A tropical storm, a college basketball program and some angry Chinese farmers 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
Baseball, cardboard tubes and the anniversary of a journalist's death 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
(AP Photos/Eduardo Di Baia/Charles Dharapak)
It's not an episode of "Wife Swap." It's Argentina's presidential election. Partial election results
indicate that President Nestor Kirchner and first lady Cristina
Fernandez will switch roles in December. That would make Fernandez the country's first elected female president. Sound sorta familiar?
In this audio clip, the AP's Niko Price discusses the comparisons between Fernandez and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Read Price's story about the election here.
-- Derrik J. Lang
(AP Photo/John Gaps III, File)
Should Exxon Mobil Corp. have to pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages for the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill?
The Supreme Court will decide.
Nearly 20 years after the Exxon Valdez tanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound and affected 1,200 miles of coastline, the nation's highest court will finally decide if the penalty is fair. In 1994, a federal court cut the $5 billion award in half.
AP Writer Mark Sherman reports the justices will consider if Exxon has to pay any punitive damages at all. The company is arguing that $2.5 billion is excessive under laws governing shipping. Exxon said it should not have to pay any further fines because it already has paid $3.4 billion in clean-up costs and other penalties resulting from the oil spill in 1989.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the damages awarded is "barely more than three weeks of Exxon's net profits."
-- Howie Rumberg
Seven college students died today after the North Carolina beach house they were staying in erupted in flames. Six survivors were hospitalized, including one student who jumped from the burning structure into a nearby canal.
Six of the students who died were from the University of South Carolina and the seventh victim was from Clemson University. The six who survived also were from USC.
Officials said the fire struck sometime before 7 a.m. and burned through the first and second floors, leaving only the frame intact. The waterfront home was built on stilts and firefighters had to climb a ladder onto the house's deck to reach the first floor.
In the accompanying AP photo by Logan Wallace, firefighters are seen lowering a body out of the burned out beach house.
For the latest information on this tragic story, read this report by Estes Thompson.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
California firefighters work to hold gains
Astronauts conduct second spacewalk
Report: 15 Kurds dead in clashes with Turkey
Rookies lead Red Sox to brink of sweep
Caption: Boston Red Sox player Jacoby Ellsbury watches his RBI double against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. Boston's Julio Lugo scored on the hit.
--Paul Chavez
There's a simple rule at the astronomy village in eastern Georgia: now white light. Watch the AP video above for more details and for an even more on the village, read this report by Dorie Turner.
--Paul Chavez
(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
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
From phony press conferences to evacuees returning home, there was plenty of news today about the wildfires in Southern California. Here's a round-up of the latest headlines from the AP:
-- Derrik J. Lang
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
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
This photo, of a child at play -- with a toy rocket-propelled grenade launcher -- is one of several images highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting by AP Photo Supervisor Jim Collins.
The picture was taken in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave of Baghdad.
Collins also pointed out the photo below, shot outside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank City of Ramallah. The boy in the image is holding up a portrait of relatives jailed by Israel, as part of a demonstration calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
See below for more of Collins' top-photo picks of the moment.
-- Eric Carvin
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
(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)
He made the rounds at parties and fashion events, working with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige. He was even deemed an up-and-coming industry player by Newsweek in 2003.
But today, celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander is being held without bail in Los Angeles, charged with sexually assaulting 20 teenage girls and young women allegedly lured with promises of modeling jobs.
Alexander has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
For more, check out this AP story.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Amy Conn-Gutierrez)
A Houston-area collector became the proud owner of a 3-inch hair lock that was snipped from Ernesto "Che" Guevara before his burial in 1967.
Bill Butler, who bid over the phone, said he was a collector of 1960s items and the hair lock would fit in well.
Butler paid $100,000 for the tress, which sold at auction Thursday.
To find out the story behind the lock of hair, check out this AP story by Paul J. Weber.
For a look at Guevara's final days, check out this asap audio slideshow by yours truly highlighting some post-mortem photographs of the revolutionary.
-- Jaime Holguin
(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
(AP Photo/Rick
Bowmer)
Four charred bodies were found at what appeared to be a migrant camp burned by one of the wildfires raging across Southern California, authorities said.
If the fires were at fault, that brings the death toll to seven.
Read more in this story, by the AP's
In the photo: Mark Wery, right, turns away after looking at his home for the first time.
