GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks (search) apologized Thursday for disappearing just before her wedding day, and insisted cryptically that her flight was prompted not by cold feet, but by “a host of compelling issues, which seemed out of control.” Wilbanks, whose three-day disappearance led to a nationwide search, …

The sports trading card generating the most buzz among collectors right now doesn’t feature a baseball, basketball or football player. This captivating athlete was a soccer goalie who also liked skiing, swimming, hiking and kayaking. His name: Pope John Paul II (search). A one-of-a-kind card featuring the pontiff’s autograph was …

The head of the U.S. health agency said Wednesday that the government should restrict the handling of flu virus to more secure labs, as thousands of scientists around the world destroyed a deadly flu strain that had been sent to thousands of labs for testing. Dr. Julie Gerberding (search), head …

WASHINGTON – People scurrying to meet tonight’s tax deadline might consider this: It’s taking you and your fellow Americans 6.6 billion hours to do all that paperwork. The basic tax return — the Form 1040 filed by most people every year — accounts for 1.6 billion hours. The Internal Revenue …

NEW YORK – Former Tyco International Ltd. (TYC) chief L. Dennis Kozlowski (search) took the witness stand Wednesday and denied he ever abused company loan programs or received a bonus to which he was not entitled. • Click here to read the indictment against Kozlowski and Swartz Still, asked by …

WASHINGTON – The ethics troubles of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (search) have not hurt his ability to raise money for his re-election. In the first three months of this year, DeLay’s personal campaign committee took in $438,235, including $100,000 he borrowed personally for his campaign, according to the latest …

This is a partial transcript from “The Beltway Boys”, April 16, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “The Beltway Boys” Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1 and 6 a.m. EST. MORT KONDRACKE, HOST: Well, the hot story is, behind the curve. For a party, you …

See you in the No Spin Zone at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET! Tonight … a special edition of “The O’Reilly Factor” is on… We’ll have the latest on Pope John Paul II’s failing health including LIVE reports from the Vatican in Rome. Plus, we’ll look back at his …

DENVER – Hundreds of travelers were stranded at the Denver airport and along highways Sunday as a blizzard blew across eastern Colorado (search) with wet, heavy snow. Almost a foot of snow fell in Denver (search) and 2 feet in Greenland, about 20 miles north of Colorado Springs, the National …

LOS ANGELES – Matthew McConaughey’s “Sahara” (search) heated up the weekend box office, with the action flick set in the African desert debuting at the top with $18.5 million. Audiences gave a cooler reception to “Fever Pitch,” the weekend’s other new wide release. The Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon (search) …