US Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) , Former Sen. Pete Domenici has disclosed that he fathered a secret child in the 1970s with the 24-year-old daughter of one of his Senate colleagues , a startling revelation for a politician with a reputation as an upstanding family man.

NEW YORK (AP) , Sony wants you to know that the PlayStation 4 is coming this holiday season, but not what it will look like. The Japanese electronics giant talked about its upcoming console for the first time Wednesday and showed what it can do, without actually revealing the device itself during the two-hour event.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) , A day after a natural gas explosion leveled a popular restaurant, investigators raced to search the rubble and tried to understand how the blast happened despite suspicions that flammable fuel had been leaking, maybe for weeks, somewhere in the busy outdoor shopping area.

WARHEAD CUTS COMING President Obama's plan to carry out a new round of nuclear-warhead cuts will be announced soon, U.S. officials say. The coming round of warhead-reduction talks with Russia was put...

With nations trading charges of high-level cyberespionage, security specialists are warning that there are a whole host of reasons why hackers may target their computers and smartphones. "The fact is there are a lot of different groups out there trying to break into computer systems," said Tom Cross, director of security research at Lancope, a Georgia-based network security firm.

WASHINGTON (AP) , The Obama administration is quietly considering urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage, a step that would mark a political victory for advocates of same-sex unions and a deepening commitment by President Barack Obama to rights for gay couples.

NEW YORK (AP) , A 911 call comes in about a possible bomb in lower Manhattan and an alert pops up on computer screens at the New York Police Department, instantly showing officers an interactive map of the neighborhood, footage from nearby security cameras, whether there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made against the city.

ST. LOUIS (AP) , An armada of snow plows and salt spreaders deployed Wednesday on highways across the nation's heartland as a winter storm that's already blamed for one death promised to dump up to a foot of snow in some areas and bring freezing rain and sleet to others.

NEW YORK (AP) , Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against Roman Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009. Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and Jeff Anderson, a plaintiffs' attorney, confirmed the cardinal was deposed.

A private security company on Tuesday accused China's military of launching cyberattacks on 115 U.S. companies, including defense contractors, highlighting the need for a more robust response to China's suspected role and security procedures.

Marine Gen. John Allen, the former top commander in Afghanistan, is retiring from the military instead of enduring what likely would have been a messy Senate confirmation process to be NATO supreme commander. The general was on track for the prestigious NATO post until his name surfaced in the adultery scandal that toppled former CIA chief David H.

WASHINGTON (AP) , Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans don't need semi-automatic weapons to protect their homes because a couple of blasts from a shotgun will scare off intruders. "Buy a shotgun, buy a shotgun," the vice president encouraged those worried about defending themselves.

North Korea on Tuesday threatened to destroy South Korea and hinted at "stronger steps" after its third nuclear test last week, prompting a stern response from the Obama administration and European nations. North Korean diplomat Jon Yong-ryong lashed out at a U.N.

WASHINGTON (AP) , As public evidence mounts that the Chinese military is responsible for stealing massive amounts of U.S. government data and corporate trade secrets, the Obama administration is eyeing fines and other trade actions it may take against Beijing or any other country guilty of cyberespionage.

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) , The attorney who led the defense team in Drew Peterson's 2012 murder trial sat in the witness box Tuesday and faced questions from his former co-counsel , the latest turn in a long-running legal saga full of strange twists.