Far and Wide

In the news Saturday

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SoCal wildfire pollution poses health threat

Auto workers OK 4-year pact with Chrysler

Democrats lash out at GOP over children's health program

Turkish prime minister vows fight with Kurds 'when needed'

Red Sox a mile high in Denver with 2-0 lead

Caption:The Colorado Rockies take batting practice at Coors Field in Denver on Friday The Rockies will face the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 today of baseball's World Series. Boston leads the best-of-seven games series 2-0.

--Paul Chavez

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

The latest reports on the California wildfires -- including an AP story on the impact of red tape on response times -- are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

NowPublic contributors are also debating the new route for the next Tour de France, and some are salivating over a new Honda motorcycle.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

NowPublic contributors are also debating the new route for the next Tour de France, and some are salivating over a new Honda motorcycle.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

High price of oil

Crude oil prices spiked above $92 a barrel Friday.

Why? Tensions in the Middle East and renewed concerns about supply.

The United States announced new sanctions against Iran on Thursday, and a confrontation between the world's largest oil consumer and its fourth largest oil producer could upend markets.

Also, a threatened incursion by Turkish armed forces into Iraq would cut oil supplies out of northern Iraq. Turkey has warned it will decide whether to cross into Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas regardless of U.S. objections.

On Thursday, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Secretary General Abdalla el-Badri told The Wall Street Journal Asia the cartel is not in discussions to boost production by 500,000 barrels.

For more, check out this AP story by Pablo Gorondi.

-- Jaime Holguin

In the news Friday

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Straight from the AP wires:

Fire evacuees seek return to normal
Astronauts begin first spacewalk
Fight over child health care persists
Mideast leaders work on joint statement
Fenway happy as Red Sox lead series 2-0

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Arson in California, Turks and Armenians fighting in Belgium and the first passenger flight of the superjumbo A380 are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

In the news Thursday

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Straight from the AP wires:

Calif. fires may be at a turning point
Military may get control of contractors
Iraqi delegation to visit Turkey
Looking for an excuse? Company has many
Red Sox cool off Rockies 13-1 in Game 1

-- Jaime Holguin

Wars may cost U.S. $2.4 trillion over decade

(AP Photo/Sgt. Timothy Kingston, U.S. Army)

The number crunchers at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office have tallied how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost over the next decade: $2.4 trillion.

Just to be clear, that's $2,400,000,000,000.

WHITE HOUSE REACTION:

"It's just a ton of speculation," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "We don't know how much the war is going to cost in the future."

SPENDING SO FAR: According to the analysis, the U.S. has spent about $604 billion on the wars, including $39 billion in diplomatic operations and foreign aid.

For more on the spending forecast, read this report filed today out of Washington by Anne Flaherty.

Caption: Two U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division dismount from the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle earlier this month to conduct a cordon and search at a brick factory in Narahwan, Iraq.

--Paul Chavez

Home sales plunge

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

It's a buyer's market!

Real estate sales are falling by record amounts. Sales of existing homes fell 8 percent in September, according to National Association of Realtors. That's the largest drop to show up in records since 1999. AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger said analysts expected a 4.5 percent drop in sales. The turmoil in the mortgage and credit markets is being blamed for the bigger drop.

More bad news:

• The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate of 5.04 million existing homes was also the slowest pace on record.
• The median price -- the point at which half the homes sold for more and half for less -- fell to $211,700 in September, down by 4.2 percent from the sales price a year ago. It marked the 13th time out of the past 14 months that the year-over-year sales price has decreased.
• Lawrence Yun, senior economist for the Realtors, forecast that prices will decline by about 1.5 percent this year.

-- Howie Rumberg

What NASA doesn't want you to know about the airline industry

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, file)

"Release of the requested data, which are sensitive and safety-related, could materially affect the public confidence in, and the commercial welfare of, the air carriers and general aviation companies whose pilots participated in the survey."

That's what a senior NASA official wrote in a final denial letter to the Associated Press, after the AP sought to obtain results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized.

