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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mental stimulation and drug treatment may help people with brain ailments such as Alzheimer's disease regain seemingly lost memories, according to research published on Sunday. Scientists used two methods to reverse memory loss in mice with a condition like Alzheimer's -- placing them in sort of a rodent Disneyland to stimulate their brains, and also using a type of drug that encourages growth of brain nerve cells. Neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said such methods might yield similar benefits in people with Alzheimer's disease or other types...

CAMP LIBERTY — The goal of coalition forces new security strategy is to clear, control and retain Baghdad's neighborhoods, said the Multi-National Division - Baghdad commanding general during a press conference here Feb. 16. Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil Jr. outlined the security strategy for his division in a live satellite press conference between Baghdad and reporters in the Pentagon press briefing room. The security plan includes an increase in Iraqi and coalition forces in Iraq's capital, a push to rid the city of violent extremists and the creation of joint security stations throughout Baghdad, Fil said. Once the streets are...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2006 -- Both Iraqi and American leaders believe the Iraqi government can take control of its country and develop a stable nation that is at peace with its neighbors and an ally in the war on terror, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said here today. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, outlined the current situation in Iraq and the way forward. Violence remains high across Iraq, Abizaid acknowledged, but the Iraqi security forces consistently perform well and, with strong support from the...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – The United States has contracted a commercial ship to assist in a possible mass evacuation of Americans from Lebanon, a Defense Department spokesman said here today. The cruise ship Orient Queen is expected to arrive in the area of operations sometime tomorrow, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The ship can accommodate hundreds of passengers and may be used to ferry U.S. evacuees from the port of Beirut to the island of Cyprus. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Gonzalez has been tasked to escort the Orient Queen as a force-protection measure, Whitman said. A number of...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's power grid could post a new electricity demand record by Monday as air conditioners across the state battle a powerful heat wave, the California Independent System Operator said on Thursday. The Cal ISO manages the power grid that connects major power lines in the state. The grid operator called on Californians to conserve electricity by calling a "power watch" from Friday to Monday, said Stephanie McCorkle, spokeswoman for the ISO. As of midday Thursday, there had been no weather-related outages, McCorkle said. "New temperature data (are) indicating a warm air mass is pushing up temperatures...

SHELTON, Conn. - A 13-year-old boy on a sleepover was found dead in what police suspect was a heroin overdose, and his friend's sister and ex-husband were charged with manslaughter. Frank Korondi was spending Friday night at the home of a 10-year-old friend, authorities said. During the night, police said, the friend's sister, 23-year-old Angela Krasowski, picked up the boys and took them to the home of her ex-husband, James Krasowski, 32. On Saturday morning, police responding to a 911 call from the home found Frank unresponsive on the bathroom floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police were...

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he believes Congress will be able to work out differences and pass an election-year immigration bill, calling reform too important to neglect. "I think the committee bill which got to the floor has the key ingredients of a successful bill," said Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., who has pledged to have legislation ready for debate soon after lawmakers return Monday from their two-week recess. Specter noted that the Senate bill is aimed at protecting the borders, regulating the flow into the country of so-called guest workers...

Iran's recent declaration that it has successfully enriched uranium is bound to further increase tensions between Tehran and the United States. But the Iranian government also has an internal crisis on its hands. The country's high level of poverty has triggered a series of intense social struggles.

Four vehicles packed with 42 suspected illegal Mexican immigrants overturned on snowpacked eastern Colorado highways within two hours early Tuesday, a day after two similar wrecks in the state. Taken together, the six crashes highlighted Colorado's key role as a crossroads in the dangerous and often deadly transport of undocumented workers into this country. Neither the rash of accidents nor the 113 suspected illegal immigrants arrested in two days came as a shock to federal enforcement officers, said the agent in charge of the Denver office of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. "This is an everyday thing for us," said...

