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AP Top News at 11:28 a.m. EDT(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Rice says US not trying to undermine RussiaASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) _ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday rejected any suggestion that U.S. efforts to build closer ties to this former Soviet republic are meant to undermine Russian influence in Central Asia. "This is not a zero-sum game," she told reporters flying with her to the Kazakh capital. U.S. gains need not mean Russian losses, she said. Citi: Wells Fargo blocked from buying WachoviaNEW YORK (AP) _ The fight over control of Wachovia intensified Saturday, as a judge temporarily agreed to block the sale of the bank to Wells Fargo, Citigroup announced in a news release. State Supreme Court Justice Charles Ramos issued the order blocking the sale of Wachovia Corp., which Wells Fargo & Co. had agreed to purchase in a $14.8 billion deal. AP Investigation: Ike environmental toll apparentWASHINGTON (AP) _ Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. In the days before and after the deadly storm, companies and residents reported at least 448 releases of oil, gasoline and dozens of other substances into the air and water and onto the ground in Louisiana and Texas. The hardest hit places were industrial centers near Houston and Port Arthur, Texas, as well as oil production facilities off Louisiana's coast, according to the AP's analysis. Analysis: Palin's words may backfire on McCainWASHINGTON (AP) _ By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign. And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret. Emotions connect old OJ acquittal, new convictionLAS VEGAS (AP) _ Jurors had been told to ignore what they knew about O.J. Simpson's past, but for many observers, the line connecting the former NFL star's murder acquittal last decade and his new conviction for robbing memorabilia peddlers couldn't have been clearer. The attorney for the family of Ronald Goldman _ who was killed along with Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in Los Angeles in 1994 _ said he thought his hounding of Simpson for years to collect a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment pushed him to a desperate gambit to recover personal items he had lost. Officials say Taliban mad over alleged US strikeDERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) _ The Taliban are unusually angry about the latest suspected U.S. missile strike in Pakistan, a sign a top militant may have died in the attack, officials and residents said Sunday amid reports the death toll rose by two to 24. Elsewhere in Pakistan's northwest, an official said some 15,000 Afghans had left a tribal region the military is trying to wrest from insurgents, but that tens of thousands more had yet to meet a government ultimatum to get out by Sunday. Wait 'til next year, again: Dodgers sweep CubsLOS ANGELES (AP) _ It's a century and counting for the Chicago Cubs. Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers shoved Chicago into another long winter Saturday night, completing a three-game sweep of their first-round playoff series with a 3-1 victory. The Cubs' latest flameout has to be among the most galling, considering they fell flat against the Dodgers after their best regular season since 1945. Scandal-plagued Jefferson heads to November runoffNEW ORLEANS (AP) _ U.S. Rep. William Jefferson overcame the stigma of a federal bribery indictment in Louisiana's Democratic primary on Saturday, garnering enough votes in his New Orleans-based congressional district to secure a spot in a Nov. 4 runoff. Jefferson, seeking his 10th term in Congress, faces a December trial on charges that he took bribes, laundered money and misused his congressional office for business dealings in Africa. `SNL' sends up VP debate with Fey, Queen LatifahNEW YORK (AP) _ It's starting to feel like Tina Fey is running for vice president. Fey again returned to "Saturday Night Live" to play Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as the sketch comedy show continued to pull out all the stops in its election year season. Queen Latifah dropped by to portray Thursday's debate moderator, PBS's Gwen Ifill, and cast member Jason Sudeikis stepped into the role of Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. Pryor, Wells lift Buckeyes past Wisconsin 20-17MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ Terrelle Pryor passed his first big test for No. 14 Ohio State. The freshman quarterback ran 11 yards for a touchdown with 1:08 left, and Chris "Beanie" Wells had 168 yards rushing and a TD, as the Buckeyes' new double-threat backfield shined in a 20-17 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin on Saturday night. The last time the Buckeyes (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) played a marquee game under the lights, they got pounded by Southern California last month. Wells didn't play in that game and Pryor, the talented freshman, wasn't the starter. 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