BREWSTER, N.Y. – At least a dozen students at a suburban New York City high school are cross-dressing to support a sophomore boy who wants to become a girl. Boys wore skirts and wigs and girls wore caps and cargo pants to Brewster High School in Putnam County. One senior …

WASHINGTON – The federal government ran a budget surplus of $159.3 billion in April, smaller than a year ago. The Treasury Department reported Monday that the budget surplus for April was 10.4 percent lower than in April 2007. The government traditionally runs a surplus in April, the month that tax …

HAMILTON, Ohio – A judge says he will release a man who was jailed last week for failing to make sure his daughter earned her high school equivalency diploma. Butler County Juvenile Court Judge David Niehaus’ decision Friday would let Brian Gegner out of jail if his 18-year-old daughter Brittany …

CHICAGO – A movie set is one of the places Tom Cruise feels most at home. The 45-year-old actor appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Monday to celebrate his career. It’s been 25 years since the release of “Risky Business” — and the iconic scene of him dancing in …

Stephen Phillips’ mother knew her son was in harm’s way. The Otis, Ore., soldier was stationed halfway around the world in Afghanistan, part of a military police detail. But technology — in this case, a cell phone — gave Sandie Petee the comfort that her MP son was no more …

WASHINGTON – President Bush said Saturday that religious charities, partly financed with federal money, have helped reduce homelessness, found jobs for former inmates and helped combat malaria and HIV/AIDS overseas. Bush used his weekly radio address to trumpet the “remarkable difference these groups have made over the past eight years.” …

LONDON – It may not challenge the new Indiana Jones or “Sex and the City” movies, but Britain’s House of Lords is debuting five new YouTube videos Friday in hopes of updating its image as a sleepy haven for elderly, affluent gentlemen. The short, informal videos will air on YouTube’s …

HAVANA – The Cuban boy at the center of an international custody battle eight years ago has joined Cuba’s Young Communist Union. Communist youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde quotes Elian Gonzalez as saying he will never let down ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro, who succeeded Fidel earlier this …

KIEV, Ukraine – Rescue teams found 23 miners alive following a powerful explosion at a coal mine in eastern Ukraine, but one miner was confirmed dead and 13 were missing more than 24 hours after the blast, an official said. Emergency workers went deep into the mine in the Donbass …

MONROVIA, Liberia – At least eight people suffocated at an overcrowded stadium during a soccer match between Liberia and Gambia on Sunday, a doctor and an aid worker said. The 33,000-seat Samuel K. Doe stadium in Monrovia was packed beyond capacity for the World Cup qualifying match. United Nations peacekeepers—stationed …