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AP Top News at 6:17 p.m. EDT
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Stocks fall sharply on surge in oil, jobs dataNEW YORK (AP) _ Wall Street tumbled Friday, taking the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 400 points, on a pair of alarming economic developments: oil prices that shot up by more than $11 a barrel and approached $140 for the first time, and the biggest gain in the government's unemployment rate in more than 20 years. The jump in oil to nearly $140 a barrel _ a number that might have seemed unfathomable only a few months ago _ appeared to wipe out investors' recent optimism over the prospects for a strengthening of the economy. Oil jumped following a Morgan Stanley analyst's forecast of $150 oil by July 4, and in response to a drop in the dollar and fresh tensions in the Middle East.
Clinton, Obama discussed campaign without aidesWASHINGTON (AP) _ Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton sat in comfortable chairs, sipped water and spoke for an hour about the presidential campaign to come. Just the two of them, without aides. And they parted laughing. Aside from a fleeting backstage encounter in between their respective speeches to a pro-Israel group Wednesday, this was the first face-to-face meeting between Obama and Clinton since he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination and she moved to end her bid and endorse his candidacy.
Bush weighs new measures to help stimulate economyWASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush is considering new measures to help stimulate the battered economy, the White House said Friday as unemployment and oil prices soared and Wall Street sank. White House counselor Ed Gillespie said Bush's advisers are constantly looking at options for new economic proposals.
Storms bring new round of destruction to MidwestEMMAVILLE, Minn. (AP) _ Strong storms smashed houses, deluged neighborhoods, toppled trees and left thousands without power across the Midwest on Friday in the latest round of fierce weather. No injuries were reported. A tornado raked a half-mile-wide path of destruction in northwestern Minnesota, where a house overlooking Pickerel Lake near Emmaville was destroyed, it's contents spilling down the hill. Wooden chairs and tables were floating below. Nearby was a concrete slab the size of a two-car garage, but whatever structure once sat on it was blown away.
Pet projects still abound in CongressWASHINGTON (AP) _ So much for trimming the pork. The practice of decorating legislation with billions of dollars in pet projects and federal contracts is still thriving on Capitol Hill _ despite public outrage that helped flip control of Congress two years ago. More than 11,000 of those "earmarks," worth nearly $15 billion in all, were slipped into legislation telling the government where to spend taxpayers' money this year, keeping the issue at the center of Washington's culture of money, influence and politics. Now comes an election-year encore.
Senior NYC crane inspector accused of corruptionNEW YORK (AP) _ A senior city buildings official took bribes in exchange for falsely reporting that cranes had been inspected and that crane operators had been certified, but his actions did not appear to be connected to two recent crane collapses that killed nine people, authorities said Friday. James Delayo, an assistant chief inspector with the Department of Buildings' cranes and derricks division, accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from a crane company, Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said in a statement.
Mars lander poised to bake soil, then test itLOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Phoenix lander is getting ready to sniff the Martian soil for signs of life-friendly elements after scooping up a handful of dirt near the north pole, researchers said Friday. New photos sent back by the spacecraft show its 8-foot-long robotic arm hovering over a miniature oven, ready to dump seven tablespoons inside where the soil sample will be heated and studied for its chemistry.
Carell jokes about on-screen kiss with The RockLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Steve Carell, who plays Maxwell Smart in the upcoming spy comedy "Get Smart," says he had a scent-sational time kissing co-star Dwayne Johnson, who most might recognize as "The Rock." "The Rock has softer lips. I guess I could say that," the 44-year-old actor told AP Television. "He smells like strawberry shortcake. For me, that's why they call him The Rock. He rocks people's worlds."
Newspapers run ads about fake airline Derrie-AirPHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Derrie-Air has been exposed. Readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News opened their papers Friday to see ads for a new airline called Derrie-Air, which purportedly charges passengers by the pound. But the new carrier will never get off the ground. It's a one-day advertising campaign about a fake airline by Philadelphia Media Holdings, the papers' owner, and Gyro ad agency.
MLB suspends Crisp, Shields, 6 others for brawlNEW YORK (AP) _ Boston outfielder Coco Crisp, Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields and six other players were suspended Friday following a pair of altercations at Fenway Park. Three Red Sox were suspended: Crisp for seven games, pitcher Jon Lester for five games and first baseman Sean Casey for three games.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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