SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — It was a party atmosphere along Barack Obama's motorcade route from the airport after he arrived in this Central American country for his first visit as president.

We've been hearing a lot about the Green Lantern lately. No, not that Green Lantern; he's just a guy who plays for the Celtics. And no, this isn't about a sequel to the 2011 Ryan Reynolds film, because in what universe does that seem like a good idea to a studio that wants to make money? 

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — President Barack Obama said Friday he doesn't foresee any circumstance requiring the U.S. to send ground troops into Syria, even as Washington pursues more evidence about the regime's purported use of chemical weapons.

HOUSTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association kicked off its annual convention Friday with a warning to its members they are engaged in a "culture war" that stretches beyond gun rights, further ramping up emotions surrounding the gun control debate.

By Corrie MacLaggan HOUSTON (Reuters) - It is time to stop demonizing all law-abiding gun owners because of violent acts committed by a few criminals, National Rifle Association leaders and political allies said on Friday at its first convention since the Connecticut school massacre. "Our freedom is under attack like never before," Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said during a leadership forum. "When a deranged criminal murders innocent children, they blame us." The NRA is the nation's leading advocate for gun ownership. ...

BOSTON (AP) — A suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings died from gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to his head and torso, a funeral director said Friday.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is urging Republicans to work together to help the party take back the Senate next year, telling South Carolina Republicans that, in his words, "change can come quickly."

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — President Barack Obama came to Latin America eager to move the region's relationship with the U.S. beyond fighting drugs and organized crime, yet the pervasive problems still trailed him throughout his three-day trip to Mexico and Costa Rica.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday addressed a Central American region that continues to be plagued by violence, drug trafficking, corruption and poverty, despite the success of a seven-year trade agreement with the United States.

BOSTON (AP) — A funeral home director was scrambling to find a cemetery that would bury a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, ignoring protesters gathered outside his business and saying everybody deserves a dignified burial service no matter the circumstances of his or her death.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is scolding Republicans in Congress, telling Democrats in South Carolina that the new Republican Party is down on America.

By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Still smarting from jokes about Florida's inability to run statewide elections, Florida lawmakers approved a package of revisions on Friday to give voters more time and locations to cast their ballots. "We all took a lot of flak for elections last year," said Senator Jack Latvala, a Republican who chairs the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. "We were the butt of jokes on late night TV. ...