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Energy Secretary Steven Chu gives a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.

Energy Secretary Chu Defends How Administration Handled Solyndra

Steven Chu says even in hindsight, he sees no way his department could have known the solar energy company would go bankrupt.

Lawmakers Consider Counting Pizza As a Veggie

Pizza for sale at a Chicago public school. Under a House spending bill, this would still count as a vegetable serving — without extra sauce.

Pizza As A Vegetable? It Depends On the Sauce

The U.S. House unveiled a spending bill that would unravel some of the Obama administration's efforts to revamp school lunches. Under the bill, pizza would still count as a vegetable. Nutrition advocates say if the rule stays, it will be a win for industry and a loss for kids.

Fishermen and visitors gather at the beach in the village of Popotla, Mexico, some 15 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, in July 2010. Illegal immigrants are increasingly looking to the ocean, as they consider crossing overland more risky.

Small Fishing Boats Smuggle People To California

More illegal immigrants are crossing the U.S. and Mexico border by sea. As law enforcement cracks down on the risky sea journeys, immigrant smugglers are taking their contraband loads even farther up the coast of California, sometimes hundreds of miles from the border.

Patricia Maisch, one of the people who helped halt the Tucson shooting that killed six and wounded 13, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, holds up a photograph of victim John Roll, a federal judge, while testifying before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. Maisch testified in support of legislation that would strengthen federal power over the states' handling of background checks.

Gun Violence Survivors Push For Tighter Restrictions

They want lawmakers to narrow loopholes in the background check system for people who buy firearms. Supporters of the legislation say that might have made a difference last January, when a gunman in Tucson, Ariz., killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Olympus Scandal Could Hasten Disclosure Changes

One of Japan's most venerable corporations is facing possible bankruptcy and its executives face jail time. The corporate scandal has stunned the nation. Olympus, a maker of cameras and medical equipment that is a household name in Japan, has been cooking its books and covering losses dating back to the 1990s.

Debt Reduction Committee's Deadline Is 1 Week Away

The congressional supercommittee has one week to meet a deadline to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal budget. If next Wednesday's deadline isn't met, automatic across-the-board cuts will be made.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other Republican leaders on Tuesday in the Capitol.

'Murmurings' Of A Deal On Taxes And Deficit Reduction

But with one week go to before the so-called supercommittee is supposed to announce a deficit-reduction plan, it's still far from certain that the lawmakers will reach that goal.

Mike McQueary during a Penn State football game in 2009.

Penn State Scandal: Key Witness Says He Did Talk With University Police

Mike McQueary has been under fire because a grand jury report said he never spoke with police about the alleged 2002 sexual attack on a young boy in a Penn State locker room. He's defended his actions in an email.

Obama Insured Against A Crocodile Attack

President Obama has one less thing to worry about, thanks to an Australian insurance company. On his visit down under, he's insured against a crocodile attack. When he gets to the town of Darwin, he'll be presented with a $51,000 policy.

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