The senator speaks about recent scandals.

With news that Bill Hader is leaving "Saturday Night Live," fans say goodbye to beloved characters.

Columbia University is seeking to change the terms of a fellowship that can only be awarded to white students from Iowa.

The Lydia C. Roberts Graduate Fellowship stipulates that money be given only to "a person of the Caucasian race."

Roberts left Columbia most of her $509,000 estate when she died in 1920 and created the highly restrictive fellowship. In addition to the "whites only" rule, Roberts fellows must be from Iowa, must not study law or several other fields, and must return to Iowa for two years after graduating.

University officials filed court papers last week seeking to change the race provisions of the bequest.

The Daily News reports (http://nydn.us/13l65pi ) that Columbia hasn't awarded the fellowship since 1997.

A Columbia spokesman didn't return an email seeking comment Wednesday.

Home-builder confidence in the market for single family homes rose in May despite increasing building materials costs.

A wave of robo-calls will highlight the Republican's strongly conservative views on the issue.

Ariel Castro, who was charged with holding three women captive and raping them over a decade, plans to plead not guilty to criminal charges, one of his lawyers said.    

An Army sergeant first class assigned to a sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for sexual assault, pandering, abusive sexual contact and maltreatment of subordinates.

Apprehensive class of 2013 graduates are left to reroute their future due to economic uncertainty and high unemployment.

Lava flowed from two Alaskan volcanoes, with authorities placing both on the second-highest alert levels because "sudden explosions ... are possible with little or no warning."

Two hikers lost for days in the Southern California wilderness won't be charged the $160,000 it took to find them.

The Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/13wreAd ) reports county supervisors made that decision in closed session on Tuesday. Board of Supervisors Chairman Shawn Nelson tells City News Service he thinks there's no legal way to force the hikers to reimburse their rescue costs — even though one is charged with a drug crime.

Nineteen-year-old Nicolas Cendoya and 18-year-old Kyndall Jack were rescued from the Cleveland National Forest last month after spending several days there without food or much water.

Authorities say methamphetamine was later found in Cendoya's car. He's been charged with felony possession and could get up to three years in prison if convicted.

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Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com

North Korea says the U.S. citizen it sentenced last month to 15 years of hard labor has begun his stay at a "special prison."

Giving the the unemployed extended benefits does not keep them from seeking a job, a study says.

"I believe all of that comes from the top of any organization," the senator says.

Want to let others know you're STD-free? Need to tell former lovers to get tested? Or just having some strange symptoms? New sites and apps can help.

Producer prices recorded their largest drop in three years while manufacturing in New York indicated contraction.

U.S. industrial production fell by more than expected in April, reflecting a broad decline in factory output.

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He says the week's negative stories will make things "uncomfortable" for his colleagues.

Rising rates are not welcome news, especially now in the heart of the spring housing market.

Holder told Congress that a serious national security leak required the gathering of telephone records at the AP.