SENECA, Missouri – Stunned survivors continued to pick through the little that was left of their communities after tornadoes tore across the Plains and South over the weekend, killing at least 24 people in four states and leaving behind a trail of destruction and stories of loss. At least 15 …

MONROE, La. – A man shot and killed his estranged wife and her mother before killing himself Wednesday, police said. Police officers rescued a 4-month-old boy from the home only moments before Bobby Brantley, 32, of Marion, shot and killed himself inside a home several blocks from the campus of …

WASHINGTON – Congress was trying to be diplomatic when it brought an unprecedented lawsuit to settle its subpoena fight against the White House, a lawyer told a federal judge Monday. After all, lawmakers could’ve just arrested the president’s former lawyer for refusing to testify. The judge’s response? Maybe they should …

PARIS – By the fourth game, Rafael Nadal had Roger Federer kicking the clay in frustration. By the second set, the normally stoic Federer was screaming at himself. The drubbing went on from there. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout Sunday, again spoiling Federer’s bid …

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – An Ohio University-Chillicothe basketball player died after collapsing during practice at the school, the university said. Jonathan Davis, 20, a sophomore from Hampton, Va., fell to the floor around 6:30 p.m. Monday and was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, said Jack …

LOS ANGELES – The estate of “Lord of the Rings” creator J.R.R. Tolkien is suing the film studio that released the trilogy based on his books, claiming the company failed to pay a cut of gross profits for the blockbuster films. The writer’s estate, a British charity dubbed The Tolkien …

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – A Detroit-area seventh-grader suffered burns to his leg Wednesday after a Sony PlayStation Portable video game overheated in his pocket during band class. Fire officials told The Detroit News the burns were caused when the game’s battery leaked. A teacher removed the game from the student’s …

NEW YORK – Justin Timberlake will induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The “Sexyback” singer has been working with the Material Mom on her upcoming album, expected to be released this year. Madonna will be among those honored March 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. …

WASHINGTON – The Beatles are about to become radio stars in a whole new way. NASA on Monday will broadcast the Beatles’ song “Across the Universe” across the galaxy to Polaris, the North Star. This first-ever beaming of a radio song by the space agency directly into deep space is …

GLENDALE, Calif. – A radiologist who performed a body scan on John Ritter two years before he died testified Wednesday that he felt sorry for the actor when he saw the results because Ritter had coronary heart disease at a relatively young age. However, Dr. Matthew Lotysch told the jury …