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AP Top News at 11:35 a.m. EST(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Consumer confidence darkens further in JanuaryNEW YORK (AP) _ Americans' mood about the economy darkened further in January, sending a widely watched barometer of consumer sentiment to a new low, a private research group said Tuesday, as people worry about their jobs and watch their retirement funds dwindle. The Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index edged down to 37.7 from a revised 38.6 in December, lower than the reading of 39 that economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected. In recent months the index has hit its lowest troughs since it began in 1967, and is hovering at less than half its level of January 2007, when it was 87.3. House Republicans urged to oppose stimulus billWASHINGTON (AP) _ House Republican leaders are urging their rank and file to oppose the economic stimulus bill heading for a vote on Wednesday, delivering their appeal hours before President Obama heads to the Capitol to seek bipartisan support. Two officials say the top House Republican leaders _ Rep. John Boehner and Eric Cantor _ made the request. Blagojevich says he's considering legal actionNEW YORK (AP) _ Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he hasn't ruled out legal action if he is convicted at his impeachment trial. Blagojevich told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he would respect "the law and the Constitution and the rules" if legislators vote him out of office. But he'll explore his legal options. Geithner announces new lobbying rules for bailoutWASHINGTON (AP) _ Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in his first full day on the job, is announcing new rules to limit special-interest influence on the government's $700 billion financial rescue program. The new rules are designed to crack down on lobbyist influence over the rescue program. The Obama administration says they go farther than the lobbying rules imposed by the Bush administration. Obama tells Arabic network US is 'not your enemy'CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ President Barack Obama chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, part of a concerted effort to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the previous administration. Obama cited his Muslim background and relatives, practically a taboo issue during the U.S. presidential campaign, and said in the interview, which aired Tuesday, that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims "that the Americans are not your enemy." Gates says more troops for Afghanistan by summerWASHINGTON (AP) _ Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday there is too little "time, patience or money" for the United States to set unrealistic goals for war-torn Afghanistan. He also revealed that the Pentagon could send two more brigades there by late spring and a third by mid-summer in an effort to try to salvage a country besieged by corruption and increasing vioilence. NATO: 3,000 US troops deploy near Afghan capitalKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Thousands of U.S. troops originally destined for Iraq have deployed south of Afghanistan's capital in the first illustration of a new military focus on the increasingly difficult fight in the South Asian nation, NATO said Tuesday. Nearly 3,000 American soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York, moved into the provinces of Logar and Wardak to the south of Kabul, the military alliance said. They will serve as part of the 55,000-strong NATO force in the country. Octuplets born in California doing 'very well'BELLFLOWER, Calif. (AP) _ The octuplets born to a mother in Southern California are doing "very, very well" and breathing on their own, one of their doctors said Tuesday. Dr. Mandhir Gupta, a neonatologist at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, told ABC's "Good Morning America" the eight babies were in stable condition. Gene Roddenberry, wife to spend eternity in spaceLOS ANGELES (AP) _ The creator of "Star Trek" and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in "memorial spaceflights," said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year. The couple's cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys' remains _ and the spacecraft _ will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said. Roddick advances after Djokovic quits in AustraliaMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) _ Novak Djokovic's hopes for a second straight Australian Open title died under a broiling sun Tuesday. With ice packs and massages failing to provide relief, third-ranked Djokovic looked increasingly woozy and had to give up while trailing 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1, allowing No. 7 Andy Roddick to claim a spot in the semifinals. He will face second-ranked Roger Federer, who moved within two victories of his record-tying 14th Grand Slam by routing No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 6-0, 6-0. Federer, who owns a 15-2 advantage in previous matches with Roddick, ran off the last 13 games against del Potro. Copyright ? 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |