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Yankees Manager's Fate Remains Uncertain

October 17, 2007 - 3:56pm
By The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Still no decision on Joe Torre.

The New York Yankees manager remained in limbo Wednesday after a second day of meetings by team hierarchy failed to reach a conclusion.

"All we're worried about is the process of making sure that we come to the right decision. When we do, we'll get everybody involved," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before leaving Legends Field and heading to the airport.

Report Shows "Astounding" Staph Infection Rate in U.S.

October 17, 2007 - 12:10am
By The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported Tuesday in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.

Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.

The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study.

U.S. Drawdown in Iraq to Begin in Diyala Province

October 17, 2007 - 12:06am
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commanders in Iraq have decided to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in volatile Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press has learned.

Instead of replacing the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is returning to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas, in December, soldiers from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility, several officials said Tuesday.

Bush Threatens Vetoes on Spending Bills

October 16, 2007 - 12:24am
By The Associated Press

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — President Bush admonished Congress on Monday for failing to send him a single spending bill yet, and warned lawmakers to trim their plans or face rejection.

"You're fixin' to see what they call a fiscal showdown in Washington," Bush told a friendly audience in this northwest Arkansas community.

"The Congress gets to propose, and if it doesn't meet needs as far as I'm concerned, I get to veto," Bush said. "That's precisely what I intend to do."

The budget year began Oct. 1, and federal agencies are operating on a stopgap bill for now. Congress has not yet agreed on the 12 spending bills that keep the government running.

Putin Delays Trip to Tehran

October 16, 2007 - 12:22am
By The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Monday to negotiate with Iran on behalf of the international community in their nuclear standoff, although he didn't come to Tehran as scheduled amid warnings of a possible assassination plot.

Putin's planned trip, the first here by a Kremlin leader since World War II, raised hopes that personal diplomacy could find a solution to the impasse over the Iranian nuclear program, but he delayed his arrival, which had been set for Monday evening.

Americans Win Nobel in Economics

October 15, 2007 - 8:29am
By The Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Americans Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson won the Nobel prize in economics on Monday for developing a theory that helps explain situations in which markets work and others in which they don't.

The three researchers "laid the foundations of mechanism design theory," which plays a central role in contemporary economics and political science, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

The academy said their research helped explain decision-making procedures involved in economic transactions including, for example, what insurance policies will provide the best coverage without inviting misuse.

Putin to Visit Iran Despite Assassination Plot

October 15, 2007 - 8:26am
By The Associated Press

WIESBADEN, Germany (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Monday that he would travel to Iran despite reports about a possible assassination attempt, saying if he paid attention to all the threats against him "I would never leave home."

Russia's Interfax news agency, citing a source in Russia's intelligence services, said Sunday that suicide terrorists had been trained to carry out the assassination in Iran. The Kremlin said Putin was informed about the threat.

But the Russia president said his trip was planned long in advance and that he would talk with Iranian leaders about their disputed nuclear program, although he stressed the original purpose of the trip was to discuss issues affecting states bordering on the Caspian Sea.

Personal Care, Restaurant Industries Have Highest Depression Rates

October 14, 2007 - 12:24pm
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.

Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.

Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.

Almost 11 percent of personal care workers — which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs — reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.

Rapper T.I. Arrested in Atlanta

October 14, 2007 - 1:13am
By The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested Saturday — just hours before he was to take the stage at the BET Hip-Hop Awards — in a shopping center parking lot where federal officials said he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he had his bodyguard buy for him.

The arrest resulted from an investigation that began this month when a federal firearms dealer contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about a man inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

Atlantic City Mayor Resigns After Absence

October 10, 2007 - 3:38pm
By The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The mayor of this gambling resort resigned Wednesday after a two-week absence from office during which he checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.

Robert Levy's disappearance came amid a federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam.

"Mr. Levy has concluded that public confidence is so eroded by these circumstances that the only responsible action is to step down," said his attorney, Edwin Jacobs. "He does so with great regret and with apologies to his supporters, to the people of Atlantic City, and to his family and friends."

The president of the seaside city's council was sworn in as acting mayor.