TRENTON, N.J. – Republican Tom Kean Jr., aiming for Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez‘s job, cruised to victory Tuesday in a primary race he had been under pressure to win decisively. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, the son of former Gov. Tom Kean had 75.5 percent or 126,399 votes to …

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers from both parties said Wednesday the Bush administration should provide money and take responsibility for the data security breach involving nearly all active-duty military, Guard and Reserve members. Senate Democrats demanded the ouster of Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson following the agency’s disclosure that personal information for …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Hank Williams Jr., who has sung the theme for ABC’s “Monday Night Football” since 1989, will continue the tradition next season on the ESPN cable sports network, show officials said Friday. The series’ move to the cable network last year came at a time when Williams’ contract …

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Brazilian authorities said they put down at least 11 weekend prison riots that killed three inmates and injured 20 guards and prisoners in the first outbreak of riots since inmates launched a wave of violence that shocked Sao Paolo last month. Alcides da Silva, head of …

Governor Jeb Bush is about to sign a bill in Florida that will make it legal for you to have your dog to dinner — not for dinner — but to dinner. You’ll be able to take your dog to a restaurant, at least to the outdoor dining part of …

Why are so many people fat? Scientists have come up with some novel excuses, including air conditioning, lack of sleep, fewer smokers, and more sex among obese people, which can produce chubby kids. Twinkies aren’t the only things weighing America down, these researchers contend in a report published Tuesday in …

CHICAGO – Nearly 1 in 5 students at two Ivy League schools say they have purposely injured themselves by cutting, burning or other methods, a disturbing phenomenon that psychologists say they are hearing about more often. For some young people, self-abuse is an extreme coping mechanism that seems to help …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. population is on target to hit 300 million this fall and it is a good bet the milestone baby — or immigrant — will be Hispanic. No one will know for sure because the date and time will be just an estimate. But both Latino immigrants …

TAMPA, Florida – Two Saudi men accused of boarding a school bus full of students won’t be prosecuted if they complete a pretrial intervention program for first-time offenders, the state attorney’s office said Monday. Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran, 20, were charged with misdemeanor trespassing after boarding …

LOS ANGELES – “How beauteous mankind is!” For lovers of William Shakespeare, memorizing one of Hamlet’s soliloquies or recalling whether “The Tempest” is a romance or a tragedy just got easier. Web search leader Google (GOOG) on Wednesday launched a site devoted entirely to the Bard, http://www.google.com/shakespeare, that allows U.S. …