Technology Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) , A social media editor who has worked for two of the nation's largest news-gathering organizations is scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday to face charges that he conspired with hackers to deface the website of the Los Angeles Times.

Online sticker shock just got a bit closer. Internet retailers soon could be required to collect the same sales taxes that consumers pay to their bricks-and-mortar peers, after the Senate agreed Monday to send the Marketplace Fairness Act to the floor for a final vote in coming weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP) , The Obama administration has seized $21 million from troubled automaker Fisker Automotive Inc. just weeks after the company laid off three-fourths of its workers amid continuing financial and production problems. Fisker had received $192 million in federal loans before a series of problems led U.S. officials to freeze the loan in 2011.

NEW YORK (AP) , CBS Corp. says it has made a minority investment in Syncbak, a technology company that allows mobile device users to pick up signals from their local TV stations over the Internet. Founded in Marion, Iowa, in 2009, Syncbak allows people who download the app to watch local programming, even over a cellphone connection.

WASHINGTON (AP) , States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the Senate Monday. Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state.

WASHINGTON (AP) , It was an offer President Barack Obama couldn't refuse. "You're welcome to try this out if you like," the Oakland Park, Fla., high school student said. With that, a...

The zombie apocalypse rages on in another tropical paradise through the first-person, survival horror game Dead Island: Riptide, Special Edition (Deep Silver and Techland, rated Mature, reviewed with Xbox 360, $49.99).

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) , Sprint Nextel has formed a committee of independent directors to review a $25.5 billion buyout offer from Dish Network. The committee has retained Bank of America Merrill Lynch to act as its financial advisor and will provide an assessment to the full board, the company said Monday.

BERLIN (AP) , A German data protection agency fined Google Inc. 145,000 euros ($189,000) for illegally recording information from unsecured wireless networks , an amount it acknowledged is "totally inadequate" as a deterrent to the multinational giant.

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) , Richard Gordon is one of the Border Patrol's best at spotting the smallest human traces in pursuit of people who enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico: dusty footprints, torn cobwebs, broken twigs, overturned pebbles.

NEW YORK (AP) , Putting a new test to the adage that brevity is the soul of wit, Comedy Central is partnering with Twitter for a comedy festival played out in 140 characters and 6-second videos. The Viacom Inc.-owned network said Sunday that the festival with the hashtag "ComedyFest" will debut April 29.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) , Some illuminating books already have been written about Google's catalytic role in a technological upheaval that is redefining the way people work, play, learn, shop and communicate. Until now, though, there hasn't been a book providing an unfiltered look from inside Google's brain trust.

NEW YORK (AP) , The Twitter accounts for two national CBS programs have been compromised and suspended. A CBS News spokeswoman confirms Saturday that tweets sent earlier in the afternoon from the "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" Twitter handles saying their accounts were compromised are correct.

The twin explosions that ripped through the crowd near the finish line of the Boston Marathon triggered a massive manhunt that paralyzed a city. Two bombs set off about ten seconds and 100 yards apart signaled the end of one race and the start of another , to identify and find those responsible. This is how that race unfolded. ___ MONDAY, APRIL 15

SHANGHAI (AP) , Japanese automakers promised special Chinese designs and green technology in addition to the usual flashy fanfare at this year's Shanghai Auto Show, trying to woo back sales that crumpled during a territorial dispute over East China Sea islands late last year.