The AP learned about the NASA results from one person familiar with the survey who spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss them. The AP sought to obtain the survey data over 14 months under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

For more, check out this AP Impact story by Rita Beamish.

-- Jaime Holguin

Former spy catcher can call your bluff

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

If you're a poker fan, you'll definitely want to check out this story by AP's Pat Milton.

It's about a former FBI spy catcher who's now bringing his investigator's eye to the poker table and sharing his decoding techniques with players eager for an edge in the world of professional poker.

Joseph Navarro says he can size up anyone -- even professional card sharks -- by observing their behavior for mere minutes.

Here's one of his quick tips: When players are confident, they tend to use their hands more and claim more territory at the table. When they have good hands, they generally look down at their chips.

-- Jaime Holguin

In the news Monday

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Straight from the AP wires:

Wildfires rage in Southern California
Turkey: Troops missing after Kurdish rebel ambush
NASA won't disclose air safety survey
GOP rivals argue who's most conservative
Lawyer: Spears regains child visitation rights

-- Jaime Holguin

Three Americans share Nobel economics prize

(AP Photo)

Meet Leonid Hurwicz, the oldest Nobel prize winner ever.

The 90-year-old  emeritus economics professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis shared the Nobel prize in economics with fellow Americans Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson. They were given the award for developing a theory that helps explain how incentives and private information affect the functioning of markets.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences AP said the men "laid the foundations of mechanism design theory," AP Writers Karl Ritter and Matt Moore report. The researchers' work affects the fields of economics and political science. Policy makers have used their theories in everything from labor issues to economic transactions, such as what insurance policies will provide the best coverage without inviting misuse.

Maskin, 56, is professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey; and Myerson, 56, is a professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois.

-- Howie Rumberg

Working blues

Who are the most depressed workers in the United States?

According to a new government report, folks who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression.

The lowest rate of depression occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors.

You can find the government report here.

And the complete AP story by Kevin Freking here.

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo / Czarek Sokolowski)

"You don't see nuns getting arrested everyday."

That's how Susan Plageman, an AP photo supervisor, introduced this photo from Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, at this morning's AP global news meeting -- one of several pictures she highlighted as being among the best of the day.

The woman in the photo is one of about 65 ex-nuns and a monk who were removed by police from a convent, which they've occupied for two years during a dispute with the Vatican over the removal of their mother superior.

Court officials and police pushed their way into the convent on Wednesday to evict the ex-nuns and monk.

Plageman also showed a photo, below, from the funeral of two Christian women killed in Baghdad by workers from a private security firm. The sister of one of the victims is seen among the mourners.

(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
See below for more of Plageman's top photo picks.

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/Asmaa Waguih)
Rice and wool played a role in the images AP photo supervisor Susan Plageman highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting.

Above, a rice farmer in Egypt burns hay to clear a field before planting new crops. And below, a worker sifts through wool at a factory in Argentina.

(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
For more of Plageman's top-photo picks, see below.

-- Eric Carvin

Federal investigators focus on what went wrong

Authorities believe smoke and fumes from a chemical fire likely killed five workers trapped in an underground pipeline at a hydroelectric plant in Georgetown, Colo.

Watch this AP video report to learn more about the investigation into what went wrong at the plant.

--Chelsea J. Carter

Delays, delays and more delays

Absolutely have to get their on time? Then leave early.

The airline industry's on-time performance was dismal in August with nearly 30 percent of flights delayed, according to government data released this week.

By the numbers: The nation's 20 largest carriers reported an on-time arrival rate of 71.1 percent in August, down from 75.8 percent a year ago. Through August, more than 25 percent of flights arrived late _ the industry's worst on-time performance since comparable data began being collected in 1995.

The good: Aloha Airlines had the highest on-time arrival rate at 97 percent, followed by Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s Hawaiian Airlines at 93.6 percent and Southwest Airlines at 77.7 percent, according to government data.

