Obama Expects Support for More Afghanistan Troops President Barack Obama will announce his plan to bolster the war in Afghanistan in a speech Tuesday night from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his spokesman said, a surge that military officials say could top 30,000 troops. Anne Gearan, AP NEWS - 4 minutes ago
AP IMPACT: A Stream of WH Health Care Visits President Barack Obama’s top aides met frequently with lobbyists and health care industry heavyweights as his administration pieced together a national health care overhaul, according to White House visitor records obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Sharon Theimer and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, AP NEWS - 7 minutes ago
AIG Resolves All Legal Disputes With Greenberg American International Group Inc. has agreed to settle all legal disputes with its former chairman Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, the company said late Wednesday. Staff, AP NEWS - 11 minutes ago
Honduras Vote to Sideline President, Enshrine Coup Sunday’s election will likely accomplish what the plotters of a coup set out to do five months ago: end the political career of leftist President Manuel Zelaya and replace him with a more moderate leader from Honduras' establishment. Alexandra Olson, AP NEWS - 11 minutes ago
E-Mail Archive for NC Employees Moving Forward The state of North Carolina has hired a California company to create an archive system designed to manage and retrieve state employee e-mails more easily. Staff, AP NEWS - 12 minutes ago
Blast Yields Arsenal at Ex-Doctor’s Ohio Apartment A former doctor in Ohio has been charged after dozens of pipe bombs, several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in his apartment. Staff, AP NEWS - 14 minutes ago
Olic Strike Keeps Bayern’s Dream Alive Croatia striker Ivica Olic’s second-half strike kept Bayern Munich’s fading dream of reaching the Champions League’s knock-out phase alive after the German giants beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 on Wednesday night. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 14 minutes ago
Stores Look to Basics to Draw in Holiday Shoppers As stores prepare for hordes of Black Friday shoppers and mark down high-definition TVs and hot toys, they’re also pushing deals on something more mundane — necessities like socks and diapers. Anne D'Innocenzio, AP NEWS - 15 minutes ago
Predators Sue Company, End Naming Deal for Arena The Nashville Predators ended their naming rights deal Wednesday with the Sommet Group of Tennessee for the team’s arena and are suing the company for failing to pay. Teresa M. Walker, AP NEWS - 15 minutes ago
Obama’s First Pardon: A Turkey Named Courage After 10 months in office, President Barack Obama on Wednesday granted his first pardon to Courage, a 45-pound turkey spared from the Thanksgiving table. Natasha T. Metzler, AP NEWS - 16 minutes ago
Mass. Sen. Hopeful Pagliuca Spending $5.4M on Bid Massachusetts Democratic Senate hopeful Stephen Pagliuca has spent $5.4 million of his own money in his bid for the seat once held by the late Edward Kennedy. Steve Leblanc, AP NEWS - 19 minutes ago
Lambert Says He Got Carried Away, But Not Sorry Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he’s offering no apology. David Bauder, AP NEWS - 19 minutes ago
Good News Raises Hopes Recovery Won’t Fizzle A flurry of good news this week — including falling jobless claims, stronger consumer spending and higher new-home sales — suggests the economic rebound, modest though it is, might just be here to stay. Jeannine Aversa, AP NEWS - 22 minutes ago
Thief Gives Iowa College $500, Seeks Forgiveness An anonymous letter with $500 and a plea for forgiveness sheds some light on a long-forgotten crime at an Iowa Catholic college. Staff, AP NEWS - 22 minutes ago
Talk of the Town: Polanski Granted Bail The day’s top showbiz news and headlines including Roman Polanski gets bail, Julie Andrews heads to London, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy to star in Woody Allen film. Reuters Video, REUTERS NEWS VIDEO - 23 minutes ago
Time Warner Cable Asks Help on Rising Program Fees Time Warner Cable Inc. is asking the public for help as it tries to curtail increases in the programming fees it has to pay to carry cable channels and broadcast stations on its systems. Deborah Yao, AP NEWS - 24 minutes ago
Islam’s Hajj: Rain and Fears of Swine Flu Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site Wednesday in their traditional white robes, with a few additions — umbrellas and face masks — as the opening of the annual hajj was complicated by torrential rains and fears of swine flu. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, AP FEATURES - 25 minutes ago
Officials: Settlement Allows SCI to Buy Vegas Firm Officials say the nation’s largest funeral service company resolved antitrust issues with the Nevada state attorney general, and can proceed with a plan to buy a large Las Vegas-area mortuary business. Staff, AP NEWS - 26 minutes ago
