NEW YORK – “Lestat” may be looking for some fresh blood. The Elton John-Bernie Taupin musical inspired by Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” has canceled its first two weeks of preview performances in New York and delayed its Broadway opening until April 25. Previews at the Palace Theater will now …

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele apologized Friday for comments he made to the Baltimore Jewish Council comparing embryonic stem cell research to Nazi medical experiments. “Some folks drew an inference to the holocaust and the research and all of that, and that was not what I was …

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Keith Carabell parked his car beside a snow-covered woodlot hemmed in by townhouses, gas stations, a McDonald’s, Kmart and other emblems of creeping suburbia on the northern fringe of metropolitan Detroit. “This is what they call a wetland,” the 78-year-old accountant said, gesturing disgustedly at the …

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A fierce storm swept across the Midwest and into the Northeast on Friday, causing temperatures to plummet and generating winds up to 77 mph. Three people were killed by falling trees. The storm sent temperatures in some parts of western New York plunging from 60 degrees to …

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia on Wednesday became the second Arab ally in as many days to reject the U.S. strategy of financially isolating Hamas if the terrorist group does not moderate its policies as leader of the Palestinians. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat nearby, Saudi Foreign …

HARTFORD, Conn. – Police are investigating whether as many as seven teenage Middletown girls have been sexually assaulted by men they met through the popular Web site MySpace.com. Users of the social networking site create profiles that can include photos, personal information and even cell phone numbers. “It is a …

WASHINGTON – A heated debate between the Republican Judiciary Committee chairman and the Senate minority leader previewed what can be expected Tuesday in debate over a controversial bill that would set up a $140 billion fund for people with illnesses linked to asbestos exposure. Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Harry …

This is a partial transcript of “Special Report With Brit Hume” from Feb. 14, 2006, that has been edited for clarity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Their [Iran’s] decision to restart enrichment-related activities would seem to be a step in the wrong direction. It would seem to …

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A veteran of the first U.S. war against Iraq was cleared Thursday as a potential member of the jury that will decide whether confessed Al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui will be executed or serve life in prison. The Desert Storm veteran was among seven potential jurors selected …

WASHINGTON – Quoting from Islamic, Jewish and Christian texts, rock star Bono called Thursday for the U.S. government to give an additional 1 percent of the federal budget to the world’s poor. Speaking to President Bush and members of Congress at the National Prayer Breakfast, the U2 front man said …