The bad: Almost half of Atlantic Southeast Airlines were delayed, and two of its flights arrived late every time they took off. The Delta Connection carrier, which is owned by SkyWest Inc., had the lowest on-time arrival rate at 55 percent, followed by United Airlines at 66.2 percent and Alaska Airlines at 67.1 percent.

The worst: Customer complaints nearly doubled in August to 1,634 compared with 864 in the same month last year, according to the government data

--Chelsea J. Carter

Trapped workers found dead

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Men trapped at least 1,500 feet underground survived an initial chemical fire at a hydroelectric plant in Georgetown, Colo., but died before emergency workers could rescue them.

What happened: The maintenance workers were sealing the inside of a pipe to prevent corrosion when equipment they were using malfunctioned and ignited a fire Tuesday afternoon. They were among a group of nine contract maintenance workers in the tunnel when a machine used to coat the inside of the 12-foot-wide pipe with epoxy caught fire, Xcel Energy spokeswoman Ethnie Groves said.

What they said: Officials initially expressed hope that the trapped workers could be saved. Groves first reported that authorities had communicated with the five by radio about 45 minutes after the fire broke out, and that the men said they were unhurt.

To learn more, read the story by Associated Press reporter Judith Kohler.

--Chelsea J. Carter

More than 100 incidents reported at labs handling deadly germs

 (AP Photo/Gary Emeigh)

Think you've had a bad day at work? Imagine this: A researcher at a private laboratory in Maryland this summer is working with a ferret – designated Ferret No. 992 – that was deliberately infected with the bird flu virus. Except the infected ferret isn't happy, and takes a chunk out of the researcher's right thumb. The worker is sent home and kept quarantined for five days, forced to wear a mask to protect everyone around him.

It really happened, one of more than 100 accidents and lost shipments since 2003 at high-security labs across the United States that handle the world's deadliest germs and toxins. For the first time ever, the Associated Press has obtained confidential reports of accidents submitted to federal regulators. No one died, and officials believe the public was never at risk. But the accidents – involving anthrax, monkeypox, bird flu and plague-causing bacteria at 44 labs in 24 states – reflect poorly on procedures and oversight at the labs. The reports describe workers bitten or scratched by infected monkeys, the ferret and a guinea pig. They also include cases of infected mice that turned up missing: In one case, investigators concluded they must have been cannibalized by their cagemates.

The reports are so sensitive the Bush administration said it was illegal to release them under the Freedom of Information Act, after the AP asked for them. The administration cited an anti-bioterrorism law aimed at preventing terrorists from locating stockpiles of poisons and learning who handles them.

A U.S. House subcommittee in Washington is investigating the accidents, and will conduct an oversight hearing later this week.

To learn more, read the exclusive story by Associated Press reporter Larry Margasak.

--Ted Bridis

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

What do Zapatista leader Subcommandante Marcos and Radiohead have in common?

Probably not much. But today, both are getting a lot of attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

China bans ads for bras, underwear, sex toys

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

China's communist government has been trying to remove "social pollution" from the country's airwaves and its latest attempt is a ban on television and radio ads for push-up bras, figure-enhancing underwear and sex toys.

Regulators have been tightening their grip on television and radio a few weeks ahead of a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress.

For more details on the government's media moves, read this report from Beijing.

Caption: Chinese security personnel march today in front of the Great Hall of the People across from Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Authorities have tightened security in the area ahead of a reception for National Day celebrations on Oct. 1.

--Paul Chavez

In the news Saturday

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Taliban suicide blast in Kabul kills 30

UN envoy tries to end junta crackdown in Myanmar

Pakistan approves Musharraf's re-election bid

S.E. Hinton remembers 'The Outsiders'

Cubs clinch NL Central title

Caption: Afghan police collect samples from a military bus destroyed in a suicide bombing attack.

--Paul Chavez

There's Oprah, and then there's everyone else

(AP Photo)

Oprah Winfrey makes more money than God.

