AP News (Jun.16.2008)

1. The floodwaters are receding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, revealing just how much damage the high water has done. Meanwhile, those downstream are doing what they can to protect themselves from the coming deluge.

2. President Bush is in London for two days of talks about Iraq. He's set to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown to determine what needs to be done to bring more US and British troops home.

3. Authorities in Oklahoma are chasing down leads as they try to find whoever killed two young girls last weekend. They say they are also still trying to determine a motive in the killings of 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker.

4. The flag is at half-staff and the main chair was empty this morning on NBC's “Meet the Press” . The network honored host Tim Russert who died on Friday by dedicating the hour-long program to his life and work.

AP News (Jun.13.2008)

1. A group of Boy Scouts have been praised for coming to each other’s aid after a tornado struck their western Iowa camp. Four young men were killed, and nearly 50 others were hurt, 14 of them remain hospitalized. The teens were attending a week-long leadership training camp when the twister struck last night.

2. And parts of the Midwest have been swamped by flood water. Thousands of people have been evacuated as severe thunderstorms hit already flood-ravaged places. More than a half of Iowa’s counties have been declared state disaster areas.

3. Another setback for the Bush administration. The Supreme Court ruled the government is violating Guantanamo Bay detainees’ rights by holding them indefinitely and without charges. President Bush says he'll abide by the High Court's decision.

4. There is word a European brewer has offered 46 billion dollars to buy Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other brands. The news helped give Wall Street a rebound but stocks turned mixed late in the day.

AP News (Jun.12.2008)

1. A sandbagged levee is still keeping the Cedar River out of downtown Cedar Falls, Iowa. But more rain is following and officials are asking for extra volunteer sandbaggers. Forecasters say a dry spell could be coming soon.

2. Low humidity and 40-mile-an-hour wind gusts are expected to make things tougher for crews battling wildfires in northern California. A blaze near Sacramento has already destroyed nearly 50 homes and buildings with another 275 threatened. Officials say the fire is about 60% contained.

3. Gasoline has reached another record. The national average is now $ 4.05 a gallon. The declining dollar and lower-than-expected oil stocks have pushed crude prices up again in New York.

4. And in Atlanta, a bizarre incident at a gas station. Witnesses say this man pulled in and started dancing naked on top of his car before getting back in, slamming his car into a row of gas pumps setting them on fire. Fire crews extinguished the blaze before it could spread to more pumps.

AP News(Jun.11.2008)

1. A plane carrying about 200 passengers veered off a runway in Sudan and burst into flames. Local television reports at least 100 people are dead. The Sudan Airways plane was landing in Khartoum at the end of a flight from Amman, Jordan.

2. In Wisconsin, authorities are watching dams in this rain-soaked state after a breach nearly emptied Lake Delton, washing away homes and a highway. A swamp of the Midwest is recovering from drenching storms. The weather is blamed for at least 15 deaths.

3. In the Senate, Republicans blocked a bill that would have imposed a new tax on profits from oil companies. Senators say the bill would have meant higher prices and increased oil imports. Meantime, gas prices rose another two cents to a national average of $4.04 a gallon.

4. On the side of a building in Japan, this woman tucks into bed, almost falling asleep. All part of a promotional stunt advertising a chain of hotels.

AP News (Jun.10.2008)

1. The true power of nature was on full display throughout the Midwest. Raging flood waters are still tearing through southern Indiana, swallowing farmland and homes. So far eight people have died from flooding in Michigan and Indiana.

2. McDonald's has stopped serving sliced tomatoes in its US restaurants. That's after concerns about salmonella food poisoning linked to some uncooked varieties. The grocer Winn-Dixie Stores said it was also taking some tomatoes off its shelves.

3. "It's good to be home. " That's from Senator Ted Kennedy after he returned to his family's compound on Cape Cod. The Massachusetts senator has been recovering from surgery to treat a cancerous brain tumor for the past week.

4. Apple has unveiled an upgraded iPhone with a faster Internet connection and GPS capabilities. Analysts say Apple needed to upgrade the iPhone's Internet connection to work over third-generation wireless networks. The company is hoping to hit its target of selling ten million of the devices by the end of the year.

AP News (Jun.9.2008)

1. At least three people are dead after severe storms hit the Midwest. In Indiana, rescuers in boats are still plucking people from rising waters, as parts of the state brace for more flooding. The storm also brought tornados, this one touched down near Chicago.

2. Investigators in Texas say a fire at the historic Governor's Mansion in Austin was likely arson. State officials say the damage borders on catastrophic. No one was inside the 152-year-old building when the blaze broke out. It had been undergoing a ten-million-dollar renovation.

