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Federal regulators want to cap the cost of phone calls from prison, which are far more expensive than ordinary calls. Commissions paid to local and state officials drive up costs, a phone firm says.

"Our experience has been ... that you really can reduce crime and incarceration at the same time," says Ronal Serpas of the new group, Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration.

Many of Bernie Madoff's investors will be getting a full payback of the money they lost when his pyramid scheme went bust — as long as they invested less than $1.1 million. The trustees of a victims compensation fund is making another in a series of distributions today.

Some believe Moscow's seizing on the Islamic State's rise in Afghanistan as an opportunity to expand Russian influence. A flurry of visits to Moscow by Afghan officials added to speculation, and kindled concerns among Afghans with grim memories of Soviet occupation in the 1980s, although no one predicts troops on the ground.

After a week and a half of mounting pressure, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan announced he is open to serving as Speaker of the House after all — but with conditions: his fractured Republican caucus must unite behind him before he enters the race. Attention will now focus on a group of several dozen conservatives who will need to decide this week whether to back Ryan.

Seoul artists are taking on the rapper PSY in a real estate rift pitting creative types against commercial interests. The man known for Gangnam Style "is not a good building owner," one artist says.