New Jersey Republicans Sue Governor for E-Mails He Sent to the Union Leader He Once Dated. The state Republican Party chairman sued Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Thursday to force the release of e-mails between the governor and a state union leader he once dated and lavished with gifts.
Romney Criticizes Clinton As European Caricature, Says She Couldn't Get Elected in France. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday criticized Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as a European caricature who would turn the United States into a welfare state.
Edwards Calls for Investigation of Oil Company Mergers, High Gas Prices. Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards says a wave of mergers in the oil industry should be investigated by the Justice Department to see what impact they have had on soaring gasoline prices.
Was Alex Rodriguez Yelling to Distract a Ballplayer Big League Smarts or Bush League Stunt?. Big league smarts or bush league stunt? Fans were buzzing Thursday over whether Alex Rodriguez broke baseball's unwritten code by making a remark that distracted a Toronto infielder and allowed a ninth-inning popup to fall for a run-scoring single.
Obama Upbeat About Nevada Despite Clinton's Recent Spate of Endorsements in State. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Thursday shrugged off rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's support in Nevada, arguing that he'll enjoy the same success in attracting the state's rural voters as he did back home in Illinois.
Quarantined Tuberculosis Patient Is the Son-In-Law of a CDC Microbiologist. A globe-trotting Atlanta lawyer with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis was allowed back into the U.S. by a border inspector who disregarded a computer warning to stop him and don protective gear, officials said Thursday.
US Commanders Talking About Cease-Fires, Other Agreements to Stop Iraq Violence. The U.S. military is working more aggressively to forge cease-fires with Iraqi militants and quell the violence around Baghdad, judging that 80 percent of enemy combatants are "reconcilable," a top U.S. commander said Thursday.
US Warns Against Iran Visits As Fourth Iranian-American Detained. The United States warned U.S. citizens on Thursday against traveling to Iran, accusing Islamic authorities there of a "disturbing pattern" of harassment after the detention of a fourth Iranian-American for alleged espionage.
Bush Proposes Summit to Agree on Voluntary Cuts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. President Bush, under international pressure to take tough action against global warming, on Thursday called for a summit of the United States and other nations that spew the most greenhouse gases on the planet.
Pentagon Spends $31 Million to Compensate Civilians Caught in Combat. The Defense Department has spent nearly $31 million in payments to Iraqis or Afghans who suffered as a result of U.S. combat operations.
Government Forces Telecom Industry to Improve 911 Cellular Tracking Technology. The government moved Thursday to force the portable telephone industry to do a better job helping police and firefighters locate people who call 911 on cellular and Internet-based phones.
Guantanamo Detainee Who Died in Apparent Suicide Was Saudi Veteran and Self-Described Jihadist. The detainee who died at Guantanamo Bay in an apparent suicide was identified Thursday as a Saudi military veteran and self-described Islamic holy warrior who denied he ever intended to kill Americans.
Rice Says Russia Should Drop Cold War Mentality, Puzzled by Dispute Over Missiles. Russian attitudes are locked in the past, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday, adding that the United States is perplexed by the current fracas with Russia over a planned U.S. missile system in Europe.
Former White House and State Officials Push Probation for Libby in CIA Leak Case. Former White House and State Department officials and military commanders are supporting former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby as he asks a federal judge to spare him prison time in the CIA leak case.
Russia Immediately Rejects Revised Europeans-U.S. Proposal for Independence for Kosovo. The United States and European nations introduced a revised U.N. resolution Thursday supporting independence for Kosovo under international supervision, but it was immediately rejected by Russia _ who hinted it would veto the measure.
Bancroft Family, Controlling Shareholders of Dow Jones, Will Meet With Murdoch Over Bid. The controlling shareholders of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. said late Thursday that they would consider a bid from media mogul Rupert Murdoch to buy the company, as well as other potential offers.
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,473 Thursday, According to Count by the Associated Press. As of Thursday, May 31, 2007, at least 3,473 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,836 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Spector Defense Seeks to Introduce Diary of Dead Actress, Who Wrote About Depression, Guns. Lawyers in Phil Spector's murder trial clashed Thursday over whether jurors should hear about a diary of the woman found dead in his mansion, writings the defense says refer to depression, a fascination with guns and visions of a dead actress.
The level of gender-based sexual violence has reached appalling levels in eastern Congo and Burundi and stronger efforts are needed to ostracize perpetrators of such crimes, the U.N. human rights chief said Thursday.
Yankees' Jason Giambi Sidelined Indefinitely After Tearing Tissue in Arch of Left Foot. Jason Giambi will be sidelined at least three weeks and possibly far longer after tearing tissue in the arch of his left foot while rounding the bases on a home run.
Patient With TB Will Have Little Access to Outside World While in Denver Hospital. The hospital caring for the Georgia attorney with a rare strain of tuberculosis ranks among the best in the nation for research and treatment of the disease; it was born in an age in which thousands suffering from "consumption" trekked to Colorado's high, dry air in hopes of a cure.
Toddler Dies in Dishwasher That Started Automatically As Door Closed, Ark. Police Say. An 18-month-old boy died inside a dishwasher that began running automatically when its door closed, the sheriff's office said Thursday.
The hospital caring for the Georgia attorney with a rare strain of tuberculosis ranks among the best in the nation for research and treatment of the disease; it was born in an age in which thousands suffering from "consumption" trekked to Colorado's high, dry air in hopes of a cure.
Northwest Airlines Exits Bankruptcy Protection As Nation's Largest Carriers Reorganize. With Northwest Airlines out of bankruptcy on Thursday, the nation's largest carriers have reorganized to compete better in a world of discount carriers and higher fuel prices.
Nicaraguan police have seized more than 40,000 tubes of Chinese-made toothpaste suspected of containing a chemical that killed at least 51 people in Panama last year.
