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ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Guitarist Ron Asheton of The Stooges has been found dead in his Ann Arbor home. He was 60. City police Sgt. Brad Hill says there were no signs of foul play, and the death appeared to be of natural causes. Hill says officers discovered Asheton early …

U.S. researchers have found a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, offering new clues about how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity. The gene, called DNA-PK, appears to regulate the process in the liver that turns carbohydrates into fat, the University of …

NEW YORK – You may not have the latest $359 Kindle electronic book reader from Amazon.com, but if you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, a new application will let you access the same content on your Apple device. In a bid to increase its slice of the e-book market, …

BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil’s top human rights official says his country should agree to take in Guantanamo Bay detainees. Paulo Vannuchi tells the O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper that “from a human rights point of view I would be favorable to receiving inmates from Guantanamo.” His office confirmed his …

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Police acting on a tip found nine bodies partially buried in the desert on the outskirts of the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, and authorities announced the arrest of a suspected leader of a drug cartel hit squad. Investigators searched the desert site south of …

A football fan’s lifelong dream job was cut short when he was fired over a Facebook posting, MyFOXPhilly.com reports. Dan Leone says he was fired from Lincoln Financial Field after expressing anger over the Philadelphia Eagles’ failure to re-sign free agent safety Brian Dawkins in a Facebook post. Leone has …

A handful of pets have been sickened with swine flu in recent weeks, but here are doctors’ orders: Wash your hands and don’t panic. The virus, also known as H1N1, has been diagnosed in only a few cats and ferrets since it emerged in April. Veterinarians say they don’t know …

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The birth mother of a 7-year-old Virginia girl must transfer custody of the child to the woman’s former lesbian partner, a Vermont judge ruled, adding that it seems the woman has “disappeared” with her daughter. Vermont Family Court Judge William Cohen ordered Lisa Miller of Winchester, Va., …

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderon is proposing runoff elections in future presidential contests and re-election for many elected officials in the country’s most dramatic political reform attempt in decades. The proposal announced Tuesday would still limit presidents to a single, six-year term, but it would relax Mexico’s ironclad ban …

This is a rush transcript of “Special Report With Bret Baier” from December 18, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SENATE MINORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY.: This massive piece of legislation is set to restructure one-sixth of our economy …