Prosecutors have yet to decide whether they will seek the death penalty in their murder case against Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 23-year-old Iraq war veteran accused of stabbing four homeless men to death in California, Orange County District Attorney Tony … …

The United States is banning the importation of four species of snakes and their eggs, the Interior Department announced Tuesday.

Transcripts published Tuesday capture the dramatic conversations between port officials and a cruise ship captain, who a judge ruled can be held under house arrest while Italian authorities investigate his role in last week’s disaster. …   

A New Jersey woman goes into labor on a commuter train and gives birth to a baby boy.

Mitt Romney said Tuesday he pays roughly a 15% effective tax rate on his income — an acknowledgment that the multi-millionaire pays a smaller percentage of taxes on his income than many middle-income Americans. …   

Corrections officials in Onslow County, Ga., say they think they have solved the mystery of how a man managed to smuggle a .38-caliber handgun into his jail cell: He used his rectum.

U.S. stocks are gearing up for a positive open Tuesday, as global investors welcome data that show China’s economic growth slowed, but not as much as feared. …   

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will fight at all costs to crush the revolt seeking his ouster, a member of parliament who defected to Egypt said Tuesday. …   

The fight over extending a payroll tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits picks back up Tuesday as Congress returns to work after its winter break. …   

The Wisconsin Democratic Party has until Tuesday to submit at least 540,208 signatures in order to seek a recall of first-term Republican Governor Scott Walker….