-- Hillary Rhodes
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
The Bush administration is cracking down on Iran.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced the harshest sanctions against Iran since the takeover of the U.S. embassy in 1979. The charge: Tehran is supporting terrorism in the Middle East, exports missiles and is engaging in a nuclear buildup.
Rice said the unilateral sanctions are not an indication that the United States is heading toward an armed conflict with Iran. AP Writer Matthew Lee reports administration officials hope the sanctions will pressure Iran into agreeing to a deal that would give it economic incentive to drop its nuclear program.
The sanctions:
Iran's Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics were designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology. This means that any assets found in the United States belonging to the designated groups must be frozen. Americans are also forbidden from doing business with the designated organizations.
Companies outside the United States are put on notice that doing business with the designated groups could put them at risk of U.S. financial penalty.
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
"The Red Sox did a lot of this last night."
That's how Madge Stager, the AP's chief picture editor in New York, introduced this photo of Boston's Kevin Youkilis sliding into home plate at the World Series opener -- one of several images she highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting.
"And the Rockies," she said, moving on to a photo of Colorado pitcher Franklin Morales, "did a lot of that."
See below for other AP photos Stager showcased at the meeting.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In one corner of the ring we have the Boston brewers of Sam Adams beer. In the other, Sam Adams, the mild-mannered bicycle rider who wants to be Portland's next mayor.
The slogan "Sam Adams for Portland Mayor" is already on his Web site (www.samforpdx.com) and soon may grace yard signs and bumper stickers for the 2008 election.
"They say they've been using this trademark since 1984," Adams said. "I've been using it since 1963."
Game on.
For more, check out this AP story.
-- Jaime Holguin
(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
(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
More fires in California, and a citizen journalism experiment in Canada.
That's what's 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
The following are some of the top photos today from The Associated Press:
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
(AP Photo/Sang Tan)
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
From top to bottom:
-- Bernadette Tuazon
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The California wildfires are dominating the top images in the AP photo report at the moment, according to AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman, who highlighted some of the best pictures at this morning's AP global news meeting.
The photo above shows a back fire on a hillside in Jamul, Calif., while the one below was shot in the Santiago Canyon hills in Silverado.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
See below for more of Feldman's top photos picks.
-- Eric Carvin
To be clear, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the government's premier disease monitoring agency.
Its director, Dr. Julie Gerberding, testified before a Senate hearing yesterday on the impact of climate change on health.
What she'd planned on saying was this:
" ... scientific evidence supports the view that the earth's climate is changing" and that many groups are working to address climate change. "Despite this extensive activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed. CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern."
But after she submitted her draft for White House review, the paragraph was axed. In all, six pages of details about specific disease and other health problems that might flourish if the Earth warms, were never delivered at the hearing, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
The White House on Wednesday denied that it had "watered down" her congressional testimony.
For more, check out this AP story by H. Josef Hebert.
-- Jaime Holguin
(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:
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Straight from the AP wires:
Calif. firefighters hope winds slacken
Rice says Iran an obstacle to U.S. goals
Bush touting Cuban life after Castro
Turkey shells Kurd rebels in Iraq
World Series opens tonight in Boston
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Paul Chavez)
SAN DIEGO -- Remember those heartbreaking images of people stranded without goods and services in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina? Think the exact opposite and it would probably come close to the scene here today at Qualcomm Stadium, the primary evacuation center for San Diego County wildfire victims.
The chairs at the acupuncture/massage station at the evacuation center were constantly full and there were signs giving directions for yoga and meditation classes (sooo, California) and a three-piece soft rock band even serenaded diners who munched on free hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, pasta and salads. Did I mention the stilt-walkers and clown entertaining the kids?
Even though more than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in San Diego County alone, there's somehow a rather festive attitude here. Perhaps all the donated canned goods, hot and cold food, soft drinks, clothes, diapers, candy and ice cream have something to do with it. AT&T is even helping, loaning out cell phones to strangers and setting up laptops with Internet access so evacuees can check on their homes and bloggers can do their blogging.
Inside the stadium, cots and tents ringed the inner walkway circling the field and police and National Guard troops provided a calm, securing presence. "Spider-Man" played on the giant television screens that usually show Chargers' star LaDainian Tomlinson running for touchdowns.
The television celebrity newscasters drew crowds around their makeshift set, taking pictures with CBS' Katie Couric and circling CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(AP Photo/Paul Chavez)
David Walter, of Ramona, Calif., arrived at Qualcomm about 6:30 a.m. Monday after he and his son and daughter were ordered to leave their home. Walter, shown above with son, Dustin, said the experience at Qualcomm "was like nothing else."