The talk-show host earned an estimated $260 million between June 2006 and June 2007, so far in front of second-place Jerry Seinfeld, it's not even funny.

According to Forbes' list of the richest people on TV, Seinfeld made $60 million, thanks to reruns of his sitcom "Seinfeld," which he partly owns. Simon Cowell of Fox's "American Idol" places third with $45 million, David Letterman, fourth with $40 million, and Donald Trump and Jay Leno tied at fifth with $32 million in earnings.

To check out the rest of Forbes' list here.

-- Otis Hart

Are you listening? Really?

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Portable People Meters are rocking the radio industry.

A rollout of new technology that uses embedded audio codes to determine what people are actually listening to has changed how stations are programmed and how advertisers spend their money. (The meter looks like a pager and is pictured above.)

The old system involves asking a group of people to keep a diary listing what stations they've been listening to.

AP Business Writer Seth Sutel has the full story on how Arbitron's new gadgets are changing the $20 billion radio business.

--Ryan Pearson

New homes, anyone?

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

The numbers are in from August, and things look grim. Not since the summer of 2000 -- at the beginning of the housing boom -- have so few people purchased new homes.

And the credit crunch is slamming home prices: The median sales price in August fell by 7.5 percent from a year earlier to $225,700 --  the biggest drop in percentage terms in nearly 37 years.

Read Jeannine Aversa's AP report for more details on how the housing bust is affecting the rest of the economy.

--Ryan Pearson

In the news Thursday

(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Here are some of the top stories of the moment, straight from the AP wires.

Myanmar soldiers fire weapons into crowd
Bush climate goals marked by bureaucracy
11 Palestinians killed in Gaza fighting
Iran strengthens South America ties
NASA launches asteroid mission

PHOTO: Water is sprayed as Palestinians gather around the wreckage of a car after it was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007.

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
"Carlos was up all night."

The AP's New York-based chief picture editor, Madge Stager, is talking about AP photographer Carlos Osorio, who shot this and other images from the ongoing labor dispute in the auto industry.

This image, showing United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger soon after a middle-of-the-night agreement with General Motors was announced, was one of several Stager highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting.

See below for more of her picks.

-- Eric Carvin

Union and GM reach an agreement

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Back to work, folks.

The United Auto Workers and General Motors have reached a tentative contract agreement after a nationwide two-day strike. It was the first such walk-out in 37 years.

The crux of the agreement? Retirees' health care. To find out more, read this story by AP Auto Writers Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin.

Meanwhile, if reading ain't your bag, baby, you can listen to these audio clips from Krisher, describing the basics and what this means for the auto industry here in the country.

-- Hillary Rhodes

It's back to work for GM workers

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

A two-day national strike -- the first against the automaker in 37 years -- ended Wednesday after the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp. agreed to a tentative contract.
   
GM and the UAW confirmed that the deal creates a GM-funded, UAW-run trust to administer retiree health care. AP Auto Writers Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin report that the contract also would give workers bonuses and lump-sum payments and would pay newly hired workers at lower rates.
   
The deal means UAW workers will head back to their jobs at around 80 GM facilities across the nation.
   
-- Jaime Holguin
   

In the news Wednesday

(AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

Here are some of the top stories of the moment, straight from the AP wires.

UAW, GM reach tentative agreement
Iraqi leader to address UN today
Sen. Craig will try to withdraw plea
Myanmar security forces haul away monks
Group points out Bill O'Reilly race comments

PHOTO: Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, takes part in a Senate Environment and Public Works hearing in Washington Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007.

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
"I thought the photographer found a slightly different way of displaying Gordon Brown."

That's how AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman introduced this photo of the British prime minister -- one of several images he showcased at today's AP global news meeting.

From the Labour Party to a labor dispute: Below is a photo of striking United Auto Workers members in Delta Township, Mich.
(AP Photo/Al Goldis)

-- Eric Carvin

Fans finally get their hands on "Halo 3"

(AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

If you're reading this, you probably weren't in line for "Halo 3" last night. Otherwise, you'd be busy mastering Master Chief's new weapons and vehicles or catching up on some sleep right about now.

