Thomas R. Pickering, who led the State Department’s inquiry into the attack on a diplomatic outpost, said there had been no need to interview the secretary of state.    

The police said they believed that Gerald Tyrone Murphy had killed his girlfriend and her 13-year-old son days ago and had used other children as hostages.    

A wave of proposed and completed mergers between secular and Roman Catholic hospitals prompt concerns in the left-leaning Pacific Northwest.    

According to the annual pay report by The Chronicle of Higher Education, four public university presidents had compensation packages topping $1 million.    

The Minnesota Orchestra, which has made remarkable artistic achievements over the past decade, lost an entire season to a lockout of the musicians by management.    

After Republicans used Senate rules to block two nominees in committee despite majority support, Democrats are planning to force committee votes without Republican consent.    

Bryce A. Reed, arrested on charges that he had pipe bomb components, had been a public face of mourning in West, Tex. after a plant exploded.    

Two astronauts spent 5 ½ hours outside the space station. They were unable to locate the source of the leak, but did install a new pump, which appeared to solve the problem.    

The prospect of immigration overhaul has spurred energetic lobbying from many foreign nations seeking a little something extra, whether additional work permits or visa-free tourist visits.    

An American diplomat said that his Egyptian counterparts told him that the United States Embassy was targeted.    

The police said that a man had killed at least one person inside a home and was holding children hostage.    

Since becoming the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, Representative Maxine Waters has softened her tone and vowed to protect bankers’ interests.    

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office is scrutinizing the cases of Louis Scarcella, a former star detective, after new revelations about disputed confessions and tactics in his record.    

Students are bombarding their dream schools with baked goods, craft projects and dossiers of testimonials in an effort to get an edge — and get off the waiting list.    

The Times’s Ariel Kaminer on how far high school seniors (and their parents) will go to get themselves off a college waiting list and into the school of their dreams.    

In a White House ceremony, President Obama honored 43 officers from across the country named as this year’s Top Cops.    

At a forum on Saturday, several candidates said they would scrap signature policies of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including his A-through-F grading system for schools.    

Many companies, especially some retailers, use an applicant’s credit report in making hiring decisions.    

The transmission on nearly 470,000 Jeeps could shift by itself from park into neutral, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.    

Senior American and Afghan officials met in Kabul to iron out details of a pact that defines relations after 2014, when foreign combat troops are to withdraw from Afghanistan.