National News - Saturday April 14, 2007

BAGHDAD (AP) - At least 66 people are dead in suicide bombings in Iraq. The worst is a car bombing at a bus station in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. At least 56 people were killed there. In Baghdad, a suicide car bomb killed ten people on a major bridge.

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush is mixing an olive branch with the bully pulpit in his continuing tussle with congressional Democrats over war funding. Bush plans to use his weekly radio chat to assail Democrats over troop withdrawal language. He'll also express hope for progress at a meeting Wednesday.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An incident in Afghanistan that left a dozen civilians dead is being characterized by an independent commission as excessive force by U-S Marines. The Marines shot their way out of a suicide attack March Fourth, firing at vehicles and pedestrians along a ten-mile stretch of road.

WASHINGTON (AP) - There's optimism about the world's economy from major finance officials. At their annual meeting in Washington, the G-7 ministers from the world's wealthiest countries say that while there are risks, the global economy is having its best expansion in 30 years.

NEW YORK (AP) - The man who is pastor to the coach of the Rutgers University women's basketball team says the racist remarks by Don Imus make this a good time for a broader battle. DeForest Soaries Junior is organizing a nationwide initiative to address a culture that he says "has produced language that has denigrated women."

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's governor still needs help breathing and is heavily sedated after a bad car crash Thursday. Doctors say Jon Corzine will need more surgery today and Monday. Authorities are still looking for a red pickup truck whose driver apparently caused the crash.

WASHINGTON (AP) - If the trend continues, post offices could soon be much quieter places on tax deadline day. A new AP-AOL Money-and-Finance poll finds that more than half of all taxpayers are now filing their returns electronically. Despite the convenience, many have concerns about security.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - A new siren warning system for suburban New York communities near the Indian Point nuclear power plant still isn't up to snuff. Indian Point's owners could face government penalties. A test Thursday failed when a radio signal set off less than 80 percent of the sirens. It takes 90 percent to pass.

WOODMERE, N.Y. (AP) - Officials say the stench was overpowering in a rubbish-filled house where they found the body of an elderly man yesterday. An 85-year-old woman was rescued from under a pile of junk at the house Thursday. Officials say human and animal waste was mixed with ceiling-high piles of trash in the home on New York's Long Island.

UNDATED (AP) - Winter storm watches are up as forecasters watch a gathering weather system along the East Coast. Seven-to-12 inches of snow could fall in parts of New York and Pennsylvania. There's a foot of snow in the Central Plains from a spring storm that also spawned a tornado in Texas where one person died.

BOSTON (AP) - Even though she's in space, Monday's Boston Marathon isn't out of reach for astronaut Suni Williams. Williams qualified for the marathon before learning she would be at the international space station on race day. She's been cleared for a simulated marathon in orbit on treadmill.

WASHINGTON (AP) - New documents related to the firing of eight U-S attorneys show political activism and membership in a conservative law group counted in Bush administration's evaluation of federal prosecutors. Democrats say that supports claims of partisanship at the Justice Department.

BEIJING (AP) - North Korea has missed the Saturday deadline for shutting down its main nuclear reactor and processing facility under a recent agreement. A dispute over frozen assets in an Asian bank angered the North. The U-S says that dispute's been resolved.

INDIO, Calif. (AP) - One person has been killed in a hot-air balloon crash in Southern California. Two other people were hurt when the sightseeing craft made a hard landing Friday after wind blew it into some power lines.