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AP Top News at 11:55 a.m. EST
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Obama touts middle-class task force lead by BidenWASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama has announced a series of executive orders that he says should "level the playing field" for unions in struggles they have with management. Obama used the occasion at the White House to also formally announce a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman.
Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace at end of 2008WASHINGTON (AP) _ The economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as the deepening recession forced consumers and businesses to throttle back spending. Although the initial result was better than economists expected, the figure is likely to be revised even lower in the months ahead and some believe the economy is contracting in the current quarter at a pace of around 5 percent. The current January-March period, they said, will probably turn out to be the worse quarter for the recession.
Exxon Mobil sets record with $45.2 billion profitHOUSTON (AP) _ Exxon Mobil Corp. on Friday reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a U.S. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago. The previous record for annual profit was $40.6 billion, which the world's largest publicly traded oil company set in 2007.
Many without food, water rush to shelters' warmthMURRAY, Ky. (AP) _ Residents displaced by a winter storm rested in every corner of a university theater, about 100 of them sprawled in aisles, propped in chairs, curled up on the stage. Some watched a movie while others settled in _ but all could sleep soundly with the heat blasting, the assurance of food and water nearby. Among the battered crowd Thursday night were brothers Jim McClung, 42, and Dale Earnest, 38, forced to hole up in the makeshift shelter at Murray University in southwestern Kentucky. They, and many like them at hundreds of shelters in several states, ran out of food and water at their frigid, powerless home in the wake of an ice storm.
Family: Octuplets' mother has 6 other childrenWHITTIER, Calif. (AP) _ The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week has six other children and never expected to have eight more when she took fertility treatment, her mother said. Angela Suleman said her daughter expects a big challenge raising 14 children. The good news, she said, is all the babies appear healthy.
Quinn gets down to business as Illinois governorCHICAGO (AP) _ New Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the ordeal is over, but now the work begins. Quinn was sworn in Thursday after the state Senate booted Rod Blagojevich out of office at his impeachment trial.
FDA holds safety hearing on 50-year-old painkillerWASHINGTON (AP) _ Call it the cold case file of drug safety. Federal health officials convened a public hearing Friday on whether to ban Darvon, a painkiller first approved in 1957, when there were few alternatives for treating pain except aspirin and powerful narcotics. Now mainly marketed as Darvocet, which includes a dose of acetaminophen, the drug remains one of the top 25 most commonly prescribed medications. More than 20 million prescriptions were written in 2007.
Springsteen promises high-energy halftime showTAMPA, Fla. (AP) _ Anybody who thinks it's tough playing the halftime show at the Super Bowl with 150 million people watching should try serenading Barack Obama with the majestic granite visage of Abraham Lincoln staring over your shoulder. Bruce Springsteen did.
Boy's birthday present is Dad back from IraqDAYTON, Nev. (AP) _ Gabriel Hurles' sixth birthday party wasn't a surprise but his present sure was. The kindergartner was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mother brought to his class on Wednesday that he didn't notice the enormous wrapped box off to the side.
Nadal to face Federer in Australian Open finalMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) _ Top-ranked Rafael Nadal outlasted fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 Friday to reach the Australian Open final after the longest match in the tournament's history. Nadal will attempt to keep second-ranked Roger Federer from tying Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles on Sunday.
Copyright ? 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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