"Everybody is helping," Walter, 28, said as he declined a bag of candy from a volunteer. "People were bringing food out to our spot in the parking lot."
Robert Story, shown above left, arrived early this morning after being evacuated from his home in Rancho San Diego with his wife, Sarah, above middle, son, Jordan, right, and two daughters.
"I'm very pleased with the way things went," Story, 48, said. "I think it's a good role model for the rest of the country."
Story said he recently found out that he was given the clear to return home, but was waiting a few hours just to be sure.
"When I get home, I don't want to come back," he said with a small giggle. "Even though we had good treatment down here, there's no place like home."
Story speaks on how he and his family were treated at Qualcomm
For the latest on the wildfires and the biggest evacuation in California's history, read this report by Gillian Flaccus and a team of AP reporters and photographers.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Paul Chavez)
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) -- The drive into San Diego usually provides one of the most stunning vistas that California has to offer, with bright blue skies and the Pacific Ocean framing the highway ahead.
Not today.
The wildfires raging in San Diego County have pitched a burnt orange tent over the entire region. A separate plume of smoke also drifted upward near Interstate 5 not far from the power lines tethered to the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant.
KNX-1070 radio provided the soundtrack for this road trip that started in Santa Monica, Calif., reporting a second death from the wildfires and flare-ups at a newer blaze in Orange County. Angry residents and some state officials openly questioned the firefighting technique and preparations and the station also reported that President Bush will fly over the San Diego fires Thursday to assess the damage.
Meanwhile, I'm headed to Qualcomm Stadium to hear first-hand from some of the more than 500,000 people in the county who have been chased by flames from their homes. We'll be sharing their stories here shortly.
For the latest on the Southern California wildfires, read this report from a team of AP reporters and photographers.
--Paul Chavez
The California wildfires are still 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 hear the latest from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy -- and to learn about a punk rock street fair in Mexico.
-- Eric Carvin
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A lot of the top images AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting came from Southern California, where several devastating wildfires continue to burn. The photo above comes from the Malibu Hills; because of an extended exposure, embers blown in the wind appear as streaks at the bottom of the image.
Below, a helicopter scoops water from a golf course in Valencia, Calif., for use in the firefighting efforts.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
See below for more of Feldman's top-photo picks.
-- Eric Carvin
In this case it's the 1970 painting, "Tres Personajes" (Three People), by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo.
The painting, which had been stolen more than 20 years ago and was the subject of an FBI investigation, was found lying in trash on a New York City street by a passer-by, who had no idea of what she was looking at.
It had been featured on PBS's "Antiques Roadshow FYI" as a missing masterpiece after it was stolen.
The painting is now back in the hands of the rightful owners who have decided to sell it at auction. Sotheby's says it could bring up to $1 million when it is sold next month.
For more, read this AP story.
-- Jaime Holguin
(AP Photo/Chris Park)
Straight from the AP wires:
Calif. wind-fueled fires force mass evacuations
Heavy rains flood parts of New Orleans
Czech government favors hosting U.S. missile defense
Ahmadinejad criticized over nuclear envoy
Marie Osmond faints onstage during "Dancing with the Stars"
PHOTO: People who were recently evacuated from their homes during the San Diego wildfires try to get some sleep while others arrive and set up camp at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday.
-- Jaime Holguin
From Malibu to San Diego, the skies of Southern California filled with dark, acrid smoke from dozens of wildfires that burned at least 655 homes, including more than 130 in the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort alone.
In Malibu, police checkpoints kept drivers off the usually busy Pacific Coast Highway and the surreal effect was heightened by the numerous helicopters taking part in an aerial bucket brigade.
In northern Los Angeles County, helicopters also were hard at work as new wildfires suddenly appeared this afternoon, briefly threatening a massive subdivision known as Stevenson Ranch.
The Santa Ana winds, which blow hot and dry from the desert toward the sea, howled throughout the day and inflated tall, wide columns of purple and black smoke. The smoke at times obliterated the sun, turning it into a faint orange disc.
The fires forced authorities to warn more than 265,000 people in Southern California to leave their homes, including about 250,000 in San Diego County.
The wildfires of 2007 are yet another dark chapter in SoCal's history, which includes the deadly wildfires of 2003 that killed 22 people and destroyed 3,640 homes, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the 2005 La Conchita mudslide and, of course, the 1994 Northridge earthquake that killed dozens and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
For more on the SoCal wildfires, read this report by a team of AP reporters.
