Far and Wide

Fast Focus: Cristina Fernandez vs. Hillary Clinton

(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

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

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

Brew ha-ha: Sam Adams vs. Sam Adams

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

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

"CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern"

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

In the news Wednesday

(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

Castro says Bush is bad

(AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Fidel Castro wrote a statement attacking President Bush a day before the White House was to announce new plans to get Cuba away from communism.

Castro wrote: "The danger of a massive world famine is aggravated by Mr. Bush's recent initiative to transform foods into fuel."

Read more in this story by the AP's Will Weissert.

In the photo: A polling station during Cuba's municipal elections in Havana on Sunday: the first cycle without Fidel Castro in charge.

-- Hillary Rhodes 

In the news Tuesday

(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

News on the war front

(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

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(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

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

Indian immigrants' son new La. governor

(AP Photo/Tim Mueller)

Louisiana has a new governor -- and for the first time since reconstruction the governor is not white.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, whose parents moved to the state from India, becomes the nation's youngest governor at 36. AP Writer Melinda Deslatte reports Jindal won 53 percent of the vote -- about 625,000 votes with 92 percent reporting -- to avoid a runoff. The Oxford-educated Jindal had lost the governor's race four years ago to Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

• "My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream. And guess what happened. They found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana," he said.

Jindal, who takes office in January, pledged to fight corruption and rid the state of those "feeding at the public trough," revisiting a campaign theme. In this audio clip, Deslatte offers a theory for why Jindal won so handily.

-- Howie Rumberg

The Morning Paper: Friday's early headlines

  (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

A rough start to the weekend in Pakistan and the Philippines. Here's some headlines we're watching today:

• Al-Qaida linked to bomb blast in Pakistan
• Eight killed in Manila mall bombing
• Child-sex suspect tracked down in Thailand

-- Otis Hart

N.H. considering December primary option

The New Hampshire secretary of state who has set the Granite State's first-in-the-nation presidential primary for 31 years said today that December remains an option.

"If we have to go in December, we would have to go in December," said William M. Gardner, who alone has the power to set the date of the primary.

WHY IS NEW HAMPSHIRE FIRST?: New Hampshire law requires that its primary be at least a week before a similar contest in another state.

Gardner has refused to make a scheduling decision until other dates are set and said an announcement won't be made before Nov. 2, the filing deadline for presidential candidates to get on state ballots.

For more details, read this report filed today from Durham, N.H., and for a different perspective, check out this asap story by yours truly about late-voting Montana.

--Paul Chavez

Bush veto sustained

(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Even with bipartisan support, House Democrats couldn't push the efforts to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program past Bush's veto.

Right now, the government program subsidizes health care insurance coverage for about 6 million children. The bill would've added 4 million more children.

Read more about it in this story by the AP's Kevin Freking.

In the photo: Singer Paul Simon, left, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the Children's Health Care Compromise Bill.

-- Hillary Rhodes

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)

The following photos were highlighted at this morning's AP global news meeting.

Above: Parisians ride bicycles in the streets of Paris during a public transport strike billed as France's biggest in years.

And this, former  Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto disembarking the airplane that brought her from Dubai, to Karachi, Pakistan.

(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Finally, there's this photo from Iraq (follow the jump).

Bye, Bye, Brownback

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Is he dropping out of the race?

According to this AP story, people close to presidential hopeful Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., say that his days of trying to get the Republican nomination might be over.

From the story: "Brownback had raised a little more than $800,000 from July through September and around $4 million overall."

-- Hillary Rhodes

The Morning Paper: Thursday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

MRSA isn't the only thing in the news these days. Here's a short list of what we're keeping an eye on today:

• Exiled Pakistani prime minister returns home
• Bush wants to keep pressure on Israel for peace pact
• Sarkozy living the single life again

-- Otis Hart

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Volcanoes and distant cousin politicians. Those are the top items today on 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.

Colbert am presidential candidate

(AP Photo/Rene Macura,File)

We shouldn't be surprised that Stephen Colbert threw his wristband into the presidential ring Tuesday. The man has a book out, after all.