3. The national average price for unleaded gas now tops the four-dollar-a-gallon mark. The highest average prices are in states like Alaska, California, Connecticut and Washington state. AAA says gas prices have gone up an average of about 33 cents a gallon since this time last month. Analysts say that's about 90 cents since this time last year.

4. Rafael Nadal has won his fourth straight French Open. Nadal won six consecutive games, dispatching Roger Federer with ease. It's the third straight year the two have met in the final.

AP News (Jun.8.2008)

1. Senator Hillary Clinton has suspended her bid for the presidency. The former first lady was greeted by thousands of supporters in Washington. She's urging everyone to support Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee.
2. Residents in northern Minnesota are cleaning up after strong storms ripped through parts of the Midwest, smashing houses and leaving thousands without power. The situation has been made worse for residents by hot temperatures baking the region.

3. The Olympic torch relay continues. It's now going through Nanning, China. There was a moment of silence at the beginning of the relay to remember the victims of last month's devastating earthquake.
4. Veteran sportscaster Jim McKay died of natural causes at his farm in Monkton, Maryland at the age of 86. When a raid to rescue Israeli athletes captured by terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics ended in tragedy, it was McKay who told Americans "They are all gone."

AP News (Jun.4.2008)

1. Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. Based on an Associated Press count of convention delegates, Obama has enough to become the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House. The Illinois senator is also picking up the endorsement of former President Jimmy Carter.

2. Hillary Rodham Clinton has reportedly said she is open to being Barack Obama's vice presidential candidate. The comments were made on a conference call to New York lawmakers. Clinton is addressing supporters tonight in New York after the South Dakota and Montana primary results come in.

3. Reunions continue today in Texas for polygamous families and their children. Child welfare officials say most of the remaining children will be out of foster homes today. Although some parents are being told they may have to wait a few more days.

4. President Bush has honored the University of Kansas basketball team. The president met with the 2008 NCAA champs at Rose Garden ceremony. KU pulled out the title for the first time since 1988 when the team was last lauded at the White House.

AP News (Jun.3.2008)

1. Senator Ted Kennedy is out of surgery at Duke University. His doctor says a procedure to treat his cancerous brain tumor was successful. The 76-year-old now faces chemotherapy and radiation to treat the malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor.

2. A Texas judge has placed some tight restrictions on the parents of 400 children who are being allowed to return to their polygamist compound. Among other things, the parents have to allow unannounced visits from the state.

3. Neil Entwistle arrived at a Boston-area courthouse for the beginning of his murder trial under heavy security. It's been nearly two years since he was charged with killing his wife and nine-month-old daughter.

4. Space shuttle Discovery performed a slow back flip and then docked at the International Space Station. It's delivering a massive lab and two new occupants: a NASA astronaut and Buzz Lightyear.

AP News (May.30.2008)

1. Scott McClellan, former press secretary for President Bush, says he got caught up in what he calls "the Washington game" instead of changing things like the president promised. McClellan has written a tell-all memoir that's critical of Bush.

2. A medical helicopter crashes on the roof of a hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, catching fire. Two people on board escaped with minor injuries. No patients were on board. An eyewitness says pieces were flying in the air after the crash.

3. A letter from Barack Obama's senate doctor says the presidential candidate is in excellent health, writing that the 46-year-old Obama is a regular jogger with no excess body fat.

4. Help is on the way for the crew aboard the International Space Station where the only toilet is having some trouble. Replacement parts are coming, on board the space shuttle Discovery, set to blast off Saturday

AP News (May.28.2008)

1. Seven people are now dead after a devastating tornado struck Iowa on Sunday. Around the hard-hit area of Parkersburg people are trying to recover what they can. Officials say a total of 350 homes were destroyed, more than 200 just in Parkersburg.

2. John McCain says both Republicans and Democrats haven't been doing enough to control the spread of nuclear weapons. The Arizona Republican says he favors an approach that doesn't rely too heavily on direct talks or military force.

3. More international aid is finally on the way to victims of Myanmar's cyclone. Officials say foreign workers have begun entering the country's hard-hit delta area after being blocked for weeks by the military junta. Officials now put the death toll at about 78,000.

4. NASA says fresh images from the Phoenix Mars Lander show most of its science instruments are in good shape. The one snag on the lander happened when the protective sheath around the robotic arm didn't unwrap all the way after touchdown.

AP News (May.25.2008)

1. It is a weekend to remember those serving the country. President Bush is asking Americans to pause on Monday for a moment of remembrance. At Arlington National Cemetery, each headstone is being marked with an American flag.

2. Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama is not backing away from criticizing Republican contender John McCain for opposing legislation providing scholarships to those serving in the military. McCain says the benefit will encourage people to leave the service after one enlistment.

3. On the streets of two European cities, rioters clash with police. In Italy, the issue is who gets garbage from Naples. In Belgium, groups sparred after a soccer game.

4. In Beijing, eight pandas settle into a new home after the devastating Chinese earthquake destroyed their preserve. The two-year-old pandas will be here for months, part of a special exhibition at Beijing Zoo for the Summer Olympics.

AP News (May.24.2008)

1. Officials in Texas are taking the polygamist sect case to the state's highest court. Today they file their appeal of a lower court ruling which stated officials didn't have the right to take more than 400 kids from their parents.

2. Crews in Colorado are busy cleaning up after yesterday's powerful storms that tore apart homes and businesses. Many residents are just now getting back to their houses to see if there is anything left worth salvaging.
3. Officials in China are trying to secure 15 sources of radiation that were buried in the rubble of last week's earthquake. Meantime, the government is moving thousands of survivors living downstream of rivers that have been dammed by landslides. Officials fear those could give way as aftershocks continue.

4. Just as Memorial Day weekend begins, gas prices have reached another record high. The average price of a gallon of regular rose 4 cents overnight to settle at nearly $3.88. Analysts say they expect that number to keep climbing.

AP News (May.23.2008)

1. A Texas appeals court has ruled that state officials had no right to seize more than 400 children living at a polygamous group’s ranch. Those children are now with foster parents. The court did not order them back to their families.

2. Strong winds are fueling an out-of-control wildfire that has scotched thousands of acres in central California. The blaze is threatening rural homes and has forced officials to close schools and evacuate certain areas.

3. Former White House top political adviser Karl Rove is being subpoenaed to appear before Congress. The House Judiciary Committee is calling on him to testify about whether the White House improperly meddled with the Justice Department.

4. Some D-C motorists (are) driving happy today, thanks to a free gas giveaway. Drivers lined up for blocks early this morning to get their 40 dollars worth of free gas. Some say while this won’t fuel the tank, it will get them through the holiday weekend.

AP News (May.22.2008)

1. Hours after a former Illinois police sergeant suspected in his fourth wife's disappearance turned himself in, he was released. Police had issued a warrant for Drew Peterson’s arrest in an unrelated weapons charge. Authorities are also investigating the death of Peterson's third wife.

2. Ted Kennedy has left the hospital and is back home in Cape Cod. Doctors say Kennedy has recovered remarkably quickly from a brain biopsy. They say he'll recuperate over the holiday weekend and wait for further test results.

3. President Bush has vetoed the 300 billion-dollar farm bill. He's calling it a tax increase on regular Americans at a time of high food prices but record farm profits. It's his 10th veto and one that's likely to be overridden by Congress which passed the bill with a veto-proof majority.

4. If you fly American Airlines and want to check a bag, you are ready to pay 15 dollars for the privilege. American will become the first major carrier to institute a fee for the first piece of luggage. Just last month it joined a number of other airlines in charging 25 dollars for a second bag.

AP News (May.20.2008)

1. The massive custody case involving hundreds of children taken from a West Texas ranch is underway. Four hundred and sixty-three children are in foster care following allegations that members of a polygamist sect forced underage girls into marriage and sex at the compound. The hearings are expected to last three weeks.

2. In Washington, the Supreme Court upheld a law that sets a five-year mandatory prison term for promoting child porn. The court dismissed concerns the law could apply to mainstream movies that depict adolescent sex, classic literature or innocent e-mails.

3. Tears flowed as people across China mourned the victims of last week's devastating earthquake. It's estimated 50,000 people were killed in the 7.9 quake. The government is warning a strong aftershock is still possible.

4. And a change of scenery for Big Brown. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner traveled by van from Baltimore to New York's Belmont Park. Big Brown is trying to become the first Triple Crown champ since 1978.

AP News (May.18.2008)

1. Senator Ted Kennedy is said to be resting comfortably at a Boston hospital after suffering some kind of seizure. The 76-year-old was at his home on Cape Cod at the time and was later airlifted to Boston.

2. President Bush is trying to make amends with Palestinians who are weary of his stance on peace in the Middle East. Bush angered many Palestinians when he appeared at Israel's 60th anniversary and didn't mention their plight.

3. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims are leaving some of the hardest-hit areas because of flooding concerns. Police say rescue officials are worried that water from a choked river could inundate towns near the epicenter.

4. The eldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth has married his Canadian fiancee in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle. Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly tied the knot in front of the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince Harry.