Extra! Stories

DC zoo hand-raising cubs after rare cheetah birth

Two cheetah cubs have a new home at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and are being raised by human hands after a risky birth last month at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia. (full story)

Who will drones target? Who in the US will decide?

White House counterterror chief John Brennan has seized the lead in guiding the debate on which terror leaders will be targeted for drone attacks or raids, establishing a new procedure to vet both military and CIA targets. (full story)

Black undercount found in 1940 census records

It was on the streets of her Harlem neighborhood in the 1940s that teenager Althea Gibson began working on the tennis skills that would take her all the way to winning Wimbledon. (full story)

Woman gets 20 years for firing warning shot

Marissa Alexander had never been arrested before she fired a bullet at a wall one day in 2010 to scare off her husband when she felt he was threatening her. Nobody got hurt, but this month a northeast Florida judge was bound by state law to sentence her to 20 years in prison. (full story)

APNewsBreak: Loretta Lynn married at 15, not 13

Country music legend Loretta Lynn is three years older than she has led people to believe, an age change that undermines the story she told of being married at 13 in "Coal Miner's Daughter," documents obtained by The Associated Press show. (full story)

Rocket, weather look good on eve of new space era

NASA hasn't seen this much prelaunch jitters since the space shuttle program ended last summer. (full story)

Study links vets to brain disease seen in athletes

A small study raises more concern about the long-term consequences of brain injuries suffered by thousands of soldiers - suggesting they may be at risk of developing the same degenerative brain disease as some retired football players. (full story)

Reality TV, religion give birth to top baby names

Reality TV is giving birth to some of the most popular baby names. No, not Snooki. But Mason, as in Kourtney Kardashian's son, jumped 10 spots to become the second most popular name for newborn boys in 2011. (full story)

Houston lawyer on quest to find missing moon rocks

The dark suit and tie Joe Gutheinz wore set him apart from other customers inside a Texas eatery where the usual attire is jeans and cowboy hats. (full story)

Portland politics are as quirky as the city itself

Portland is famously weird and fiercely proud of it, so things can get a little bizarre when it comes time to pick a mayor. (full story)