Reptile owners who have been feeding rats, mice and chicks to their pets may be at risk for salmonella poisoning. The company that sells the reptile food, Mice Direct, announced a recall of the frozen rats, mice and chicks Tuesday, saying that 30 human illnesses possibly related to the frozen …

TOKYO – Japanese intelligence services indicate North Korea (search)may be preparing to test launch a short-range missile, a Japanese newspaper reported Thursday. Information from spy satellites and radio waves has shown North Korea beefing up troops and equipment around missile launch bases, the dailyYomiuri Shimbun (search)reported, citing unidentified government sources. …

A Tennessee trio’s weekend excursion turned into a harrowing 60-hour road trip when the driver got lost. Floyd Edwards, 78, Ruth Stancil, 62, and Edwards’ son, Clifford, left Erwin, Tenn., at around 11 a.m. Saturday, reports the Press of Johnson City, Tenn. The three planned to drive the elder Edwards’ …

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson (search)allegedly paid $2 million to the son of an employee at hisNeverland Ranch (search)in 1990 to stave off an accusation of child molestation, according to a report by “Dateline NBC.” The television news magazine did not disclose its source for information about the reported payment, …

WASHINGTON – Orders for long-lasting U.S.durable goods (search)slipped unexpectedly in August as demand for civilian aircraft plunged, but the data beat expectations once transportation was stripped out, government data showed on Friday. TheCommerce Department (search)said orders for big-ticket items meant to last at least three years fell 0.5 percent after …

JACKSON, Miss. – Former Gov. Kirk Fordice (search), a hard-nosed no-nonsense businessman who became Mississippi’s first Republican governor in 116 years, died Tuesday of leukemia at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. He was 70. Funeral arrangements were pending. A statement released by the Fordice family said the …

WASHINGTON – A federal judge dealt tobacco companies a blow on Monday that sent their stocks sliding by refusing to limit $280 billion worth of penalties the government is seeking at a trial due to start in September. Shares of Altria Group Inc.(MO), whose Philip Morris USA unit is the …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – U.S. warplanes helped Afghan forces pound Taliban militants in the mountains of southern Afghanistan Tuesday, killing some 20 suspected insurgents at a recently discovered camp, a senior Afghan commander said. The three-hour battle occurred in Arghistan district of Kandahar province (search), some 120 miles southwest of the …

This is a partial transcript from “The Beltway Boys”,May 3, 2004, that has been edited for clarity. Watch The Beltway Boys Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1 and 6 a.m. ET FRED BARNES, CO-HOST: Let’s go to this week’s ups and downs. DOWN: Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg …

LONDON – Nicolas Sarkozy did most of the talking, but it was his wife who made the headlines. On his first state visit to Britain, the French president discussed matters of international importance, sealed a string of big bilateral deals and hailed a new era of Franco-British brotherhood. So what …