Experts Think Toxic Algae Harming Endangered Fish Scientists say they think toxins from a blue-green algae plaguing lakes and rivers around the West are harming an endangered fish in the Klamath Basin, adding another obstacle to restoring species that have forced irrigation shutoffs for farmers. Jeff Barnard, AP NEWS - 27 minutes ago
La Jolla Pharma Axes Plan to Dissolve Company La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday its shareholders did not support a proposal to dissolve the company, and it will consider other options. Staff, AP NEWS - 27 minutes ago
MEMC Amends Revolving Credit Agreement Silicon wafer manufacturer MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. amended its revolving credit agreement last week, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday. Staff, AP NEWS - 27 minutes ago
Americans Search for Cheaper Thanksgiving Trips Millions of Americans got an early jump on their Thanksgiving travel Wednesday, with many opting to drive or take trains and buses instead of shelling out more money for flights amid a sour economy still hitting household budgets hard. Michael Tarm, AP NEWS - 28 minutes ago
Obama to Plead US Case at Global Warming Summit Putting his prestige on the line, President Barack Obama will personally commit the U.S. to a goal of substantially cutting greenhouse gases at next month’s Copenhagen climate summit. He will insist America is ready to tackle global warming despite resistance in Congress over higher costs for businesses and homeowners. H. Josef Hebert, AP NEWS - 29 minutes ago
White House Defends Costs, Cuts in Health Bill The Obama administration pushed back Wednesday against claims that it’s not doing enough to slow the growth of health care costs, a topic senators will debate heavily in coming weeks. Charles Babington, AP NEWS - 30 minutes ago
Demand Up at Vt. Food Shelves; Needs Met for Now Vermont food shelves met the increasing demand for help — barely — but they remain concerned about helping those needing Christmas time help in a state ranked among the nation’s hungriest. Lisa Rathke, AP NEWS - 30 minutes ago
Donny Osmond’s ‘Stars’ Partner Goes to Broadway Donny Osmond may have been the celebrity winner on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” but his professional dancing partner already has her next gig lined up — Broadway. Staff, AP NEWS - 30 minutes ago
Union Leader Fears Job Losses Under Barbour Budget Union leader Brenda Scott worries some current state workers will be shoved into the unemployment line if Mississippi legislators adopt Gov. Haley Barbour’s proposed budget. Emily Wagster Pettus, AP NEWS - 34 minutes ago
Ex-CNN Host Lou Dobbs Weighs Senate Run in NJ Former CNN host Lou Dobbs is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 2012 as a stepping stone to a possible White House bid — a congressional matchup that would pit one of illegal immigration’s biggest critics against a champion for immigrant rights. Angela Delli Santi, AP NEWS - 37 minutes ago
AIG, Greenberg Resolve All Legal Claims American International Group Inc. says it reached an agreement to settle all legal disputes with its former chairman Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. Staff, AP NEWS - 39 minutes ago
Ind. Coal-Gasification Plant Cost Reaches $2.5B Duke Energy Corp. says the cost of the coal-gasification power plant it’s building in southwestern Indiana has risen another $150 million, boosting the project’s estimated price to $2.5 billion — nearly twice the original estimate. Charles Wilson, AP NEWS - 41 minutes ago
Vicki Kennedy Describes Husband’s Cancer Battle The widow of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy told Oprah Winfrey in an interview broadcast Wednesday that even as her husband knew he was dying of brain cancer he had been “in training” to make sure he had enough strength to attend President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Don Babwin, AP NEWS - 42 minutes ago
Stocks Rise Following Drop in Jobless Claims Stocks climbed Wednesday following a drop in weekly unemployment claims to the lowest level of the year and a rise in new home sales. Tim Paradis and Ieva M. Augstums, AP NEWS - 42 minutes ago
Death Toll at 57 in Philippine Massacre Officials found 11 more bodies Wednesday at the site of an attack on an election caravan in the south, bringing the death toll in the massacre to 57, and police said they are investigating a member of a powerful clan allied with the president’s administration. Aaron Favila and Jim Gomez, AP NEWS - 43 minutes ago
Iran’s Leader Makes Inroads in Latin America Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to expand Tehran’s influence in Latin America and deepen his alliance with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez on Wednesday in a visit that offered him a platform to defend his country’s nuclear program. Ian James, AP NEWS - 43 minutes ago
Deere Reports 4Q Loss on Charges, Lower Sales Deere and Co. says sales of tractors, combines and other agricultural mainstays slumped in the fourth quarter and it expects farmers to remain cautious about new equipment purchases because of the weak global economy. David Mercer, AP NEWS - 49 minutes ago