No, the surprising thing is this pathetic kowtow to his show's flaming liberal audience. The AP's Jake Coyle reports that the popular satirist will run as a Republican AND a Democrat. A Democrat!!!

What happened to the papa bear we all learned to love? Where are the values? The self-respect? For shame, Stephen. For shame.

To read more about this flip-flop artist, check out Coyle's story.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Wednesday's early headlines

  (Dusan Vranic, FILE)

It's not even 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning and we've already got some big news for you. Here are the headlines to watch:

• U.S. pulls out troops from Diyala province
• Social Security gets smallest bump in four years
• Rice gets right with Jesus

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Tuesday's early headlines

(AP Photo)

These stories are as hot as the Colorado Rockies. Get crackin'.

• Putin warns U.S. to play nice with Iran
• Rice plays matchmaker in Middle East
• President Bush to meet Dalai Lama

-- Otis Hart

Comments from Condi

(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said now is the time for the creation of a Palestinian state.

"The United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future," she said.

In the photo: Rice speaking at a joint media conference at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Read more in this story by the AP's Matthew Lee.

-- Hillary Rhodes

Craig appeals ruling on guilty plea

(AP Photos/Evan Vucci)

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig is fighting to withdraw the guilty plea he entered after his arrest in a Minneapolis airport bathroom sex sting. Craig filed an appeal Monday to overrule a county judge who two weeks ago refused to overturn the guilty plea, saying it "was accurate, voluntary and intelligent, and ... supported by the evidence."

BACKGROUND
Craig, a Republican from Idaho, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in August after he was accused of soliciting sex in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June. In an interview on Sunday with a television station, he repeated that he will not resign his post even though several of his Republican colleagues want him to.

HE SAID
"It is my right to do what I'm doing," said Craig. "I've already provided for Idaho certainty that Idaho needed - I'm not running for re-election. I'm no longer in the way. I am pursuing my constitutional rights."

See the story here

Does this mean we can start calling it 'Palestine'?

(AP Photo)

Condoleezza Rice is calling for a Palestinian state.

The AP's Mohammed Daraghmeh reports that the secretary of state met with Mahmoud Abbas on Monday and said the words Arabs have been waiting forever to hear:

"Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state."

She was hyping the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Annapolis, Md., scheduled for next month. And, frankly, she got our attention.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Monday's early headlines

(AP Photo)

Welcome back to work. We missed you. Here are some of the stories The AP will be following today:

• Putin tempts fate, plans to visit Iran
• Rice meets with Palestinian president
• American designers of 'mechanism design theory' win Nobel

-- Otis Hart

Sunday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

Bomb targets Iraqis heading to shrine
Rice opens Mideast shuttle diplomacy
Detentions to be top topic for Mukasey
Poll: Clinton has large lead in N.H.
Search on for victims after fiery pileup

PHOTO: Interstate 5 freeway is closed in both directions at the Newhall Pass after a 15-truck pileup on the rain-slicked Golden State Freeway in northern Los Angeles County that left 10 people injured and one missing in Santa Clarita, Calif.

-- Jaime Holguin

Ex-Gen. blasts leadership for Iraq "nightmare"

"There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight."

That's the assessment of the situation in Iraq by retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded coalition troops in Iraq for a year beginning June 2003.

He called current strategies - including the deployment of 30,000 additional forces earlier this year - a "desperate attempt" to make up for years of misguided policies in Iraq.

So who's to blame?

Sanchez avoided singling out at any specific official. But he did criticize the State Department, the National Security Council, Congress and the senior military leadership during what appeared to be a broad indictment of White House policies and a lack of leadership to oppose them.

The Bush administration didn't directly address Sanchez's critical views.

For more, check out this story by AP's Steven Komarow.

-- Jaime Holguin

Saturday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, FILE)

Ex-Gen.: U.S. mission in Iraq a "nightmare with no end in sight"
Bush, Dems gear up for fall budget fight
Iraqi Shiite leader seeks U.S.-Iran talks
Nobelist Gore puts focus on "planetary emergency"
Tense moments after boot camp acquittal

PHOTO: Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez  is shown in this 2003 file photo in Baghdad. The former U.S. military commander in Iraq said the U.S. mission there is a "nightmare with no end in sight" because of political misjudgments after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

-- Jaime Holguin

News word of the day: weapons

(AP Photo/David Longstreath)

Most of the world looks with disdain at the military junta running Myanmar, which begs the question: Who sells the weapons used by the junta to crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and rule with an iron fist? AP reporter Grant Peck provides the answers in this story filed today out of Bangkok, Thailand.

AP reporter Lara Jakes Jordan also has a weapons story running that takes a look at the growing number of unauthorized exports of U.S. missile technology, fighter jet parts, night vision goggles and other wartime equipment. Officials say that the weapons increasingly are being illegally smuggled to potential adversaries, such as China and Iran.

Then there's that Pennsylvania mom who has been charged with buying weapons for her son who might have been planning an attack on high school students.

Caption: Soldiers with Myanmar's army carry automatic weapons as they march during ceremonies on Armed Forces Day in the new capital of Naypyitaw in this March 2007 file photo.

--Paul Chavez 

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Al's Nobel, the commute in Delhi and the sad end of a red cedar tree 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

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

A Nobel laureate's influence over '08

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
He won the Nobel Prize for peace, and the talk began anew: Maybe Al Gore will run for president again after all.

Indeed, the will-he-or-won't-he mystery remains an interesting one. But taking it a step further: What sort of influence might Gore and his peace prize have over the race for '08 if, say, he doesn't run for president? And how much thought is he putting into his impact on the race as a non-candidate?

We put those questions to AP Online Political Editor Ron Fournier, a veteran of inside-the-beltway political reporting who wrote the AP's latest news analysis looking at whether Gore is likely to run.

  Listen to this audio clip to hear Fournier's answer.

-- Eric Carvin

Nobel Prize not good news for Draftgore.com

With Al Gore back in the headlines this morning, a lot of the cable news shows are wondering whether the Nobel Peace Prize will propel him into war with Hillary and Barack.

Well, our favorite political reporter Ron Fournier decided to weigh in on the topic this morning with an AP News Analysis piece on Gore's options. It turns out, the Prize probably made Gore's decision easier ... to stay home.

Read Fournier's piece here to get the details.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Friday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, FILE)

Nobel Prize winner Al Gore. How do you dem green apples? Check out this and other top stories below:

• Gore, U.N. wins Nobel Peace Prizes
• Putin said U.S. missiles could cause tension
• Pentagon competes with corporate world for troops

-- Otis Hart

Some will vote even earlier than early primaries

All that jockeying that's going on by states that want to hold early primaries to challenge the dominance of New Hampshire and Iowa takes on a new light when you consider this: Voters in many states will enjoy lenient rules that allow them to cast ballots weeks before the primaries.

Here's an excerpt from a story moving today out of Washington by Nancy Benac:

In California, for example, the presidential primary has been moved up a month to Feb. 5, and voters can cast absentee ballots as early as Jan. 7. Iowa and New Hampshire, which traditionally hold the leadoff caucus and primary, haven't nailed down their dates yet but are looking at early January.

For more on early voting and its potential impact, read Benac's story.

--Paul Chavez

Turkey cries foul over U.S. genocide bill

(AP Photo/Serkan Senturk)

The Turks are very, very sensitive when it comes to describing the mass killings of Armenians during World War I. And the U.S. has respected that sensitivity. Until yesterday.

The AP's C. Onur Ant reports that as soon as the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bill describing the killings as "genocide" by a 27-21 vote Wednesday, Turkey went into damage control mode. The Country swiftly condemned the House panel's approval and newspapers blasted the measure on their front pages Thursday.

"Unfortunately, some politicians in the United States have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics despite all calls to common sense," President Abdullah Gul said.

