News | Top stories
 

Health bill's prospects abruptly improve; Obama delays trip (AP)


AP - President Barack Obama delayed next week's Asian trip on Friday to seize on suddenly improved prospects for his sweeping health care legislation, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forecast final passage of the overhaul in days.


   

 

How bloody will it get? Pakistans worry as 43 are killed (AP)


AP - Two suicide bombers killed 43 people in near-simultaneous blasts Friday, the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week and a clear sign that militants have the power to strike targets despite months of army offensives and U.S. missile strikes.


   

 

Iraq leader uses early edge to pursue new allies (AP)


AP - Seizing on an early lead in Iraq's election, the prime minister's political coalition began reaching out to rivals Friday as partial results signaled a tight race that was unlikely to produce a clear-cut winner.


   

 

A happy surprise in retail sales figures (AP)


AP - Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from racking up purchases. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.


   

 

Lawyers urge WTC workers to take $657M settlement (AP)


AP - Lawyers and city officials expressed confidence Friday that they can get ground zero responders to sign on to a settlement that would pay up to $657 million to workers who developed health problems after toiling in the ruins of the World Trade Center.


   

 

Women on the pill may live longer, study says (AP)


AP - Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says.

   

 

Lesbian teen sues to force school to hold prom (AP)


AP - A lesbian student who wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom is asking a federal judge to force her Mississippi school district to reinstate the dance it canceled.


   

 

Apple takes pre-orders for April 3 iPad launch (AP)


AP - Apple is accepting pre-orders for the iPad, its new touch-screen gadget for reading books, watching video and surfing the Web.


   

 

Authorities: No illegal drugs found in Haim case (AP)


AP - Authorities said Friday they had recovered four prescription drug bottles bearing the name of actor Corey Haim but found nothing illegal while investigating his death.


   

 

Stern: Jordan approval as Bobcats owner next week (AP)


AP - The NBA has signed off on Michael Jordan's bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats, and commissioner David Stern expects the league's board of governors to approve the $275 million purchase by the end of next week.


   

 

Nurses' union: Care does not include sex (Reuters)


Reuters - A union representing Dutch nurses will launch a national campaign Friday against demands for sexual services by patients who claim it should be part of their standard care.


   

 

Obama says he's committed to immigration overhaul (AP)


AP - President Barack Obama on Thursday assured immigration advocates frustrated by the wait for a promised overhaul of U.S. immigration laws that he remains committed to fixing a system he has said is broken. What remains unclear is whether Congress will send him a bill this year.


   

 

Toyota 'mystified' by runaway Prius case in Calif. (AP)


AP - A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway.


   

 

AP sources: Woods likely to return at Masters (AP)


AP - Tiger Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters, two people with knowledge of his plans told The Associated Press.


   

 

Iraq's election race tight, results slow to come (Reuters)


Reuters - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had a narrow lead over rival Shi'ites, partial results in Iraq's tight election race showed on Friday, but a secularist challenger remained far ahead in minority Sunni areas.


   

 

Ga. man who posted 'Elton John must die' arrested (AP)


AP - A Georgia man who posted a video of himself on the Internet holding a sign that said "Elton John must die" has been arrested for making terroristic threats.


   

 

Health bill's prospects abruptly improve; Obama delays trip (AP)


AP - President Barack Obama delayed next week's Asian trip on Friday to seize on suddenly improved prospects for his sweeping health care legislation, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forecast final passage of the overhaul in days.


   

 

Without Anti-gay Hysteria, Massa's a Dud for the GOP (The Nation)


The Nation - The Nation -- There was an intense, conspiratorial, crazily sincere man on Glenn Beck's show Tuesday, and it wasn't Glenn Beck.

   

 

Lesbian teen sues to force school to hold prom (AP)


AP - A lesbian student who wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom is asking a federal judge to force her Mississippi school district to reinstate the dance it canceled.


   

 

Betty White to host 'Saturday Night Live' (AP)


AP - The Internet has gotten its way: Betty White will host "Saturday Night Live."