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AP Top News at 4:52 a.m. EST
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Israel pounds Gaza as rockets strike from LebanonGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Israeli aircraft pounded Hamas weapons positions and Gaza smuggling tunnels, witnesses and the military said Wednesday, while militants in Lebanon raised the specter of a new front by sending three rockets crashing into northern Israel. The rockets from Lebanon landed in open areas near the town of Kiryat Shemona, causing no injuries or damage, Israeli police said. Residents of northern Israel were instructed to head to bomb shelters following the second attack from Lebanon in less than a week.
Stakes high in bailout vote for Obama, DemocratsWASHINGTON (AP) _ President-elect Barack Obama eventually will gain access to the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout fund _ politics notwithstanding and more likely sooner than later. The test is whether he can persuade enough members of his own party to support an extraordinarily unpopular program and avoid an embarrassing veto fight with a Democratic-led Congress at the outset of his presidency. A critical vote could come as early as Thursday.
Tax problems may plague Obama's treasury pickWASHINGTON (AP) _ A Capitol Hill grilling is likely for Timothy Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick to head the Treasury Department, after public revelations he failed to pay $34,000 in taxes several years ago. Senate Democrats are pressing to schedule a quick confirmation hearing for Geithner on Friday, hoping to tee up swift approval of his nomination on Inauguration Day. But newly released information about the tax goofs by Geithner, regarded as a brilliant financial markets specialist well-positioned to deal with the nation's considerable economic problems, could complicate the process.
Investor's 3-day run from ruin comes to an endQUINCY, Fla. (AP) _ A missing pilot's three-day run from authorities _ and personal and financial ruin _ ended when authorities found him inside an isolated campground tent, bleeding from his wrist after an apparent suicide attempt. U.S. Marshals apprehended Marcus Schrenker, 38, late Tuesday night at a North Florida campground days after the businessman and amateur daredevil pilot apparently tried to fake his own death in a plane crash. Authorities believe he parachuted to the ground and later sped off on a motorcycle he had stashed in a central Alabama storage shed.
Ill. gov. to preside in Senate that will try himSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ In an ironic, surreal scene, impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich will preside briefly over the chamber that holds his political future in its hands. On Wednesday, Blagojevich was to swear in the Illinois Senate, which will decide in a matter of weeks whether to throw the two-term Democrat out of office. The opening of a new legislative session is normally an upbeat occasion, but how the senators and the governor will respond this time is anyone's guess.
Citi gives control of brokerage to Morgan StanleyNEW YORK (AP) _ The original financial supermarket is dead. Citigroup signaled the end of a decade-long experiment to create one-stop shopping for financial services _ everything from consumer loans to investment banking _ with Tuesday's announcement that it was merging its Smith Barney brokerage into a joint venture with Morgan Stanley. The deal, which will give Citigroup $2.7 billion in badly needed cash as it gives up control of Smith Barney, comes as the company still struggles in the aftermath of the mortgage and credit crisis. There is speculation that CEO Vikram Pandit, who for months supported Citigroup as a "universal bank," will be taking further steps to simplify and streamline the company.
Possible mammoth tusk found on SoCal islandLOS ANGELES (AP) _ A complete tusk believed to belong to a prehistoric mammoth was uncovered on Santa Cruz Island off the Southern California coast, researchers reported Tuesday. If the discovery is confirmed, it would mean the tusked beasts roamed 62,000-acre Santa Cruz Island more widely than previously thought. A graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, came across the tusk while working in a canyon on the island's remote north shore earlier this month. Nearby were several rib bones and possible thigh bones, said Lotus Vermeer, the Nature Conservancy's Santa Cruz Island project director.
Lil Kim not happy with Biggie biopicNEW YORK (AP) _ Lil Kim was a big part of the Notorious B.I.G.'s life, but she's not happy about the way she's portrayed in the new biopic about the late rapper. The Notorious B.I.G. was Lil Kim's mentor and was also romantically linked to the rapper. Their sometimes rocky relationship is depicted in the new movie "Notorious," but Lil Kim doesn't think it's very accurate.
AP Poll: Americans prefer a mutt for ObamasWASHINGTON (AP) _ Mr. President-elect, the votes are in: American pet owners prefer a mutt in the White House. By more than a 2-1 margin, pet owners say the Obamas should choose a mutt for their first dog over a purebred, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll released Wednesday. People who don't have pets mostly don't care either way.
Magic make NBA-record 23 3s in rout of KingsSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ Dwight Howard had 25 points and 15 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic made an NBA-record 23 3-pointers Tuesday night in a 139-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Magic made 23 of 37 attempts in breaking the old mark of 21, set by Toronto on March 13, 2005, against Philadelphia. The record came on Jeremy Richardson's 3-pointer with 2:20 left to play, providing the only drama in the second half.
Copyright ? 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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