchase of Grupo Modelo, a Mexico-based brewer that produces Corona, Pacifico and other beers.

The deal, which requires AB InBev to sell all of ...

FIFA's efforts to rehabilitate its tarnished public image were dealt twin setbacks Monday when the international soccer federation's Twitter account was hacked and used to send messages joking about corruption. And a member of its reform committee quit, saying they were making no progress.

Update at 3:20 p.m. ET. FIFA ...

A 6-year-old boy's day off from school Friday left him with a vivid story to tell his classmates, after he was seized — and eventually released — by an alligator in South Florida. The attack occurred at a wildlife refuge near Boynton Beach, Fla., where Joseph Welch had taken his ...

Canadian authorities have disrupted an alleged plot that targeted a passenger train line running between New York and Toronto, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Monday. The plan involved derailing a train, but police officials would give few details about the plot at a news conference this afternoon.

But they ...

Many airline passengers saw only moderate flight delays stemming from the first full day of furloughs for nearly 15,000 flight controllers and other Federal Aviation Administration workers, as industry analysts' worst fears did not materialize. But the reduced staffing was blamed for some slowdowns, and observers say it also increased ...

The Antares rocket launch is back on for 5 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon, as engineers and spectators look for the rocket to lift off from a launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. A check of all systems at 10 minutes before its launch was positive.

Update at 5:20 p.m. ...

Towns in Missouri, central Illinois and at least four other Midwestern states are under a flood warning, as heavy spring rains swell the Mississippi and other rivers to dangerously high crests. In some areas, rivers have already hit record flood levels.

In places where residents have been forced to evacuate ...

Hundreds of Boston-area residents gathered Sunday to pray, to sing and to remember the victims of bombs and other violence in the city this week.

Six churches organized an interfaith service near the intersection of Boylston and Berkeley streets, close to the cordoned-off area where investigators are examining the crime ...

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has not yet been questioned — but officials' decision not to read him his Miranda rights before interrogation is the subject of much debate.

The Miranda warning, which informs suspects of their rights, including the right to remain silent and to have legal counsel, ...

The London Marathon observed 30 seconds of silence before the race got underway Sunday, in a show of solidarity with the victims of Monday's attack at the Boston Marathon. Many runners and spectators wore black ribbons to honor the three people killed and the more than 170 injured in two ...

(Most recent update: 4:20 p.m. ET)

Investigators are still waiting to interview Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose wounds reportedly include injuries to his neck and leg. An official tells CNN that Tsarnaev has been "intubated and sedated," rendering him unable to speak with them.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval ...

In West, Texas, some of the town's citizens whose homes were damaged by Wednesday night's massive fertilizer plant explosion returned to their homes Saturday afternoon, after authorities declared parts of the area safe. But a curfew is in place, and other areas close to the blast remain off-limits.

From ...

Watertown, Mass., resident David Henneberry's name was on many people's lips Saturday, as the hero who called police to say bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev might be hiding in his back yard. Massachusetts State Police have now released images that show what the authorities saw from a police helicopter as a ...

After days spent living in a cloud of apprehension and fear following Monday's bomb attack at the Boston Marathon, the city's residents celebrated the capture of suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Friday night. He was caught hiding in a boat in the backyard of Watertown resident David Henneberry.

In the relief ...

With Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in police custody at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and his brother and fellow suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead after a shootout, many questions now focus on how these two young men arrived at this point.

Information about the brothers quickly turned from a ...

(Most recent update: 5:10 p.m. ET)

With the capture Friday night of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old surviving suspect in the bombings at the Boston Marathon, the story moves into a new phase — one of trying to answer critical questions.

-- Why?

-- How?

-- Was ...