Virginia

Authorities say a freight train was struck from behind by a second train traveling in the same direction in Virginia, causing one locomotive and five empty cars to derail.

Maureen McDonnell, the wife of former Gov. Bob McDonnell, was sentenced to 12 months and one day on Friday in a corruption scheme that also netted prison time for her husband.

More than a dozen children went to elementary school this morning and were dead before lunch. White House spokesman Jay Carney says today is not the day to talk about gun control. I disagree. That's all we should talk about today. We are heartbroken, yes. But saying that will fix nothing. It won't bring anyone back, and it won't keep this from happening again. And of course we know the parents of Newtown could have been any one of us. That's important to remember, but it isn't enough, because the knowing doesn't change the fact that we could still be next. So we can't just do as we did after Columbine, after Virginia Tech, after Aurora. We can't just grieve and hold our children close. We have to demand that our country earn the right to call itself a civilized nation.