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Updated: 1 hour 15 min ago
Cornell, Missouri, Ga. Tech Extend NCAA Upset Trend
The NCAA men's basketball tournament featured more surprises as first-round play continued Friday. Cornell, Missouri and Georgia Tech were all underdog winners.
Judge Says Ground Zero Settlement Is 'Not Enough'
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ripped into the $657 million deal to compensate workers sickened by ash and dust from the collapsed World Trade Center. He said the figure was too low and workers did not have enough time to decide whether to accept the deal. "I will not preside over a settlement that is based on fear or ignorance," he said.
Cartoon Furor Met With Muted Response In Sweden
Swedish artist Lars Vilks has lived with a $100,000 bounty on his head since 2007 for a drawing he made depicting the Prophet Muhammad. But unlike the angry protest that erupted in 2005 after similar cartoons were published in Denmark, Swedes have remained largely silent on the controversy.
Haiti Quake 'Orphans' Reunited With Parents
All of the 33 children that U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after the deadly January earthquake have been returned to their parents. But at least one mother says that she would consider giving up her children for a better life elsewhere than subject them to the desperate living conditions in Haiti.
Announcer Scully Leaves Hospital, Dodgers Say
Dodgers Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was released from a hospital Friday after a night of observation following a fall and a bumped on the head. Scully, 82, issued a statement thanking people for their thoughts and prayers and apologizing for any concerns he caused.
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ABC News Under Fire For Payment To Murder Suspect
The attorney for Casey Anthony, who is accused of killing her daughter, told a court Thursday that ABC News had paid Anthony $200,000 for exclusive rights to reproduce family photos and a video. Several journalists said ABC's failure to tell viewers of the payment for the pictures was an ethical lapse.
Health Care Link To Immigration May Hit Dead End
Democratic leaders scrambling for every last vote on health care have managed to win over the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, despite its members' previous objections to the bill. That support came as the White House pledged to push through a comprehensive immigration overhaul. But that's a long shot for this year.
Holder Says Detainees' Lawyers Are 'Patriots'
"Lawyers who provide counsel for the unpopular are, and should be treated as what they are — patriots," Attorney General Eric Holder said today.
Dutch Denounce U.S. General's Comments On Gays
Retired Gen. John Sheehan claimed that Dutch military leaders had called the presence of gay soldiers "part of the problem" that allowed Serb forces to overrun the Srebrenica enclave in Bosnia in 1995 and kill 8,000 Muslims. He was speaking before a Senate committee in opposition to a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military.
Obama: Health Bill About Nation's Character, Not Cost
President Obama held a big rally Friday, hoping to persuade the few wavering lawmakers he needs to vote "yes" on the overhaul bill. But protesters outside warned that the country can't afford to extend health insurance to 30 million more people.
Midwest Towns On Edge As Red River Rises
In Fargo, N.D., and across the river in Moorhead, Minn., the Red is expected to reach nearly 20 feet above flood stage. Residents along the river were waiting to see if their makeshift sandbag levies would hold.
President Rallies Support For Final Health Care Votes
With Sunday's expected vote hanging on the support of just a handful of wavering Democrats, Obama delivered a closing argument for the goal to which he has devoted much of his presidency and on which its future could pivot.
Nine Major Changes In The Democrats' Health Bill
In their push to pass a sweeping health care overhaul this weekend, House Democrats unveiled a package of legislative fixes to lure undecided or opposed members of their party to the "yes" category.
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Diplomats Urge Israel, Palestinians To Resume Talks
The "Quartet" of peacemakers from the U.S., Russia, the European Union and special representative Tony Blair call for negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months.
Immigration Activists Frustrated By Pace Of Reform
President Obama promised to make overhauling immigration laws a top priority in his first year as president, but the odds that it will happen even in his second year seem long. Thousands of activists plan to converge on Washington, D.C., in hopes of prodding him to action.
FDA Restricts Marketing Tobacco To Youth
The FDA has issued the first regulations since Congress gave the agency power to regulate tobacco. The regulations clamp down on the marketing of cigarettes to children and teenagers. The new rules prohibit a number of ad strategies like giving way hats and T-shirts with tobacco logos. Plus, no more selling of cigarettes in certain vending machines where kids can get at them.
Undecided Lawmakers Targeted For Their Health Vote
On Capitol Hill, a few dozen House members are trying to decide how to vote on health care — while hundreds of advocates and thousands of e-mails are trying to sway them one way or the other. The House is expected to vote on its health care overhaul legislation on Sunday.
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Thousands To Rally For Immigration Overhaul
Activists are arriving in Washington D.C. for this weekend's rally to push for an overhaul of immigration laws. Arizona has some of the toughest laws in the nation targeting illegal immigrants. Churches and advocacy groups from the state are sending delegates to Washington to march for changes at the federal level.
CBO Figures Show Health Care Bill Would Cut Deficit
The tension is high and the stakes are even higher, as Republicans and Democrats near the decisive moment of the health care battle. The language of the final bill was released Thursday. Along with Congressional Budget Office numbers that show it would cost $940 billion over 10 years, it would also reduce the deficit in the long run.
Economy Puts Squeeze On Education Promises
In more flush economic times, voters in many states approved education mandates for things like smaller class sizes. But now that states are being forced to slash education budgets, those mandates are coming back to haunt them.
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