U.S. Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans will be able to commemorate several national holidays with a fee-free trip to one of the country's national parks, the Department of the Interior announced on Wednesday.

Mexico City police detain head of Death Saint church in connection with kidnapping ring. The leader of Mexico's Death Saint cult has been detained on suspicion of participating in a kidnapping ring, prosecutors said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress should pass legislation, if necessary, to force the Obama administration to open more offshore areas to oil and gas exploration, the head of the American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday.

Thirteen oil companies have been authorized to resume deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico without submitting new plans for environmental review, the US Department of the Interior said.

Rig owner refuses to honor Chemical Safety Board's subpoenas in Gulf oil spill probe. The owner of the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico is refusing to honor subpoenas from a federal board that has challenged the company's involvement in monitoring the testing of a key piece of equipment that failed to stop the oil spill disaster.

Rig owner refuses to honor Chemical Safety Board's subpoenas in Gulf oil spill probe. The owner of the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico is refusing to honor subpoenas from a federal board that has challenged the company's involvement in monitoring the testing of a key piece of equipment that failed to stop the oil spill disaster.

Feds eyeing more wind farms off Mass. coastline 14 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Tuesday began seeking proposals from developers that want to build commercial wind farms off the Massachusetts coast, even before construction has begun on the Cape Wind project.

Obama signs bill to let gays serve openly in military, invites those discharged to re-enlist. President Barack Obama signed a new law Wednesday that will allow gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America's military. And he urged those kicked out under the old law to re-enlist.

President Barack Obama emerged from a crisis-strewn first two White House years Wednesday flexing restored power at home and abroad, brandishing big wins from a supposedly "lame duck" Congress.

Fulfilling campaign pledge, Obama signing bill letting gays serve openly in military. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Obama to travel to Interior Dept. to sign repeal of military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. President Barack Obama has only one public event Wednesday, but it's a historic one.

Group wants to restore wolves across country, but lawmakers want protections stripped. Environmentalists said Tuesday they intend to sue the Obama administration to force it to restore gray wolves across the lower 48 states ? even as Republicans in Congress sought unsuccessfully to strip the animals of protection.

President Barack Obama will sign a landmark gay rights bill on Wednesday morning. President Barack Obama will sign a landmark gay rights bill on Wednesday morning. The president will sign into law legislation that will allow gay and bisexual troops to serve openly in the military, ending the 1993 law known as ?Don't Ask, Don't Tell? put in place by President Bill Clinton. Before the law, gay men and lesbians were barred from service. Clinton, who promised to change the policy, instead compromised. The policy he backed allows gay troops to serve so long as they remain closeted and celibate. More than 13,000 service members have been discharged for violating the policy. As a candidate, Obama pledged to end the law. He reiterated his promise in this year's State of the Union speech. ?I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,? he said in January. ?It's the right thing to d

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Atlantic Wind Connection filed with federal energy regulators for permission to build a giant power transmission project in the Atlantic Ocean along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast to enable the region's offshore wind potential, a spokesman for the project said Tuesday.

Obama to sign end to 'don't-ask-don't-tell' policy Wednesday at Interior Department ceremony. The White House says President Barack Obama will sign the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members on Wednesday morning at a Department of Interior auditorium.

Reid says solar project to create 500 Nevada jobs

Interior Department approves large solar project in Nevada desert. A solar energy project that will generate enough electricity for 75,000 homes in Nevada has been approved by the federal government.

141 inmates escape in mass jail break from prison in Mexican border city across Texas. Nearly 150 inmates escaped Friday from a state prison in the northern Mexico border city of Nuevo Laredo, and authorities said the breakout was probably helped by prison employees.

Obama tells American Indian leaders US will support UN declaration on indigenous peoples. President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States will reverse course and support a United Nations declaration defending the rights of indigenous peoples.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Thursday proposed special energy zones on public lands in six western states deemed good locations to build utility-scale facilities to produce electricity from solar power.