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AP Top News at 2:35 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Government sues to block AT&T, T-Mobile mergerWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday to block AT&T's $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA on grounds that it would raise prices for consumers. The government contends that the acquisition of the No. 4 wireless carrier in the country by No. 2 AT&T would reduce competition and that would lead to price increases. East struggles to recover from IreneKILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) _ Only one flooded Vermont town remained cut off from the outside world Wednesday, but National Guard helicopters were still dropping food and water on storm-ravaged parts of the state as the Eastern seaboard labored to recover from hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Irene. About 2 million people remained without power in water-logged homes and businesses from North Carolina through New England, where the storm has been blamed for at least 45 deaths in 13 states. Raging floodwaters continued to ravage parts of northern New Jersey on Wednesday morning, even after the state's rain-swollen rivers crested and slowly receded. Libyan rebels: Gadhafi son offers to surrenderTRIPOLI, Libya (AP) _ Moammar Gadhafi's son al-Saadi is trying to negotiate the terms of his own surrender, the rebel commander in Tripoli told The Associated Press on Wednesday in what would be a major blow to the Libyan leader's crumbling regime. The commander, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, said al-Saadi first called him Tuesday and asked whether his safety could be guaranteed. "We told him 'Don't fear for your life. We will guarantee your rights as a human being, and will deal with you humanely,' said Belhaj, confirming a report on Al-Jazeera television. Belhaj added that al-Saadi would be turned over to Libyan legal authorities after his surrender. Dow up for a fourth day, turns positive for 2011NEW YORK (AP) _ The stock market is having a strong end to a wild month. The Dow Jones industrial average turned positive for the year Wednesday after a surge in factory orders reassured investors that the manufacturing industry is still healthy. Industrial and raw materials companies had the biggest gains. Panel: Widespread waste and fraud in war spendingWASHINGTON (AP) _ The U.S. has lost billions of dollars to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan and stands to repeat that in future wars without big changes in how the government awards and manages contracts for battlefield support and reconstruction projects, independent investigators said Wednesday. The Wartime Contracting Commission urged Congress and the Obama administration to quickly put in place its recommendations to overhaul the contracting process and increase accountability. The commission even suggested that the joint House-Senate debt reduction committee take a close look at the proposals. Inside the spy unit that NYPD says doesn't existNEW YORK (AP) _ Working with the CIA, the New York Police Department maintained a list of "ancestries of interest" and dispatched undercover officers to monitor Muslim businesses and social groups, according to new documents that offer a rare glimpse inside an intelligence program the NYPD insists doesn't exist. The documents add new details to an Associated Press investigation that explained how undercover NYPD officers singled out Muslim communities for surveillance and infiltration. Suspicious parcel sent to Illinois Air Force baseMASCOUTAH, Ill. (AP) _ Three people fell sick and were treated at a hospital Wednesday after a suspicious package arrived at the mail center of an Air Force base in southern Illinois, prompting the evacuation of parts of the facility. Two workers for the U.S. Postal Service and an Air Force serviceman at the Scott Air Force Base developed respiratory or skin reactions around 9 a.m. Wednesday in reaction to something in the mail room, according to base commander Col. Michael Hornitschek. Ancient humans used hand axes earlier than thoughtLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Ancient humans fashioned hand axes, cleavers and picks much earlier than believed, but didn't take the stone tools along when they left Africa, new research suggests. A team from the United States and France made the findings after traveling to an archaeological site along the northwest shoreline of Kenya's Lake Turkana. Two-faced blades and other large cutting tools had been previously excavated there along with primitive stone flakes. Mel Gibson to pay ex $750K to settle custody caseLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Mel Gibson will pay $750,000 to his ex-girlfriend and continue to provide housing and financial support for their young daughter to resolve a bitter, long-running legal fight, a judge said Wednesday. The settlement is intended to end the bickering and accusations that have permeated the case handled in mostly secret proceedings for more than a year, Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman said. NCAA: 8 Miami players must sit out gamesCORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) _ For Miami coach Al Golden, there is relief. And for the Hurricanes implicated in an extra-benefits scandal, there will be a return to the field this season. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |