Recently in National News Category

A 42,000-gallon-a-day oil leak is polluting the Gulf Of Mexico, and efforts to try and stop it are continuing, ABC News said.

Oil was discovered leaking from drilling of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on Saturday. The rig exploded on Tuesday after drilling in a well, ABC News said.

Fresh oil was leaking from two places, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry. But the clean up was pushed back due to high seas on Saturday, CNN said.

In order to compensate, authorities told CNN they approved a plan that uses submersible remote-operated vehicles in an effort to activate a "blowout preventer" on the sea floor.

"A blowout preventer is a large valve at the top of a well. Activating it will stop the flow of oil," a Coast Guard member told CNN.

Officials told CNN about 1,143 barrels, or 48,000 gallons, of oily water have been collected. However, the spill may take months to clean up.

A deadly tornado hit central Mississippi over the weekend, killing at least 10 people, injuring more and ruining hundreds of houses, CNN said

The tornado was almost a mile wide and affected 12 counties, CNN said. Of the hardest hit were Yazoo and Choctaw.

The tornado had 160 mph winds and covered around 50 miles, MSNBC said.

Gov. Haley Barbour told MSNBC, "The tornado was enormous." Barbour grew up in Yazoo County.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency deployed 80 Mississippi National Guard troops, including 50 military police in Choctaw County, CNN said.

Five of the deaths occurred in Choctaw Country, which included a baby and two children, CNN said.

Five major airlines vowed not to charge for carry-on luggag, Sen. Charles Schumer told CNN.

American Airlines,Delta Airlines, JetBlue, United Airlines and US Airways told Schumer, D-New York, they would not charge, CNN said.

The scare that airlines would charge for carry-ons follows from Spirit Airlines announcing they would charge passengers $45 to store their carry-ons in overhead bins. Fox News said.

Schumer told CNN, "In the last week we have gained tremendous momentum in our effort to keep carry-on bags free. We have begun to put the brakes on runaway and out-of-control airline fees. I am pleased some of the major carriers have responded to our efforts and have agreed not to charge for something that has always been free."

Other senators support legislation, which would tax airlines if they placed a fee for carry-on luggage. The senators include Schumer, New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, Maryland's Ben Cardin, Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar, and New Jersey's Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, Fox News said.

The total for U.S carriers in the third quarter was $1.95 billion. This number comes at 36 percent higher than from a year earlier, Fox News said.

Airlines have been struggling with rising prices of oil and cancelations from this past winters snow storms, Fox News said.

Analysts say they expect for airlines to gain some money back with summer travel, Fox News said.

The search for 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson of Colorado continued this weekend, CBS said.

Over a hundred community members of Greeley Colo., set out to search for Kayleah on Sunday, CBS said.

Kayleah has been missing since March 28. She was last seen walking to a birthday party, ABC said.

"As it is at the moment, we don't have any clear direction where she went, or who she went with," police told ABC. "Right now we are just eliminating areas where she is not."

Police have received over 300 leads, CBS said.

The FBI announced a $10,000 reward would be given to anyone who has information of the whereabouts of Kayleah Wilson, CBS said.

An elephant stomped and killed its trainer on Friday at a circus in Pennsylvania, CNN sad.

Andrew Anderton, 48, died after being stomped on at the Irem Shrine in Wilkes-Barre, the Associated Press said.

The elephant had touched an electrical wire, but the cause of why the elephant was startled is still unclear, CNN said.

The incident is now under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Associated Press said.

"In the 30 years I've been doing my vending, I've never heard an animal killing their trainer and all," Ed Conrad, a ballon vendor at the circus, told a CNN affiliate. "So something must have happened."

The circus workers observed a moment of silence for the trainer and the show went on.

A gunman killed four and injured two after walking into a LA restaurant on Saturday, ABC said.

The attack occurred at the Hot Spot Mediterranean Cafe around 4:40 p.m. Three men were pronounced dead at the scene and after being rushed to a hospital died of wounds, FOX News said.

Authorities are continuing to look for the gunman, ABC News said. The victims appear to be targets and their identities revealed.

The victims; Harut Baburyan, 28; Sarkis Karadjian, 26; Vardan Tofalyan, 31; and Hayk Yegnanyan, 25 were identified by police, ABC said. The police would not reveal any more information.

The two others who were injured were not identified, ABC said.

"It's a very complex investigation that we are involved in right now," LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese told Fox, Saturday night. "Anytime we have a shooting at an eatery in broad daylight, we all need to be concerned."

Justice John Paul Stevens of the Supreme Court has said he will soon decide if he will retire, MSNBC said.

Stevens had told a CNN reporter he would decide whether he would retire in about a month- that was March 8. Stevens would be stepping down after 35 years of service, CNN said.

When Stevens retires, President Obama will be able to leave his mark on the court again. Obama named Sonia Sotomayor to the court last summer, CNN said.

His birthday 90th birthday is on April 20. Stevens will be the oldest and longest-serving justice on the court if he chooses to stay past this term, MSNBC said.

However, MSNBC reports Justice Stevens as the least recognized court members. Only 1 percent of Americans could name him.

In an interview Stevens said it would be take much contemplation to leave the job. "I can tell you that I love the job and deciding whether to leave it is a very difficult decision," MSNBC said. "I want to make it in a way that's best for the court."

It is likely another Democrat will replace Stevens, CNN said. The court normally consists of five conservatives and four liberals.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group signed a deal to purchase Ford's Volvo Cars for $1.8 million on Sunday, ABC News said.

The deal ends the two-year talks with Geely over Volvo, ABC News said.

Ford has been wanting to focus its resources on brands such as Lincoln and Mercury, MSNBC said.

The deal also covers further agreements on Intellectual property rights, supply, and research and development arrangements between Volvo Cars, Geely and Ford are also a part of the deal with a $200 million note and the rest paid in cash, ABC News said. To ease the transition between the companies, the U.S. automaker has committed to provide engineering support, information technology, access to tooling for common parts and other help.

China surmounted U.S. last year as the world's largest auto market, the recent deal proves China is invested to improve its markets by adding foreign automotive brands, MSNBC said.

"We think it's a fair price for a good business, and yes, we're happy with the deal we've achieved with Geely," Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said according to MSNBC.

Geely's chairman already plans to make 300,000 Volvo branded cars in a Beijing factory, or as many Volvos for China as are now made abroad for foreigners, ABC News said.

New York residents were able to return to their homes Sunday after a large crane had hit a 25-story building in lower Manhattan on Saturday, MSNBC said.

The crane was dismantled after fire department officials the exterior of the 23rd floor of 80 Maiden Lane was damaged by a crane with a wrecking ball, CNN said.

The crane was supposed to lift mechanical equipment up to the roof, Department of Buildings spokesman Tony Sclafani told MSNBC.

Around 30 fire department units responded to the incident but no injuries were reported, CNN said.

It is unclear what caused the crane to slip and police have shut down two nearby streets as a precaution, CNN said.

A similar incident in May 2008 killed nine people when two cranes collapsed, MSNBC said.

The Israeli army was ordered to seal off the West Bank for 48 hours and increase security around the old city of Jerusalem by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, CNN said.

Israel announced it plans to build 1,600 new apartments on land in Jerusalem claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians, spurring the sealing of the West Bank, CNN said. The restriction began Thursday night and will end Saturday night, Israel Defense Forces told CNN.

Palestinians were banned to cross from the West Bank into Israel and Jerusalem by Israel. Israel also forbid men under 50 from al-Aqsa mosque, the flashpoint holy site in the walled Old City, MSNBC said.

Islamists in the blockaded Gaza Strip protested the restriction and Israel's polices in Jerusalem and ban of Palestinians chanting: "We will redeem al-Aqsa mosque with our souls and our blood," MSNBC said.

Not everyone has been banned from crossing into Israel. Exceptions include medical workers and patients, religious workers, teachers, humanitarian workers, and journalists the IDF told CNN. Trade will also still operate as normal.