ALBANY, N.Y. – The village mayor who challenged New York law by attempting to marry gay couples last year will face trial, the state’s highest court ruled Friday. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, the high court there rejected a Roman Catholic activist’s bid to halt gay marriages in that state until after …

This is a partial transcript of “Special Report With Brit Hume,” May 13, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “Special Report With Brit Hume” weeknights at 6 p.m. ET (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have called on the Iranians to take advantage of …

LOS ANGELES – The jilted woman sits in front of the TV set and fast-food cartons, watching Judy Garland belt out “The Man Who Got Away” and wallowing in heartache. There’s an insistent knock on her door. It’s him. A torrid glance, an embrace, the music swells. Fade promisingly to …

WASHINGTON – American businesses increased inventories by 0.4 percent in March as total sales accelerated sharply following a February setback, the Commerce Department (search) reported Friday. The March increase in the total amount of goods held on shelves and back lots followed a 0.5 percent gain in February. However, a …

KABUL, Afghanistan – Muslims in Afghanistan (search) gave Washington three days to offer a response to a Newsweek story that claimed the Islamic holy book was desecrated at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, but the magazine apologized Sunday for the report, which prompted deadly riots across Afghanistan last week. …

UNITED NATIONS – A U.N. military team on Monday verified the pullout of all Syrian troops from Lebanon (search) but said it cannot be certain that all intelligence operatives have left the country. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (search) and his special envoy on the Lebanon-Syria issue both called the results …

SHANGHAI, China – The Chinese government says rescuers in northern China (search) are rushing to unearth 24 people who have been buried by a huge cave-in. Bulldozers (search) and trucks are still working to remove massive amounts of soil that’s destroyed eleven homes. A Chinese news agency reports that 16 …

NEW YORK – Stocks rebounded from choppy trading Wednesday to post gains after the government reported the largest monthly budget surplus in three years and oil prices dropped on U.S. supplies data. The Dow Jones industrial average (search) gained 19.14 points, or 0.19 percent, to end at 10,300.25. The technology-laced …

U.S. efforts to counter a possible influenza pandemic, including an outbreak of bird flu, are moving slowly and may be inadequate in an emergency, several witnesses told lawmakers Thursday. Experts say the Bush administration has lagged in finalizing plans for responding to a widespread flu outbreak, which scientists warn could …

ATLANTA – Top U.S. home improvement chain Home Depot Inc. (HD) on Tuesday reported a better-than-expected 14 percent rise in first-quarter profit as installation and appliance sales rose, and said it would close nearly a third of its upscale Expo design stores. Results topped Wall Street estimates and shares of …