WASHINGTON, DC - Some local anti-hate crime advocates are weighing in on a major change to hate crime protections.

(CNN) -- The U.S. military is distributing pamphlets in eastern Afghanistan in an effort to find a soldier who has been missing for more than two weeks, the military said Thursday.

Military skeptical of report; fliers calling for his release airdropped.. The U.S. military is distributing fliers along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan asking for informaton about a missing soldier.

JOHNSTOWN, N.Y.-The message is simple. If you're cheating the system, you will get caught. "They think this is free money that they can go and just get from the government, and that's not what it is intended for," said Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war veteran, kicked off a push Wednesday to persuade Americans that the president should repeal "don't ask, don't tell," the policy that prevents openly gay troops from serving in the U.S. military.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The memorial service for singer Michael Jackson cost the city of Los Angeles $1.4 million, the mayor's office said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities on Wednesday eyed North Korea as the origin of the widespread cyber attack that overwhelmed government Web sites in the United States and South Korea, although they warned it would be difficult to definitively identify the- -

For all the concern about identity theft, researchers say there's a surprisingly easy way for the technology-savvy to figure out the precious nine digits of Americans' Social Security numbers.

How are Obama's plans coming along in Congress? Many of the details are still being negotiated and any final health care bill would have to meld proposals from the House and Senate.

Countering criticism that he's done little on gay rights, President Barack Obama commemorated the 40th anniversary of the birth of the modern movement by welcoming its leaders to the White House and reaffirming his commitment to their top priorities.