Eileen Collins (search) is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and on Wednesday, she hopes to add one more trip to her resume. “People ask me what’s going to be the hardest day of the mission? Flight day one, flight day two, flight day three … the mission is …

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – About a dozen newspapers have objected to use of toilet humor in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s “Doonesbury” (search) comic strip, and some either pulled or edited the strip. Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the Garry Trudeau (search) strip to about 1,400 newspapers, said it had …

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – After spending nearly two months in Aruba (search) searching for clues and offering rewards, the mother of a missing teen has left the island and returned home to Alabama. According to a relative, it was “very difficult” for Beth Holloway Twitty (search) to leave without knowing her …

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – After a safari weekend, Laura Bush (search) stepped out of a dusty SUV with her twin daughters on Monday to serve as a goodwill ambassador in Africa for President Bush. The first lady’s whirl through South Africa, Tanzania and Rwanda this week comes on the …

WASHINGTON – The attack on Egypt’s top envoy to Baghdad and other diplomats will not deter the United States, Egypt or other governments from their roles in Iraq, a State Department spokesman said Friday. In a statement issued as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (search) headed for China, the first …

NEW YORK – News Corp. (NWS) on Monday said it would buy Intermix Media Inc. (search) , owner of the popular MySpace.com social networking site, for $580 million in a move to expand the media conglomerate’s Internet offerings. News Corp. is the parent company of the Fox News Channel, which …

WASHINGTON – Both Democratic and Republican amendments aimed at punishing leakers failed to pass the Senate Thursday evening after a day in which the parties played a fierce game of politics over the role of White House aide Karl Rove (search) in the dissemination of a CIA agent’s name. Democrats …

WASHINGTON – President Bush said Monday that the United States and India (search) have built their strongest relationship yet as he hosted an elaborate day of ceremony for the country’s prime minister at the White House. “India and the United States share a commitment to freedom and a belief that …

This is a partial transcript of “The Big Story With John Gibson,” July 19, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. JOHN GIBSON, HOST: A U.S. congressman says no apology is needed for his comments on nuclear retaliation. Congressman Tom Tancredo (search) says the U.S. could respond to an attack …

LONDON – Anti-terrorist officers arrested nine men in dawn raids Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 attacks on London’s (search) transit system, bringing to 20 the number of people police have in custody, including one of the alleged bombers. With three of the suspected attackers still at large, …