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2006 – The commander of Multinational Corps Iraq has directed further investigation into events surrounding a Nov. 19 insurgent attack in Haditha, Iraq, military officials reported today. In the incident in question, Marines responded to an improvised-explosive-device and small-arms-fire attack on their convoy, Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli said in a news conference today. Reporters brought allegations of potential misconduct to the attention of U.S. officials, he said. Chiarelli initiated a preliminary investigation Feb. 14 when allegations of possible violations of the rules of engagement were brought up. On March 9, Chiarelli was presented with the initial...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, March 1, 2006 – Defense Department officials are working to create a pandemic influenza plan in time for the Department of Homeland Defense's end-of-March deadline, a DoD medical official said Feb. 27. The plan will lay out the department's roles and responsibilities in varying stages of an avian influenza -- or "bird flu" -- outbreak, both at home and overseas, said Ellen Embrey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness, during a Joint Operations Medical Managers Course in San Antonio. DoD's work is a coordinated, integrated effort to ensure the department is...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2006 – The Army and Marine Corps are pulling out all the stops to ensure deployed troops have the best body armor possible, including ceramic side plates to protect their torsos, leaders from both services told members of the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. The leaders gave solid endorsement to the protective vests already worn by all deployed forces, but said they continue to seek out improvements that provide even more protection without adding weight and bulkiness. "Force protection is the Army's No. 1 priority," Maj. Gen. Stephen Speakes, the Army's force development director, told the Tactical...

Indiana - Violent sex predators could soon be barred from living within a thousand feet of Indiana schools, parks or youth centers. A senate panel discussed the new legislation Tuesday. Predators could also face electronic monitoring and parole for the rest of their lives. Opponents of the bill say it's overly broad and would possibly banish some released convicts from their hometowns.

SACRAMENTO — Coming off a losing campaign to curb state spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is promoting a statewide public works program that may be financed by a bond sale so large it would dwarf previous state borrowings. The governor hopes to join with Democratic leaders and businesses to address Californians' growing frustration with clogged roadways, polluted water, hospital shortages, overcrowded schools ... Schwarzenegger is seizing an issue with wide bipartisan support in an effort to restore his image as a moderate, although his plan threatens to cause tension with some conservative allies who have long warned against more government borrowing....

Death Sentence Possible for U.S. Soldier Wednesday November 2, 2005 1:01 AM AP Photo WXS101 By DIANA ELIAS The Guardian (UK) Associated Press Writer CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (AP) - A U.S. soldier could face the death penalty after an Army probe recommended Tuesday he be court-martialed in the Iraq war's first case of alleged ``fragging,'' slang for the murder of superior officers. Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez of Troy, N.Y., had a ``personal vendetta'' against one of two higher-ranked officers who died in an explosion June 7 on a U.S. base near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, military investigator Col. Patrick...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a decision on indictments expected next week, prosecutors investigating the outing of a covert CIA operative are focusing on whether top White House aides tried to conceal their involvement from investigators, lawyers involved in the case said on Friday. The Department of Justice opened a special Web site for special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/index.html, and the leak investigation in what lawyers said was a sign indictments were likely. Karl Rove, President George W. Bush's top political adviser, and Lewis Libby, who is chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, are at the center of Fitzgerald's...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2005 – Phil Randazzo is man on a mission to support American servicemembers. And he's carrying out this quest in a variety of ways. For instance, he recently appeared on Fox News where he presented a $20,900 check to the Wounded Warrior Project, and he has partnered with the U-Haul company to raise $260,000 more for the group. WWP assists wounded servicemembers with their return to civilian life. "It's critical that we support these guys," Randazzo said. Randazzo has been actively involved in supporting the troops for more than two years. Shortly after the start of the...

NEW YORK - Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), the Delaware Democrat who has already expressed interest in running for president in 2008, has taken another step that signals a White House candidacy: He's writing a book. "Biden, in writing his first book, will tell the story of his remarkable 30-year career in the United States Senate — from journeyman days as a 29-year old Senator too young to be sworn in, to his rise to become one of the most powerful Democrats," publisher Random House said Thursday in a statement. Biden's planned book follows in the tradition of...

IRS probing possible data security breaches By Caroline Drees, Security Correspondent 32 minutes ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service is investigating whether unauthorized people gained access to sensitive taxpayer and bank account information but has not yet exposed any privacy breaches, an official said on Friday. The U.S. tax agency -- whose databases include suspicious activity reports from banks about possible terrorist or criminal transactions -- launched the probe after the Government Accountability Office said in April that the IRS "routinely permitted excessive access" to the computer files. The GAO team was able to tap into the data...

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says he is considering a possible bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. Meanwhile, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean is criticizing him by saying he has flip-flopped his position on abortion for political gain. "If someone said, well, you know, the governor's testing the national waters, that's a fair characterization," Romney said. "But I'm planning on running for governor. Time will tell, I'll make a final decision and an announcement in the fall, and we'll go from there." He spoke with the Associated Press about his speaking trips to states that lead off the...