National and International News-Thursday, August 31st

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Coastal residents in the Carolinas are bracing for a stronger Tropical Storm Ernesto but they're still more worried about the possible flooding than the wind. The storm has 50-mile-per-hour winds and is packing some much-needed rain for the parched mid-Atlantic.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Looking toward the Nine-Eleven anniversary and the November congressional elections, President Bush defends his war strategy again today. This time he addresses the American Legion. Bush says the U-S can't abandon the cause of freedom over extremism.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration says some of the prescription drugs ordered from a Canadian pharmacy over the Internet are bogus. The Canadian company, Mediplan Global Health,says the drugs are fine and accuses the government of trying scare away its customers.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A former follower says Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs probably won't recognize the authority of the court at his extradition hearing in Las Vegas, Nevada, today. Officials want to prosecute him first in Utah, then in Arizona, on charges of arranging marriages of underage girls to older men.

BIG TIMBER, Mont. (AP) - A rapidly growing wildfire in Montana has prompted officials to urge residents of two southern towns to evacuate. The blaze nearly doubled in size yesterday to 80-thousand acres. Weather conditions in California and Washington-state are helping firefighters in those states.