Read Ant's story here.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Thursday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Bassem Daham)

While you're waiting for Joe Torre's pink slip, you might as well catch up on some headlines:

• Two soldiers killed at Camp Victory
• U.S. may phase out private security firms in Iraq
• House foreclosures double in September

-- Otis Hart

Funeral in Iraq

(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Once was already too many, says the government in Iraq.

Mourners gathered for a funeral in the second killing in less than a month month of local citizens allegedly at the hands of contractors working for U.S. government-backed security firms in Iraq.

This time, two Armenian Christian women were fatally shot while driving in Baghdad.

To read more background about this and an earlier high-profile incident, read this story by the AP's Qassim Abdul-Zahra.

In the photo: A sibling one of two Christian women killed Tuesday in Baghdad mourns during a funeral service.

-- Hillary Rhodes

Draftgore.com enlists New York Times

(AP Photo)

Al Gore is a wanted man.

His fans have gone and done it, writing a full-page letter to the New York Times begging him to enter the presidential race.

Draftgore.com wrote, "Please rise to this challenge, or you and millions of us will live forever wondering what might have been."

The mystery man didn't immediately return our call for comment ... and that's not a "no."

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Wednesday's early headlines

(AP Photo)

Here's what to read while you listen to your spanking-new, legally-free Radiohead album:

• U.S., Iraq investigate alleged private security slaughter
• Abbas wants Israeli border redrawn to pre-'67 standards
• Russians, Americans, Malaysian prep for shuttle launch

-- Otis Hart

Any information is too much information

(AP Photo/Fritz Reiss)

Khaled el-Masri claims he was abducted and tortured by the CIA. We'll have to take him at his word, because the Supreme Court dismissed his case today without comment.

The AP's Mark Sherman reports that the move tacitly endorsed Bush administration arguments that state secrets would be revealed if the case were allowed to proceed. (That's our best guess, at least. The administration has not publicly acknowledged that el-Masri was detained.)

Read Sherman's entire story here.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Tuesday's early headlines

(AP Photo / Khalid Mohammed)

Here's what were watching the morning of Oct. 9:

• Car bombings kill at least 10 in Iraq
• Supreme Court considers corporate malfeasance
• Coors, Miller combine forces to make more cheap beer

-- Otis Hart

Hillary Clinton doesn't care that she leads in Iowa

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

"I pay absolutely no attention to what any poll says or what any pundit on TV says. I have absolutely no interest in that."

Well, Hillary, then you probably don't care that you're .... winning in Iowa! Yes, the former first lady topped a Des Moines Register poll with 29 percent, according the AP political reporter Nedra Pickler. John Edwards was second at 23 percent, followed by Barack Obama at 22 percent.

Read Pickler's story here.

-- Otis Hart

The Morning Paper: Monday's early headlines

(AP Photo)

It's Columbus Day, but we (unfortunately) aren't taking the day off. Here's what we're watching on this Monday morning:

• Off-duty officer kills six kids.
• Scientists win Nobel prize for studying mice.
• Israel may OK division of Jerusalem.

-- Otis Hart

Hallelujah politics

(AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

In a nation dedicated to the separation of church and state, politicians still dedicate loads of time convincing voters that they're good, honest, God-fearing folk.

Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., went to the Redemption World Outreach Center, in Greenville, S.C., as part of his campaign's "40 Days of Faith & Family" effort.

He took to the pulpit and said that when people ask, "`What role does faith play?' I say, `It plays every role.'"

Read the full story by the AP's Jim Davenport.

-- Hillary Rhodes

Weighty decisions in the last hour

(AP Photo/Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

Death row inmate Jose Ernesto Medellin is set to be executed in Texas for the brutal killing of two teenage girls.

But the Supreme Court will make the final decision. It turns out the state and President Bush disagree about what should happen.

To find out who thinks what -- go here, to a story by the AP's Mark Sherman.

-- Hillary Rhodes

In the news Sunday

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The top stories of the moment, straight from the AP wires:

Bush, Texas at Odds Over Death Case
China Evacuates 1 Million As Storm Hits
Sex Offender Arrested in Virginia