Investigators will analyze DNA from the parents of a student who has been missing for nearly six years to determine whether bones found in woods last month were hers.
DNA Tests to Determine Whether Bones Found in Okla. Are of Student Missing Since 2001. Investigators will analyze DNA from the parents of a student who has been missing for nearly six years to determine whether bones found in woods last month were hers.
Ed McMahon Promotes DVD Drive As a Safe Diversion for Troops in Iraq. Former longtime "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon is urging people to donate DVDs for U.S. troops in Iraq, saying movies offer a safe and comforting escape from wartime realities.
Spain Makes Court Claim Over Sunken Colonial-Era Treasure. The Spanish government has filed claims in U.S. federal court over a shipwreck that a Florida firm found laden with Colonial-era treasure, an attorney said Thursday.
International Whaling Commission Upholds 21-Year Moratorium on Commercial Whaling. The International Whaling Commission passed a resolution Thursday that upholds a 21-year moratorium on commercial whaling.
New Hampshire Becomes Last State in New England to Ban Smoking in Bars and Restaurants. New Hampshire will soon ban smoking in bars and restaurants, becoming the last state in New England to do so.
NBA-Worst Memphis Grizzlies Name Suns Assistant Marc Iavaroni As Their New Head Coach. Marc Iavaroni was hired as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday after a season that left the team with the worst record in the NBA.
Fans Will Have 2 Days Less to Wait for Opening of `Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. Good news for Harry Potter fans marking off the days before the release of the boy wizard's next movie.
New Hampshire will soon ban smoking in bars and restaurants, becoming the last state in New England to do so.
Lebanese Soldier Killed As Standoff Continues With Militants at Palestinian Refugee Camp. A Lebanese soldier was killed by sniper fire Thursday from inside a Palestinian refugee camp where the military and Islamic militants have been engaged in a standoff for nearly two weeks, security officials said.
Steelers Offensive Line Coach Larry Zierlein Apologizes for Raunchy E-Mail to Goodell, Others. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein apologized Thursday for accidentally e-mailing an explicit sex video to numerous NFL employees, including league commissioner Roger Goodell.
A New York man who raped a woman nearly 11 years ago and taunted her by giving her a slip of paper with a telephone number and encouraging her to call him was sentenced Thursday to up to 45 years in prison, prosecutors said.
U.S. Battles al-Qaida Gunmen in West Baghdad After Sunnis Revolt Against Terror Group. U.S. troops battled al-Qaida in west Baghdad on Thursday after Sunni Arab residents challenged the militants and called for American help to end furious gunfire that kept students from final exams and forced people in the neighborhood to huddle indoors.
Greenpeace Recreates Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat in Climate Change Appeal. Greenpeace activists on Thursday unveiled a model of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat _ the site where the original Biblical Ark is said to have landed after the great flood _ in an appeal to world leaders to take immediate action against climate change.
Former Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush Join Hundreds for Dedication of Billy Graham Library. Visitors to the new, presidential-style museum honoring evangelist Billy Graham enter and exit the building through crosses as tall as 40 feet high, a design meant to emphasize that the $27-million complex is an extension of the minister's work.
AP Impact: History Could Repeat Itself With Another Katrina; AP Pinpoints 5 Vulnerable Spots. Just because Katrina was the perfect storm, a catastrophic combo of the wrong hurricane in the wrong place at the wrong time, doesn't mean that history can't repeat itself, leaving another city obliterated by another tempest. It can.
Economic Growth Slows to a Near Halt in First Quarter in Worst Showing in 4 Years. Economic growth skidded to a near halt in the first quarter, with the worst showing in more than four years raising concerns about how long the country's sluggish spell will last.
Looking for New Customers, Wachovia Buys A.G. Edwards for $6.8B. A little more than a year after acquiring one of the nation's top mortgage lenders, Wachovia said Thursday it would buy A.G. Edwards for $6.8 billion in a deal that will create the nation's second-largest retail brokerage.
Dell Announces Plans to Lay Off More Than 8,000 Employees Amid 1st-Quarter Earnings Dip. Dell Inc. said Thursday that earnings fell slightly in preliminary first-quarter results, and the computer maker planned to lay off more than 8,000 employees over the next year as part of an ongoing restructuring.
Stocks Finish Flat After More Takeover Deals, Feeble GDP Growth; Nasdaq Gains. Stocks finished largely flat Thursday after a weak reading of the nation's gross domestic product muted Wall Street's enthusiasm over a new spate of acquisitions. Technology stocks fared better than most, however.
Presidential Donors Aren't Always Forthcoming With Personal Data. Anyone who has struggled with split ends or unruly hair knows who Vidal Sassoon is. The Barack Obama campaign had to ask.
Tinseltown Celebrity Clubs _ What Happens There Doesn't Always Stay There. Hollywood's hottest, trendiest nightclubs _ they pop up almost as fast as the hair extensions Britney Spears used to attach to her head, and they can disappear just about as quickly as Spears' real hair did.
Poll: Many Residents Along Gulf and Atlantic Coasts Still Not Prepared for Hurricanes. Many people along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts still lack a hurricane survival plan and don't feel vulnerable to storms, despite Katrina's dramatic damage and pleas from emergency officials for residents to prepare before the season starts, according to a poll released Thursday.
Iraqi Violent Deaths at a Glance. A look at violent deaths in Iraq, based on an Associated Press count. The total AP count includes Iraqi civilians, government officials and police and security forces, and is considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual number is likely higher, as many killings go unreported.
Marine Veteran Faces Hearing on Discharge Status for Wearing Uniform at Protest Rally. An Iraq war veteran could lose his honorable discharge status after being photographed wearing fatigues at an anti-war protest.
