In the bowels of a small New York theater in a seedy section of town, Kathie Lee Gifford (search) is being a little naughty. “So I’m having a little vino,” she says sweetly. “So sue me.” OK, OK. Take it easy, Mrs. Gifford. The wine, it’s soon clear, functions in …

WASHINGTON – President Bush (search) offered solidarity to tens of thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators Monday, who braved bitter cold to unite in what they call a “generational struggle.” “What unites us is our understanding that the essence of civilization is this: The strong have a duty to protect the weak,” …

LEMOORE, Calif. – Fed up with students’ racy moves, a principal at a California high school has taken the unusual step of canceling the rest of this year’s school dances. Principal Jim Bennett of Lemoore Union High School (search) said he warned students at a winter formal dance last month …

BURBANK, Calif. – A month after his stroke, Dick Clark (search) remains hospitalized in good spirits while working with rehabilitation specialists. The “American Bandstand” (search) icon watched Regis Philbin (search) host “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2005” from his hospital bed and said “he enjoyed the show and thought …

WASHINGTON – As he prepares to end his tenure as secretary of state, Colin Powell (search) is ruling out a run for political office. Asked on the Sunday talk shows if he had any plans to seek elective office, Powell responded with a firm and quick, “No.” He said he …

HANOI, Vietnam – A 9-year-old boy in Vietnam has died of bird flu (search), bringing the number of people in the country killed by the virus to 21, a doctor said Wednesday. The boy from the southern Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh was admitted to the Hospital for Tropical …

MONESSEN, Pa. – A suspended high school teacher accused of assaulting a teenager and of encouraging male students to view online pornography in class was sentenced to three years probation. As part of the Jan. 5 plea bargain, Joseph Fischer, 35, was also ordered to resign his teaching position, surrender …

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – United Nations (search) relief workers were feeding more than 1 million people across tsunami-stricken areas of southern Asia, the world body said Thursday. The U.N. World Food Program (search) said in its latest report on its aid efforts that it has delivered 10,741 tons of food …

ATLANTA – Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis (search) was sentenced to four months in jail Wednesday for using a cell phone to try to set up a drug deal about 41/2 years ago. The sentence issued in federal court was what Lewis expected under an agreement reached with prosecutors …

CHICAGO – United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS), the world’s No. 1 parcel delivery group, Tuesday said it anticipated that fourth-quarter earnings would be lower than expected due to a slowing in domestic package volume growth and higher-than-anticipated operating costs. While UPS also reaffirmed it expects earnings in 2005 to increase …