Gaza civilian toll rises; diplomats seek truce (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:19:33 GMT
AP - GAZA CITY, Gaza — Israel ignored mounting international calls for a cease-fire Monday and said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault until "peace and tranquility" are achieved in southern Israeli towns in the line of Palestinian rocket fire.

Obama's intel picks short on direct experience (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:44:32 GMT
AP - President-elect Barack Obama's decision to fill the nation's top intelligence jobs with two men short on direct experience in intelligence gathering surprised the spy community and signaled the Democrat's intention for a clean break from Bush administration policies.

Obama says his plan with tax cuts to get quick OK (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:43:41 GMT
AP - President-elect Barack Obama plunged into rare pre-inaugural crisis talks with congressional leaders Monday, declaring the national economy was "bad and getting worse" and embracing tax cuts now expected to reach $300 billion. He predicted lawmakers would approve a mammoth revitalization package within two weeks of his taking office.

Burris says he's senator — but Dems won't seat him (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:05:01 GMT
AP - Senate Democrats struggled to avert a showdown steeped in race and corruption Monday as a defiant Roland Burris declared, "I'm a United States senator" and flew to the capital to claim President-elect Barack Obama's old seat in Congress.

Prosecutor wants Madoff jailed without bail (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:43:07 GMT
AP - A prosecutor on Monday asked that Bernard Madoff be jailed pending trial, saying the disgraced financier violated an agreement with the court by mailing watches, jewelry, cufflinks and mittens worth more than $1 million to relatives and friends.

Records reveal anguish of anthrax suspect's wife (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:42:35 GMT
AP - Anthrax mailing suspect Bruce Ivins tormented his wife with rudeness and behaved erratically in the weeks before the Army scientist took his own life by overdosing on Tylenol, according to documents released Monday.

Milky Way — the galaxy — not snack-sized anymore (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:40:38 GMT
AP - Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth's cosmic neighborhood, our Milky Way was a weak sister to the larger Andromeda. Not anymore. The Milky Way is considerably larger, bulkier and spinning faster than astronomers once thought, Andromeda's equal.

Death certificate: Travolta son killed by seizure (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:38:34 GMT
AP - Jett Travolta's body shows no sign of head trauma and his death certificate says he was killed by a seizure, an undertaker said Monday, after doctors performed an autopsy on the 16-year-old son of the U.S actor.

Boy, 4, shoots babysitter for stepping on his foot (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:08:45 GMT
AP - Police say an angry 4-year-old Ohio boy grabbed a gun from a closet and shot his baby sitter. Nathan Beavers, 18, was hospitalized Sunday with minor wounds to his arm and side after the shotgun attack. Police say another teen was also injured.

AP Source: Bradley, Cubs agree to $30M, 3-yr deal (AP)
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:37:43 GMT
AP - The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.