Microsoft hasn't revealed exact sales numbers just yet, but the game is expected to blast past "Spider-Man 3" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" at cash registers around the world. See more photos from the "Halo 3" launch, after the jump.

-- Derrik J. Lang

iTunes store gets some competition

Amazon MP3 is open for business.

Amazon.com's digital music store launched Tuesday with more than 2 million songs, all without copy-protection technology.

That means tracks can be copied to multiple computers, burned onto CDs and played on most types of PCs and portable devices, including Apple Inc.'s iPod.

The downside, however, is that it doesn't offer artists on major music labels that still require anti-piracy locks.

Read more in this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

Hookin' in Hungary -- now part of legal economy

(AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky, file)

Prostitutes in Hungary can now apply for an entrepreneur's permit that will bring sex workers into the legal economy by allowing them to give receipts to customers, contribute to social security and pay taxes, Hungarian officials said today.

Hungary's sex industry, which includes prostitution and pornography production, generates an estimated $1 billion annually, said Agnes Bakonyi, the spokeswoman for Hungary's tax authority APEH.

For more on this story, read this dispatch from Budapest, Hungary, by Pablo Gorondi.

Caption: Two prostitutes, nicknamed Zsuzsa, left, and Izabella, right, wait for clients beside a suburban road in Budapest, Hungary, in this November 2003 file photo

--Paul Chavez

New York Times red-faced over MoveOn.org ad

"We made a mistake."
   
That's New York Times' public editor Clark Hoyt admitting that the newspaper was wrong to print a controversial ad targeting Gen. David H. Petraeus.
   
In a column published Sunday, Hoyt said the Times violated its standards by allowing the liberal activist group MoveOn.org to pay $64,575, instead of the standard $142,083 for the ad questioning the war in Iraq.
   
Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis told Hoyt that an advertising sales representative shouldn't have agreed to the discounted price. The ad seemed to disregard internal advertising standards that ban ads involving attacks of a personal nature, Hoyt wrote.

For more, read this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

In the news Monday

 Ahmadinejad arrives for New York visit
Bush visits UN to discuss Mideast
150 nations gather for UN climate summit
UAW union threatens strike against GM
New service eavesdrops on Internet calls

Here are the top stories of the moment, straight from the AP wires.

-- Jaime Holguin

Zombies rule, but Jessica Alba is OK too

(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

Jessica Alba (left) lost out to the zombies (right).

Alright, TRL host Damien Fahey isn't a zombie.

Still, Alba's "Good Luck Chuck" was beaten at the box office by Milla Jovovich's "Resident Evil: Extinction," $24 million to $14 million. The full story by AP Movie Writer David Germain is here. asap's Jessica Alba coverage is here and a Q&A with Alba by AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is here. This concludes our Jessica Alba links for the day.

The rest of the weekend's top 10 movies:

3. "The Brave One," $7.4 million.
4. "3:10 to Yuma," $6.35 million.
5. "Eastern Promises," $5.7 million.
6. "Sydney White," $5.3 million.
7. "Mr. Woodcock," $5 million.
8. "Superbad," $3.1 million.
9. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $2.8 million.
10. "Dragon Wars," $2.5 million.

--Ryan Pearson

Former Ramone sues over song downloads

(AP Photo/George DuBose, File)
Gabba gabba pay me.

Richard "Richie Ramone" Reinhardt, a member of the pioneering punk band, the Ramones, is suing for royalties. Reinhardt played with the Ramones from 1983-87 and claims he is owed nearly $1 million in royalties on songs sold over the Internet.

AP Writer David B. Caruso reports Reinhardt sued Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Apple Inc., RealNetworks Inc., the band's management and the estate of its lead guitarist, John "Johnny Ramone" Cummings. He claims he never made a deal to sell his songs digitally.

