Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Pope Francis' namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, founded his order of mendicant friars in the 13th century after receiving a calling from God to "rebuild my church." Some 800 years later, St. Francis' followers are rebuilding his church in the ancient tradition of door-to-door begging that St. Francis championed — but with a very modern twist.

Bitcoin, 3-D printed candy and George Takei, the Star Trek-actor-turned-Facebook-phenomenon, are among the attractions this week at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, where the geek set is slowly filing out to make room for hordes of musicians descending on the city.

Buster Posey had a three-run homer off Tony Cingrani among his three hits, leading the San Francisco Giants over the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 Tuesday.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's outspoken criticism of what she's calling "CIA interference" in a congressional investigation is in sharp contrast to her defense of an intelligence-gathering community that some say trample on civil liberties.

The Senate report at the center of the heated public dispute between Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and the CIA is a detailed investigation of the agency's rendition, detention and interrogation program that the George W. Bush administration started after 9/11 and which ended in 2009.

The Labor Department on Tuesday proposed a new rule that would make it easier for those with 401(k) retirement plans and their employers to locate just what fees and expenses are attached.

General Motors' executives and government regulators will soon have to explain to Congress why it took years to recall 1.6 million compact cars with a known defect linked to 13 deaths. And the Justice Department is investigating whether GM broke any laws with its slow response, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Jelena Jankovic routed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open, winning a matchup of former tournament champions and No. 1-ranked players.

Nobel laureates Mo Yan and Elfriede Jelinek are among the finalists for a prize honoring fiction translated into English.

Senators accuse the CIA of spying on their work. The CIA accuses a Senate panel of stealing its documents. It's "a defining moment" that will determine whether Congress can fulfill its duty to watch over the nation's spy agencies, says Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein.

A plan to phase out government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and instead use mainly private insurers to backstop home loans has advanced in Congress.

Zach Galifianakis brought the ferns, and President Barack Obama opened a new avenue of presidential communication.

Jon Niese struggled in his first spring start that was delayed by shoulder trouble, allowing four runs in two innings of the New York Mets' 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen ratings company for March 3-9. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.

The following list represents the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, Mar. 3, to Sunday March 9, via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

Federal court documents say a campaign adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton was personally involved in an off-the-books operation to help the former first lady's 2008 presidential campaign in four states and Puerto Rico.

John Lackey gave up three runs over 2 2-3 innings in his first spring training start for the Boston Red Sox, a 5-4 split-squad loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

These days, it's faster and cheaper than ever to decipher a person's entire DNA. But a small study suggests that looking for disease risks that way may not be ready for the masses.