W.Va. Seeks More Comment on Coal-To-Gas Plant The West Virginia Division of Air Quality is giving the public more time to weigh in on an air pollution permit for a planned coal-to-gasoline plant in the southern coalfields. Staff, AP NEWS - 50 minutes ago
CDC: Swine Flu Vaccine Safe; No Big Problems Seen There’s no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, in their first report on the safety of the new vaccine. Mike Stobbe, AP FEATURES - 51 minutes ago
Housing Data Points to Rocky Rebound Sales of new homes rose more than 6 percent in October. But that was only because of strong results in the South. Alan Zibel, AP NEWS - 57 minutes ago
Tiffany, J. Crew, TiVo, Incyte Are Big Movers The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange: The Associated Press, AP FEATURES - 58 minutes ago
Search Crew Working to Free Man Stuck in Cave Rescuers chipped away with air-powered tools in a narrow tunnel Wednesday to free a man trapped upside down about 150 feet below ground in a popular Utah cave. Brock Vergakis, AP NEWS - 60 minutes ago
That Hissing in the Kitchen? Snake!!! Betty Corey first thought the hissing from her Lakebay, Wash., kitchen might be one of her dogs. Wrong. It was a 4-foot-long ball python. Not a fan of snakes, Corey called 911 and a Pierce County Animal Control officer removed the snake Tuesday morning. Officer Brian Boman said the agency will house the snake at its shelter, keeping it warm and close at hand if its owner is looking for it. Staff, AP NEWS - 62 minutes ago
Ga. Nurse Anesthetist Accused of Abusing Patients A metro Atlanta nurse anesthetist has been charged with molesting and sodomizing anesthetized patients in dental and medical offices, and police say the videotaped abuses could involve 100 or more victims. Greg Bluestein, AP NEWS - 62 minutes ago
Feds in Minn. Seize More Than $640K in Fake Goods Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized more than 17,000 counterfeit items from Twin Cities-area businesses last week, cracking down on the sale of fake goods before the holiday shopping season begins. Amy Forliti, AP NEWS - 62 minutes ago
La. Police Say Man Broke Into Home to Cook Meal Alexandria police have arrested a man they said broke into an home to cook a meal. The Alexandria Daily Town Talk reported Wednesday that 29-year-old man, who told police he was homeless, was arrested and charged with burglary. Staff, AP NEWS - 64 minutes ago
Police: Barefoot Thief Steals Shoes for Left Feet It didn’t take Knoxville police gumshoes to track down a suspected shoe thief. He was sauntering barefoot through the parking lot of a Knoxville store called the Shoe Show Wednesday morning when an employee identified him as the man who crammed shoes into his pockets and pushed her out of his way as he walked out Tuesday night. Staff, AP NEWS - 64 minutes ago
Dog With Name Tag ‘Works’ Drive-Through Window Customers at one Gulf coast gas station might be surprised at who responds to the counter when they pull up to the drive-through window: The store owner’s dog. Dozens of times each day, Cody the chocolate Labradaor retriever will pop up on two paws behind the counter at a BP gas station and convenience store in Clearwater. He even has a BP logo shirt and a name tag. Customers grin and kids squeal with joy in response. Staff, AP NEWS - 64 minutes ago
Man Accused of Ramming Car Into Hot Dog Stand Police said a North Carolina man rammed his car into a hot dog stand when the vendor refused to sell him a hot dog and drink for a dollar. WRAL-TV reported 23-year-old David Kelbaugh of Rolesville was charged Wednesday with assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, driving while intoxicated and injury to property. Police said Kelbaugh was drinking at a bar in Cary early Wednesday when he left to order food at the hot dog stand. Staff, AP NEWS - 64 minutes ago
Pa. Suspect’s Sweet Tooth Results in Felony Charge Police said a serial shoplifter from central Pennsylvania has taken three sweet steps over the line and now faces a felony charge. Sonya Mosey, 33, was jailed on a felony retail theft charge for allegedly stealing three snack cakes worth $4.27 from a convenience store on Oct. 27. Police said she took a Hostess doughnut and two Tastykake items from the store, though she did pay for a soda pop. Staff, AP NEWS - 64 minutes ago
Mexico Border City Eyes Anonymous Crime Tip System Residents in the violent Mexican border city of Juarez will soon be able to report crime through an anonymous international tip line. Staff, AP NEWS - 66 minutes ago
Riceland Foods Sales at $1.3B for Fiscal Year Stuttgart-based Riceland Foods Inc. says its sales for the fiscal year are up by 8 percent from the year before. Staff, AP NEWS - 66 minutes ago
Pakistan Charges 7 Suspects in Mumbai Attacks Pakistan charged seven men in last year’s Mumbai attacks on Wednesday, its first indictment in a case being monitored by India and the United States to see if Islamabad makes good on promises to bring those responsible to justice. Kim Gamel, AP NEWS - 70 minutes ago