The six songs Reinhardt wrote for the Ramones were "Smash You," "Somebody Put Something in My Drink," "Human Kind," "I'm Not Jesus," "I Know Better Now" and "(You) Can't Say Something Nice.

-- Howie Ruumberg

Harvard Business School for cowboys...

Notebooks and students at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville's nascent Institute for Ranch Management on the King Ranch near Kingsville, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

When you think ranchers, you probably think land, cattle, dust and ropes.

You probably don't think MBA.

But according a story from AP writer Lynn Brezosky, Texas A&M-Kingsville has an Institute for Ranch Management that offers the first ever masters degree program for ranchers. What do the students, er, cowboys learn? Business courses, along with animal nutrition and wildlife management.

Read the story after the jump...

$5 bill getting a colorful makeover

(AP Photo/Bureau of Engraving and Printing)

Expect to see some splashes of purple and gray on your $5 bills in the near future. AP economics writer Martin Crutsinger reports in this story that the bill is getting the same makeover that it's $10, $20 and $50 counterparts have already had.

So why the colors? They're added to stay ahead of counterfeiters.

-- Caryn Rousseau

In the news Thursday

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Here are the top stories at the moment, straight from the AP wires.

Bin Laden Tape to Declare War on Musharraf
U.S. Commander: Violence in Baghdad Down
Rice: Peace Parley Must Be Substantive
O.J. Is Back in Fla. After Posting Bail
Iran Leader Denied on WTC Wreath Request
NBC to Offer Free Episode Downloads

In the photo: O.J. Simpson, right, arriving at the Fort. Lauderdale International Airport.

New-look Earnhardt

(AP Photo/LM Otero)
Dale Earnhardt has a new number and some new sponsors.

Earnhardt officially cut ties with longtime sponsor Budweiser on Wednesday, announcing deals with PepsiCo. -- specifically Mountain Dew's Amp Energy drink -- and The National Guard to fund his new No. 88 car with Hendrick Motorsports next year.

By adding a digit -- Earnhardt has always driven No. 8 -- Earnhardt takes over a number that has a winning tradition and family ties.

Darrell Waltrip won 24 NASCAR races in the No. 88, and it's also belonged to notable drivers like Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett.

Oh, yeah, 88 was the number Earnhardt's grandfather, Ralph, had on his Petty Enterprises Oldsmobile in the 1957 Virginia 500.

Read more about Earnhardt's changes here.

-- John Marshall

In the news Wednesday

(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Here are the top stories of the moment, straight from the AP wires.

O.J. Simpson to Be Arraigned Today
Stocks Point to Plus Open After Big Gain
Iraqi PM Disputes Blackwater Version
Former Khmer Rouge Leader Arrested
Spector Jury Is Locked in 7-5 Impasse

In the photo: A helicopter carrying former Khmer Rouge number two leader Nuon Chea past a Buddhist temple out Pailin, Cambodia.

Kanye > 50 ... But the real winner is ...

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Kanye over 50! West bests Cent!

"Graduation" sold nearly 1 million copies in its first week -- the best such stat this year for any album -- and "Curtis" sold more like 700,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But really, the music industry won. Kenny Chesney's CD sold over 300,000 copies in this past week and "High School Musical 2" sold more than 100,000. Universal Music Group executives must be really happy: The company controls (read: profits from) both of the labels that released the Kanye and Fiddy albums.

AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody stopped by the Def Jam HQ to talk with that the label's president and West's "Big Brother" Jay-Z about the Sept. 11 sales battle. Read her story here.

--Ryan Pearson

What lower interest rates mean for YOU

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

It's a party on Wall Street, ever since the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a half a percentage point (sounds small, but it's twice as much as expected).

But get real; we're not all traders. What does this kind of economic adjustment mean for the average Joe's wallet? We spoke with Michael J. Martinez, supervisor for the AP's Money & Markets, who explained the effects you might see in your everyday life.

Listen here for his explanation.

In the photo: The New York Stock Exchange.

-- Hillary Rhodes