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AP Top News at 3:37 p.m. EDT
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Employers cut fewer jobs in April, jobless rate fallsWASHINGTON (AP) _ Employers cut far fewer jobs in April than in recent months and the unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent, a better-than-expected showing that nonetheless reveals strains in the nation's labor market. For the fourth month in a row, the economy lost jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. But in April the losses totaled 20,000, an improvement from the 81,000 reductions in payrolls logged in March. Job losses for both February and March turned out to be a bit deeper than previously reported.
McCain defends himself against '100-year' war in Iraq adsDENVER (AP) _ Republican John McCain defended himself Friday against television ads that accuse him of advocating a 100-year war in Iraq. The ads tie McCain to President Bush and cite McCain's comments that there could be an American military presence in Iraq for 100 years. They are being run by the Democratic National Committee and the liberal group MoveOn.org. "One hundred years in Iraq? And you thought no one could be worse than George Bush," an announcer says in the most recent ad, run by MoveOn.org.
Fed OKs plan to rein in unfair, deceptive credit cardsWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Federal Reserve and other regulators initiated steps Friday to end "unfair and deceptive" credit card industry practices assailing consumers who are already struggling to cope in a bad economy. The proposed rules would be the biggest clampdown on the industry in decades, aiming at protecting people from credit card companies that arbitrarily raise interest rates or don't give borrowers adequate time to pay their bills.
Clinton calls for gas tax vote, Obama calls it 'shell' gameMUNSTER, Ind. (AP) _ Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a vote Friday in the Democratic-controlled Congress on a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax, a plan that Barack Obama dismissed as a political stunt that would cost thousands of construction jobs. "It's a Shell game. Literally," Obama said to laughter from his campaign audience, adding it would mean little for hard-pressed consumers.
Zimbabwe opposition party proposes sharing powerHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) _ Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won 47.9 percent of the vote in Zimbabwe's presidential elections, elections officials said Friday _ more than longtime President Robert Mugabe but not enough to avoid a runoff. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change rejected the results and proposed forming a national unity government to include Mugabe's party, but not Mugabe.
Storms kill 7 in Arkansas, damage homes around Kansas CityDAMASCUS, Ark. (AP) _ Severe storms that rolled across Arkansas early Friday killed at least seven people, including a teenager crushed by a tree while she slept in her bed. The deaths came after earlier storms seriously damaged homes and businesses in the Kansas City, Mo., area. Tornadoes were also reported in Oklahoma and Texas, although there were no immediate reports of severe damage. Police said the 15-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell through a bedroom where she was sleeping in Siloam Springs in north Arkansas. A father and son also were killed in their mobile home in central Arkansas, the Conway County Sheriff's Office said.
Major Arctic sea ice melt is expected this summerWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said Friday. "The long-term prognosis is not very optimistic," atmospheric scientist Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University said at a briefing.
Tom Cruise not sure he would take back couch-jumpingCHICAGO (AP) _ Tom Cruise says his couch-jumping on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" seemed to set off a "confluence" of bad publicity for him, but he's not sure he would take it back. "That was a moment, and it was real, and I don't know if I would (do it differently). I really don't," Cruise said during an hourlong interview with Winfrey taped in his Telluride, Colo. home.
Ohio judge to decide man's fate for sharing snack cakeMCARTHUR, Ohio (AP) _ A judge in southern Ohio must decide whether to send a man to prison for sharing a Little Debbie snack cake. The case involves 21-year-old Timothy Caudill, who last year was held in a residential community corrections program in Nelsonville for breaking into a bar. While there, prosecutors said he bought the oatmeal creme pie from a vending machine and shared it with a fellow inmate who was on restriction and wasn't allowed access to snacks.
AP source: Sampson to become Bucks assistantFormer Indiana University coach Kelvin Sampson has agreed to become a Milwaukee Bucks assistant under Scott Skiles, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press on Friday. The person requested anonymity because Sampson has not yet signed a contract, although the signing could come later in the day. This is a second chance for Sampson, who resigned as the Hoosiers' coach Feb. 22 and accepted a $750,000 buyout after an NCAA report charged him with five major NCAA rules violations.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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