Israel Proposes 10-Month West Bank Settlement Halt Israel on Wednesday proposed a 10-month halt to new construction in West Bank settlements as a step toward restarting Mideast peace negotiations. Washington welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer, but the Palestinians swiftly rejected it because it did not include a building freeze in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, the mainly Arab sector of the city they want as the capital of a future state. Mark Lavie, AP NEWS - 70 minutes ago
AP Newsbreak: Records Show WH Health Care Talks Top aides to President Barack Obama met early and often with lobbyists, Democratic political strategists and other interests with a stake in the administration’s national health care overhaul, White House visitor records obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press show. Sharon Theimer, AP NEWS - 70 minutes ago
Obama to Head to Copenhagen With Climate Pledge President Barack Obama will head to next month’s Copenhagen climate summit to offer the first US plan to cut carbon emissions, officials said Wednesday, reviving hopes the closely watched meeting will succeed. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Swiss Court Grants Polanski Bail Switzerland’s top criminal court said Wednesday it is granting bail to Roman Polanski, enabling the director to leave detention while he fights his extradition to the United States in a child sex case. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Spain’s Princess Elena to Divorce Spain’s Princess Elena, the eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and her husband have reached an agreement to divorce following a two-year separation, their lawyers said Wednesday. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Heavens Open as 2.5 Million Pilgrims Begin the Hajj A day-long downpour fouled the start of the annual hajj on Wednesday, soaking thousands of people as they walked from Mecca to Mina, snarling traffic and stranding buses for hours. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Obama Spares Life of Courage the Turkey Barack Obama spared Wednesday the life of Courage the turkey, who would have ended up on the First Family’s dinner table for Thanksgiving if the US president had had his way. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Micheletti Steps Aside for Honduras Poll Hundreds of Hondurans took to the streets Wednesday to encourage participation in weekend elections after the interim leader briefly stepped down in a bid to legitimize the post-coup polls. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Pakistan Court Indicts Seven Over Mumbai Attacks A Pakistani anti-terror court on Wednesday charged seven suspects in connection with the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people one year ago, a defence lawyer said. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Sarah Palin Memoir Tops US Book Sales Republican former governor Sarah Palin’s memoir “Going Rogue” shot to the top of the US bestseller list in its first week after publication, industry figures showed Wednesday. Afp, AFP GLOBAL EDITION - 74 minutes ago
US Welcomes Israeli Move on Settlements The Obama administration welcomed Israel’s temporary freeze of settlement building Wednesday as a way to revive Middle East peace talks, despite its long struggle to break the deadlock. Afp, AFP AMERICAN EDITION - 74 minutes ago
US Troop Buildup Carries High Costs If President Barack Obama orders tens of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan next Tuesday as expected there will be an enormous cost both in terms of soldiers' lives and money. Afp, AFP AMERICAN EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Small Island States Lobby Canada for Deeper CO2 Cuts An Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) representative on Wednesday appealed to Canada to aim for deeper cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen. Afp, AFP AMERICAN EDITION - 74 minutes ago
Somalia: 2 Kidnapped Journalists Freed A Canadian and Australian journalist were freed on Wednesday after more than a year in captivity, Somali officials said. Mohamed Olad Hassan, AP NEWS - 74 minutes ago
FDA Grants Full Approval to J&J’s HIV Drug A division of Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday that federal regulators granted full approval to an HIV drug designed to treat patients who have stopped responding to other treatments. Staff, AP NEWS - 77 minutes ago
Ky. Court Says State Must Readopt Lethal Injection The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state improperly adopted the same three-drug lethal injection protocol that was upheld in the nation’s highest court and is used by dozens of other states. Brett Barrouquere, AP NEWS - 81 minutes ago
Pittsburgh OKs $50K ‘Middle Finger’ Settlement Pittsburgh City Council has tentatively approved paying $50,000 to settle a free speech lawsuit filed by a man cited for giving a city police officer the middle finger. Staff, AP NEWS - 82 minutes ago
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