[February 02, 2008]

AP Top News at 8:05 a.m. EST

(AP Online Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Microsoft Eyes Yahoo to Topple GoogleSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Unable to topple Google Inc. on its own, Microsoft Corp. is trying to force crippled rival Yahoo Inc. into a shotgun marriage, with a wager worth nearly $42 billion that the two companies together will have a better chance of tackling the Internet search leader. Microsoft's audacious attempt to buy Yahoo, spelled out in an unsolicited offer announced Friday, shows just how much Google threatens the world's largest software maker's grip on how people interact with computers.

Chad Rebels Fight Gov't Force in CapitalNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) _ Hundreds of rebels penetrated the capital of Chad on Saturday, clashing with government troops and moving on the presidential palace after a three-day advance through the central African nation, officials and witnesses said. Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French military spokesman, said groups of rebels gathered outside the capital, N'Djamena, overnight before 1,000-1,500 fighters entered early Saturday and spread through the city.

Hamas to Allow Egypt Border ClosingRAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) _ Egypt will close the breached border with Gaza on Sunday, and Hamas will not try to prevent it, a senior Hamas leader said after holding talks with Egyptian officials. "Tomorrow (Sunday) is going to be the last day for the border to be open like this," Gaza's Hamas strongman, Mahmoud Zahar, told the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, after returning to Gaza.

Lynch: US 'Surge' Tipped Scales in IraqBAGHDAD (AP) _ Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch has spent years thinking about the war in Iraq, both as a senior strategist in 2005 and now as a division commander. He has seen strategies, missions and buzzwords come and go, but he now believes U.S. commanders finally have a feel for the battlefield. Two years ago, U.S. forces thought the best way to help Iraq was to hand over the country as soon as possible, he said in an Associated Press interview. From 2005-2006 Lynch was in charge of communications and convincing Sunni leaders to support the new government.

Fight Looms Over Global AIDS ProgramWASHINGTON (AP) _ A five-year, $15 billion effort to combat AIDS in Africa and other areas _ arguably the most important and popular international program of the Bush presidency _ may become a political battleground as it comes up for renewal. President Bush wants to double and House Democrats want to triple spending on a program that is now treating 1.4 million people, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, where he will visit in two weeks.

Slain Pregnant Marine to Be BuriedVANDALIA, Ohio (AP) _ Even as it prepared to say its final goodbyes, the family of a slain pregnant Marine continued to question whether military and civilian authorities adequately responded when she disappeared in December. The funeral Mass for Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach on Saturday was expected to draw hundreds to St. Christopher Catholic Church near Dayton. U.S. authorities have said the man suspected of killing her, Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, has likely fled to Mexico.

Democratic Race Splits Some Couples in 2NEW YORK (AP) _ Andrea Brustein and her husband, Michael Firestone, both New York attorneys, were having lunch with friends when the talk turned to politics. Firestone revealed that he'd made a donation to Barack Obama. "Well," parried his wife. "Now we're going to donate to Hillary Clinton."

Jury Acquits Wesley Snipes of Tax FraudOCALA, Fla. (AP) _ Wesley Snipes' attorneys admitted his ideas were crazy _ that Americans have no obligation to pay taxes and the IRS cannot legally collect them. But the star of the "Blade" vampire trilogy was the victim of crooked advisers, promoters of the tax protest movement, they argued, and a jury apparently agreed.

Groundhog Predicts More WinterPUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) _ Brace yourself for more wintry weather. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Saturday, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter. The rodent was pulled from his stump by members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, top-hat- and tuxedo-wearing businessmen who carry out the tradition.

Goodell Defends Destroying Pats' TapesPHOENIX (AP) _ Spygate sure has touched a nerve. If Roger Goodell wasn't acutely aware of that before Friday, he certainly has no doubt now. Not after repeatedly having to defend his decision to destroy notes and videotapes linked to the New England Patriots' cheating scandal. One day after Sen. Arlen Specter asked why the NFL commissioner trashed the evidence, Goodell fielded a half-dozen questions on the subject during his Super Bowl news conference.

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