Country music star Randy Travis is out of surgery but remains in critical condition after suffering a stroke while at a Texas hospital, the singer's publicist said late Wednesday.

Kirt Webster, the publicist, said the 54-year-old Travis suffered the stroke Wednesday night while he was being treated for congestive heart failure because of a viral illness. Travis underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He remained in critical condition.

As Formula One expands its reach into the United States, there's still a missing ingredient that could keep some fans away from the crowd — an American driver on the grid.

There hasn't been an American in Formula One since 2007 when Scott Speed drove for Toro Rosso. But the pressure is building for an American to make the jump now that the United States successfully hosted the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, last year and is set to hold second grand prix in New Jersey as soon as 2014.

Ferrari's president has insisted Felipe Massa has "our total confidence" despite the Brazilian driver's recent struggles which have included crashes in several recent races.

On a visit this week to the company's headquarters Massa met with Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo, who told him he was encouraged by his strong starts in the past two races and was hopeful "he will soon secure the results that will show his talent in full."

Kobe Bryant is working hard to get back on the court and not wasting any time thinking about Dwight Howard.

Bryant on Wednesday said his surgically repaired Achilles' tendon is "progressing faster than anybody expected," though he won't start shooting again until next month.

Just about every NBA team would like Dwight Howard.

Only the Houston Rockets could get him, and on Wednesday a couple of his other suitors announced their backup plans — while one lost out on another big target.

An original Apple computer from 1976 has sold at auction for nearly $388,000.

Known as the Apple 1, it was one of the first Apple computers ever built.

It's a mainstay on Broadway and now "The Lion King" has proved it's a king on the road, too.

Disney Theatrical Productions said Wednesday that the show's total touring box office gross in North America has reached $1 billion. Producers estimate that more than 15 million theatergoers in over 70 cities across North America have seen the show since 2002.

The ever-disputed investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is getting a fresh look.

Former New York Times correspondent and best-selling author Philip Shenon has a book coming out this fall that alleges "powerful" people interfered with the Warren Commission's efforts to determine whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting JFK in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

If you're lucky enough to live into your 90s, how well will your brain hold up? You may have an edge over people who got there ahead of you, a new study hints.

Researchers found that on tests of mental abilities, a group of 95-year-old Danes scored better than a group of Danes born 10 years earlier, who had been tested when they were about the same age.

Australian police were mystified by a chaotic crime scene including a hole in the ceiling and a smelly pool of vomit-like liquid — until they found the culprit was a 5.7-meter (19-foot) python.

The massive snake weighing in at 17 kilograms (37 pounds) was captured a day after a suspected burglary was reported at a charity store in Queensland in northeastern Australia.