Father without baby sitter accused of caging kids

POSEN, Ill. (AP) -- A suburban Chicago man locked his two young daughters in a wire cage hidden in the back of his pickup truck because he didn't have a baby sitter, officials said Thursday....

Just how close friends are Madonna and A-Rod?

NEW YORK (AP) -- A-Rod and the Material Girl? That's a lot of hits. Reports that Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and Madonna have become close just as their marriages are disintegrating have both the celebrity gossip industry and the sporting world - each a chatty bunch - buzzing with questions about the two "friends."...

Colombia rescue hinged on rebel disarray, payback

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- The plan was nothing if not audacious: A turncoat persuades rebels to bring together their most prized hostages and march them 90 miles through Colombia's wilderness. A month later, disguised commandos primed with acting lessons land in a helicopter and trick the rebels into handing them over....

Prosecutors: Deception ran deep in Vt. kidnapping

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- A Vermont man whose 12-year-old niece was found dead near his home carefully orchestrated events and e-mails to make it appear she had gone to see someone she met online, prosecutors said Thursday as they charged him with kidnapping....

McCain: Staff shake-up part of natural evolution

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope....