Alicia A. Caldwell

WASHINGTON -- Even Americans who have never touched a gun are probably familiar with the looks and names of a few - the military M16, the action-movie's Uzi, the historic Colt .45. The terms thrown around in the national debate over gun control can be harder to fathom.

WASHINGTON -- The lawmaker leading an inquiry into the Secret Service prostitution scandal reported dozens of "troubling" episodes of past misbehavior Wednesday and appealed to insiders to come forward with what they know as investigators try to determine whether a culture of misconduct took root in the storied agency.

WASHINGTON -- At least three more Secret Service officers implicated in a prostitution scandal in Colombia were expected to lose their jobs Friday, a federal official told The Associated Press, as the Pentagon separately acknowledged that an 11th military person was involved.

WASHINGTON -- The federal agency that monitors gun sales wants weapons dealers near the Mexican border to start reporting multiple sales of high-powered rifles, according to a notice published in the Federal Register.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has asked the White House budget office to approve an emergency request requiring border-area gun dealers to report the sales of two or more rifles to the same customer within a five-day period.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- The two families climbed into white SUVs and almost simultaneously left the children's birthday party put on by the U.S. consulate. One headed deeper into one of the world's most dangerous cities, the other toward a bridge to El Paso, one of America's safest.