Plane swerves at Madrid airport, 20 reported dead (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:27:20 GMT
AP - An airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway during takeoff from the Madrid airport Wednesday and caught fire, Spain's national airport authority said. Local media reported at least 20 people dead.

Rice signs missile defense deal with Poland (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:14:47 GMT
AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.

Sen. Joe Lieberman to speak at GOP convention (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:32:53 GMT
AP - Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2000 and now an independent who is one of John McCain's strongest supporters, will speak at the Republican National Convention, an official said.

Obama, VP choice to campaign together Saturday (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:22:38 GMT
AP - Barack Obama and his newly named running mate will campaign together Saturday at the place where the Democratic presidential hopeful formally launched his White House bid.

Tropical Storm Fay hugs Florida's Atlantic coast (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:38:37 GMT
AP - Tropical Storm Fay meandered north along the Florida Atlantic coast Wednesday but did not immediately head out over the ocean, lessening the chances it will gain strength and become a hurricane.

US beats Japan 4-1 to make Olympic softball final (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:12:29 GMT
AP - Crystl Bustos hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the U.S. Olympic softball team beat Japan 4-1 in extra innings and will play for its fourth straight gold medal.

States push laws to require paid sick days (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:49:17 GMT
AP - For school bus driver Jamille Aine, a cold is more than an inconvenience. His employer does not offer paid sick days, so if he can't shake the bug, he may not be able to pay his bills.

Campaigns take foreign cash, seek details later (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:42:15 GMT
AP - Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has consistently followed the government's instructions for keeping prohibited foreign money out of their presidential campaigns, and some of that banned money has slipped into Obama's campaign.

Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:17:28 GMT
AP - LeRoi Moore, the versatile saxophonist whose signature staccato fused jazz and funk overtones onto the eclectic sound of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday of complications from injuries he suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident, the band said. He was 46.

Mourning gorilla holds on to body of her baby (AP)
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:55:31 GMT
AP - A gorilla at a zoo in the German city of Muenster is refusing to let go of her dead baby's body several days after it died of unknown causes.