Thousands of firefighters battled wildfires across California on Thursday, including a growing blaze that forced about 2,400 people to evacuate their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Army had almost as many suicides and “potential” suicides in the first seven months of 2009 as it did all last year, when 143 soldiers killed themselves, according to figures released Thursday.

A team at the Broad Institute, a Harvard-MIT collaborative, has devised a way of screening for drugs that attack cancer stem cells but leave ordinary cells unharmed.

Battles over Supreme Court justice and concealed-weapons permits are helping them separate 100 percent allies from strong supporters in Congress.

National parks across the U.S. will be offering free admission this weekend.

California gay rights activists are at odds over when to ask voters to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage ban, with one of the largest groups saying it needs until 2012 to put together a winning campaign and two others saying they plan go to the polls next year.

Charles Pelkie, spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office, said the prosecutor in the courtroom at the time told him that what came out of Williams’ mouth could hardly be called a “yawn.”

Hundreds show up in the pre-dawn hours for free health care at The Forum in Inglewood.

An independent panel examining waste and fraud in wartime spending accused contracting giant KBR Inc. on Tuesday of resisting government oversight and failing to cut costs on support work in Iraq.

Jeers and taunts drowned out Democrats calling for a health care overhaul at town halls Tuesday, and one lawmaker said a swastika was spray-painted at his office as debate turned to noisy confrontation over President Barack Obama’s plan.