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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio moved toward fulfilling a major campaign promise on Thursday: he announced the city will settle a long-running lawsuit against the police department's stop-and-frisk policy. A federal judge last year found that the NYPD violated the civil rights of blacks and Latinos with its aggressive tactics. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration appealed the ruling, but de Blasio won a landslide electoral victory in 2013 partly by promising to reform the stop-and-frisk policy. Now, some New Yorkers are worried about a possible rise in crime.

The FAA is poised to decide whether to grant the space company a launch license. If it does, SpaceX could build its first commercial orbital launch facility near the border city of Brownsville. The prospect of living in the world's newest aerospace hub has stirred a buzz among locals.

Federal prisons are chronically overcrowded after years of "tough on crime" policies. But a new report finds that a majority of states cut their imprisonment rates and saved millions — while keeping crime down.

The opposition group Syrian National Coalition took considerable heat from inside Syria when it decided to meet with government representatives at the Geneva peace talks. But after several days, coalition members say they're pleased to find their star is rising among Syrians. The talks have also been a kind of trial by fire for the coalition, which says its ability to make its case is improving daily. Syrians also seem fascinated to see government officials caught in face-to-face confrontations with the opposition.

To understand speech, the brain has to quickly recognize the sounds used to form words. Researchers say that process involves groups of highly specialized brain cells that respond to individual sounds produced by the human vocal tract.

A community of dirt-bike enthusiasts in Baltimore is the focus of Lotfy Nathan's feature documentary, a film intrigued by the gray area between "They're a public-safety threat" and "This is a part of our culture."

Adapted from a theater piece, the film dramatizes recordings from the cockpits of six crashing airplanes. Critic Mark Jenkins says the film's portrayal of mortal struggle makes for a claustrophobic intensity.

California Rep. Henry Waxman, elected in 1974 in Watergate's aftermath, has announced his retirement. The Democrat leaves behind one of the most substantive legislative records in the House's recent history, and was instrumental in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

It's still unclear what spilled and how much, but state officials say the water supply is safe to use and drink. Other public health experts are skeptical — including a local doctor who says his water still has a chemical, licorice smell.

With thousands of oil-related jobs in western North Dakota, some of the region's new workers are putting down roots. But many more commute from states where jobs are hard to come by — and that can mean being separated from spouses and children for weeks at a time.