An American professor doing research in London stumbled across a series of previously unknown letters written by, to, and about Benjamin Franklin, a stunning find that sheds new light on early U.S. history. The collection of 47 letters are hand-written copies made 250 years ago, when Franklin lived in London. That they were filed under the copyist's name, not Franklin's, may explain why they were overlooked by historians until now, said a curator at the British Library, where the letters ...

Happily, it is still possible to visit Texas without a passport — even though the governor seems to be taking the state's tagline more seriously than ever: "Texas: it's like a whole other country." Governor Rick Perry didn't actually endorse secession when he spoke at an antitax tea party at Austin city hall. But you could forgive people for misunderstanding, since he's been railing against an overreaching Federal Government, rejected stimulus spending and quoted Sam Houston's declaration that "Texas has ...

Five children drowned in a Houston, Texas, bayou Saturday after the car they were riding in veered off the road, police said. "She has lost weight and she looks frail and weak," Reza Saberi said. "She says she's not treated harshly. The food is pretty good and they're not hurting her. So it's just the environment of the prison that's very frustrating." Saberi, 31, an Iranian-American from North Dakota, was sentenced Saturday to eight years in prison after a one-day ...

Hulk Hogan said his comments to Rolling Stone magazine that he can "totally understand" O.J. Simpson -- the former football great found liable for the deaths of his wife and another man -- are being misunderstood. The pro wrestling legend said Wednesday that he "took the high road" and "didn't do the O.J. Simpson thing" despite the pain of his bitter divorce fight with wife Linda. Hogan's lawyer said the quotes leaked to a gossip column have been taken out ...

Joel Osteen is the senior pastor for the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. It's America's largest congregation. His wife, Victoria Osteen, is the co-pastor there. The Osteens, known for their optimistic outlook on life, visited "Larry King Live" Tuesday night for a wide-ranging interview that covered President Obama, same-sex marriage, the recent outbreak of mass shootings, the state of religion in America and more. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity: Larry King: Since you ...

It looked as if a spaceship had landed on the National Mall on Monday as NASA showed off a mockup of its new Orion crew module. Before the next U.S. astronauts go to the moon -- and maybe eventually to Mars -- NASA scientists want to make sure they can return safely. So NASA is testing how best to evacuate its crews from a capsule that has returned to Earth. In April, it will take a mockup of the spaceship ...

Twelve militants were killed in a firefight with Afghan and coalition forces in Helmand province, U.S. military officials said. The debate pitted proponents of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution against supporters of religion-based theories of intelligent design, or creationism. "Science loses. Texas loses, and the kids lose because of this," board chairman Don McLeroy, a creationist, told the Dallas Morning News. A final 13-2 vote approved language that will be printed in textbooks beginning in 2011 and remain there for ...

Dueling theories of how the universe was created got a split decision Friday night from the Texas Board of Education, which required examination of "all sides of scientific evidence" in new science standards, but rejected language requiring teachers to teach the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories. The debate pitted proponents of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution against supporters of religion-based theories of intelligent design, or creationism. "Science loses. Texas loses, and the kids lose because of this," board chairman ...

Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says. "It was horrible -- some of the worst electrical work I've ever seen," said Jim Childs, a master electrician and the top civilian expert in an Army safety survey. Childs told CNN that "with the buildings the way they are, we're playing Russian roulette." Childs recently returned from Iraq, where he is ...

Lourdes Batista wishes she had super powers so she could use them to find her husband, she said Wednesday, 105 days after authorities said he was kidnapped in Mexico. Felix Batista, a renowned kidnapping consultant, disappeared after getting into a vehicle outside a Saltillo restaurant December 10. The family has yet to hear a word from his abductors. "I don't have words to describe the pain," Lourdes Batista said. "It's cruel, very cruel." Lourdes Batista was getting ready for bed ...