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05-24-2005

Senate Votes to End Filibuster on Judge

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., discusses the Senate upcoming votes on judicial nominations during a news conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday, May 24, 2005. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Senate voted Tuesday to end years of delaying tactics that blocked the nomination of Priscilla Owen to a federal judgeship, the first fruit of a bipartisan agreement to break the logjam over President Bush's judicial choices. The vote was 81-18 with opponents of the Texas Supreme Court justice falling well short of the 60 needed to continue their filibuster. A vote to confirm Owen could come as early as Tuesday.

Web Posting: Iraq al-Qaida Leader Injured

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is seen in this undated photo released by the U.S. Department of State. Al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, blamed for numerous terror attacks on U.S. and Iraqi targets, said Tuesday May 24, 2005 in an Internet posting that its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been wounded and called on supporters to pray for his recovery. The posting's authenticity could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site known for carrying prior statements by al-Qaida in Iraq and other militant groups. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of State, HO)

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ Al-Qaida's branch in Iraq, blamed for numerous terror attacks on U.S. and Iraqi targets, said Tuesday in an Internet posting that its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been wounded and called on supporters to pray for his recovery. The posting's authenticity could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site known for carrying prior statements by al-Qaida in Iraq and other militant groups.

England Waives Right to Challenge Charges

U.S. Army Pfc. Lynndie R. England arrives for her Article 32 Investigation hearing in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, May 23, 2005. An Article 32 hearing is the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing. Her attempt to plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy to maltreat detainees, four counts of maltreatment and one count of committing an indecent act was thrown out in a previous hearing. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) _ Pfc. Lynndie England on Tuesday surrendered her right to challenge the seven charges she faces in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, moving her one step closer to a new military trial. Her defense attorney, Capt. Jonathan Crisp, would not provide details as to why he decided not to go forward with the Article 32 hearing _ the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding. He said only that it was part of an "evolving trial strategy."

House Voting on Stem Cell Research Bills

President Bush gestures as he answers questions during his joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the East Room of the White House, Monday, May 23, 2005, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Framing the House debate over stem cell research in stark moral terms, a GOP leader on Tuesday said a bill to permit federal funding for such studies would dismember "living human beings." Other lawmakers argued it was wrong to withhold money for research that might cure disease.

8 U.S. Soldiers Killed in 2 Days in Iraq

A U.S. armoured vehicle passes the scene after a car bomb exploded near a junior high school for girls, killing six people, in eastern Baghdad's well-known Withaq Square, a Christian neighborhood in the Alwiyah residential area, in Iraq Tuesday, May 24, 2005. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ A car bomb exploded Tuesday near a Baghdad junior high school for girls, killing six people, and eight American soldiers were killed in two days of insurgent attacks in and around Baghdad, the military said. In the last two days, the military announced that 13 American troops have been killed since Sunday. Those reports came as insurgents carried out a string of explosions, suicide attacks and drive-by shootings around the country that also killed 49 Iraqis.

Leno Was Suspicious of Jackson Accuser

Entertainer Jay Leno waves as he arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse to testify for the defense in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial Tuesday, May 24, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) _ "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno testified Tuesday that the boy who is now accusing Michael Jackson of molestation was "overly effusive" and sounded suspicious in phone calls to him but never asked for money. Jackson's defense called Leno, who regularly skewers Jackson in his "Tonight Show" monologues, to support its claim that the boy's family schemed to get money from celebrities and Jackson became one of their targets.

Group: Home Sales Up 4.5 Percent in April

Afile photo shows a home for sale in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, May 17, 2005. Sales of existing homes rose 4.5 percent in April to the highest sales pace on record as low mortgage rates continued to fuel a housing boom, The National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday, May 24, 2005. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Sales of existing homes rose 4.5 percent in April to the highest sales pace on record as low mortgage rates continued to fuel a housing boom, a national trade group reported Tuesday. The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of single-family homes and condominiums climbed to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7.18 million units last month, the fastest pace on record.

Study Contradicts FDA on Crestor Risks

FIX adds an asterisk to the note and makes visit plural: charts show use of cholesterol drugs and market share for brand names. (AP Graphic)

DALLAS (AP) _ New research seems to challenge a Food and Drug Administration decision not to pull the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor off the market, with data showing it causes more kidney and muscle problems than rival medications. The FDA in March contended Crestor's risks were no greater than its competitors, and it rejected consumer efforts to remove the drug, made by AstraZeneca PLC, from store shelves. Instead, the FDA ordered a warning on the label, saying Crestor could cause serious muscle problems and kidney damage, especially among Asians.

Man Leaps From Car to Retrieve Cigarette

FOREMAN, Ark. (AP) _ A leap of faith proved hazardous for a smoker in need of a cigarette fix after a night on the town. Jeff Foran suffered trauma to his nose, eyes and chin after jumping from a car traveling 55-60 mph. Authorities said he was trying to retrieve a cigarette blown out of the passenger-side window.

Agassi Out in First Round at French Open

Andre Agassi of the U.S. hits a backhand to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium, Tuesday May 24, 2005 in Paris. Nieminen won 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-0. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

PARIS (AP) _ Andre Agassi, the oldest player at the French Open, felt his age Tuesday. Hobbled by an inflamed nerve in his back that dates back months, Agassi lost in the opening round for the second year in a row. He didn't request treatment from a trainer but rarely ran after shots in the final two sets and lost to Finnish qualifier Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-0.

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