AP - The ambitious Republican governors of Mississippi and Louisiana are a study in contrasts as an oil spill threatens coastal economies still reeling from Hurricane Katrina.AP - Anti-government protesters set fire to a police bus down the street from Japanese and U.S. embassies in central Bangkok after troops fired tear gas Friday in a burst of new violence after nightlong clashes left one person dead.AP - Fresh violence erupted in the Thai capital Friday after a government attempt to blockade anti-government protesters and an assassination attempt on a rogue general supporting them triggered nightlong street clashes that killed one person.Reuters - Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan criticized the court she is seeking to join during a private meeting on Thursday with Democratic Senator Arlen Specter, the senator told reporters.Reuters - The Senate on Thursday voted to limit fees charged on credit and debit card transactions, and separately moved to overhaul the credit-rating business as part of a widening Wall Street reform bill.Reuters - New York City police are investigating a vehicle in the Union Square area which appeared to be carrying at least two gas canisters , ABC News reported.AP - The nation's most influential small business lobby is joining a court challenge to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, arguing that Americans cannot be required under the Constitution to obtain insurance coverage.Reuters - Violence flared in the Thai capital on Friday as troops confronted groups of protesters around a major commercial district following overnight fighting that killed one and wounded nine, including a rogue general.AP - The Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 94-85 victory over Cleveland in Game 6 on Thursday night, sending LeBron James and the Cavaliers into an early offseason destined to define the future of the franchise — and the rest of the NBA, too.AP - Softball, that friendly, fun game many Americans grow up playing, suddenly finds itself entangled in a hardball debate about sexual orientation, editorial judgment and the future of the Supreme Court.AP - Will the criminal justice system be alive on "Law & Order" next fall? It's down to the wire whether the venerable cop drama will be nabbing more bad guys in a history-making run.AP - Striking at a lucrative bank business, the Senate on Thursday voted to force credit card companies to reduce fees for debit card transactions and permit merchants to offer customer discounts based on their payment method.AP - A "black box" can reveal why an airplane crashed or how fast a car was going in the instant before an accident. Yet there are no records of a critical safety test supposedly performed during the fateful hours before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.AP - Protesters in the Thai capital reinforced their encampment Friday as government efforts to blockade them overnight led to sporadic violence that killed one man and saw a high-profile Red Shirt military leader shot in the head.AP - The Dutch family — mom, dad and two young sons — were headed home from a dream safari in South Africa when their plane plunged to Earth in Libya. Rescuers found a single passenger alive: 9-year-old Ruben, still strapped in his seat.