--Paul Chavez
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
News on the war front ...
A government review panel says there needs to be some type of unified control over private security guards in Iraq. The recommendation to the State Department would add at least one layer of oversight of contractors like Blackwater USA. AP reporter Anne Gearan has the full write-up here.
That Bush photo above is from the president's announcement today that he wants another $46 billion from Congress to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Details are in Andrew Taylor's AP story.
Finally, there was a new bin Laden message today. It's an audio tape where he scolds al-Qaida in Iraq followers -- saying they've "been lax" for failing to unite. AP reporter Kim Gamel covers the story from Baghdad.
--Ryan Pearson
Wildfires in California, zombies in Seattle and safety in the air are all getting a lot of attention among 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
(AP Photo/Paul Chavez)
MALIBU, Calif. -- The front lawn of Pepperdine University became a watering hole today for fire helicopters taking part in the massive effort to extinguish about a dozen wildfires burning all over Southern California.
Warm, dry and strong Santa Ana winds are fanning the flames and the winds are expected to last until at least 3 p.m. tomorrow, said Kim Zagaris, fire and rescue chief for the state's Office of Emergency Services. After the winds subside, firefighters will still have to cope with low humidity and high temperatures, Zagaris said today at the Malibu command center.
(AP Photo/Paul Chavez)
Zagaris, shown above, gives an overview of the fires scorching the state
Zagaris explains how fire officials prioritize the wildfires burning in Southern California
Zagaris tells about the firefighting resources dedicated to the wildfires
The fire helicopter shown at the top was one of several making regular trips to Pepperdine's front lawn along a nearly deserted Pacific Coast Highway. The choppers sucked up water from recycling ponds to drop on flames torching the nearby hills and they also stopped here for refueling. The blustery Santa Winds appeared to challenge the helicopter pilots whose rotors whined as they muscled themselves up and against the wind. Another picture of the helicopters at work, below the jump.
For the latest details on the California wildfires, read this report by a team of reporters in Southern California.
--Paul Chavez
Continue reading "Pepperdine becomes watering hole for firefighters" »
College tuition prices rose faster than inflation and outpaced the increase in financial aid last year.
Students at public colleges were hit he hardest with a 6.6 percent increase, AP Education Writer Justin Pope reports. Adjusted for inflation, public-school students are paying about $560 more than a decade ago. Over th past five years tuition has risen 31 percent above the general inflation rate, the worst five-year stretch on record.
Four-year private schools jacked up their prices 6.3 percent to $23,712,according to the nonprofit College Board's annual survey of college costs. Including room and board, the price goes up to $32,307. Prices at two-year colleges, which educate about half of American college students, rose 4.2 percent to $2,361.
While prices go up aid increases more slowly. Over the last decade, increases in grant aid -- money students don't have to pay back -- have covered only one-third the rise in private tuition and half the increase in public tuition.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
This dramatic image from a wildfire near Irvine, Calif., was one of a handful of images highlighted by AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman at this morning's AP global news meeting.
Feldman also showed this photo, one of several shot by the AP at a protest in Washington by anti-war, justice and environmental groups.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
See below for more of Feldman's top-photo picks of the moment.
-- Eric Carvin
(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
(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
(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
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Vice President Dick Cheney let Iran know where the United States stands on the issue of their nuclear program:
AP Writer Mathhew Barakat reports Cheney said that Iran's pursuit of the technology that will allow them to build a bomb are obvious, and that the United States and other nations are prepared to take action. Cheney did not specifically mention military action.
Cheney's comments comes after President Bush said during a news conference Wednesday, "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
-- Howie Rumberg
(AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
Classes are canceled -- due to wildfire.
Pepperdine University was asked to evacuate its staff and faculty, and students were being assembled at the campus' basketball arena as a wildfire driven by winds in the Malibu Hills had consumed at least 500 acres. AP Writer Noaki Schwartz reports 400 firefighters were fighting the fire that has threatened about 200 homes in the high-priced Malibu Crest and Serrah Retreat neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla.
Another fire broke out in northeast L.A. County, consuming about 500 acres, but no homes were immediately threatened. Fire officials were protecting a town of about 1,200 people about five miles to the west. A condor preserve was also potentially threatened.
North of L.A. a third fire burned in an unpopulated canyon. About 25 acres had burned.
-- Howie Rumberg
