22 dead in Mo., Okla., Ga. after more storms

By Sue Ogrocki (AP)

Crews and search dogs hunted Sunday for survivors or bodies in piles of debris after tornadoes and storms rumbled across the region a day earlier and killed at least 21 people in three states.

Six people died in Picher, once a bustling mining center of 20,000 that dwindled to about 800 people as families fled lead pollution there, and officials held out hope that they wouldn\'t find any more bodies.

Residents said the tornado created a surreal scene as it tore through town Saturday afternoon, injuring 150 people, overturning cars, damaging dozens of homes and throwing...

By WILFREDO LEE (AP)

After slashing inventory and cutting expenses, the retail industry is still bracing for the largest overall quarterly profit decline in at least nine years when merchants report their first-quarter earnings this week.

Faced with one of the worst consumer spending climates in almost two decades, stores are going to have to find clever ways to attract increasingly thrifty shoppers contending with higher gas and food bills and a slumping housing market.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. launched a new online feature Friday that offers tips from financial expert Ellie Kay on how consumers can...

By Sue Ogrocki (AP)

Crews and search dogs hunted Sunday for survivors or bodies in piles of debris after tornadoes and storms rumbled across the region a day earlier and killed at least 23 people in three states.

Seven people died in Picher, once a bustling mining center of 20,000 that dwindled to about 800 people as families fled lead pollution here, and officials held out hope that they wouldn\'t find any more bodies.

Residents said the tornado created a surreal scene as it tore through town Saturday afternoon, injuring 150 people, overturning cars, damaging dozens of homes and throwing...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Her presidential bid needs a miracle, so Hillary Rodham Clinton prayed for one Sunday in church.

Arriving amid thunderstorms, Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, took seats in the second row of First United Methodist Church and listened to a sermon about Mother\'s Day.

\"Give us eyes to see the miracles around us,\" Dr. Paul Russell said, leading the worshippers in prayer. Hillary Clinton read along with the congregation.

Mother\'s Day was Clinton\'s theme Sunday as she sought to remind Democrats of her strong support among women while campaigning for the big win in West...

By SHEILAH MILLER (AP)

Crews and search dogs hunted Sunday for survivors or bodies in the piles of debris left after a tornado rumbled through a day earlier and killed at least seven people.

Officials held out hope that they wouldn\'t find any more bodies in this town, once a bustling mining center of 20,000 that dwindled to about 800 people as families fled lead pollution here.

Residents said the tornado created a surreal scene as it moved through Picher late Saturday afternoon, injuring 150 people, overturning cars, throwing mattresses and twisted metal high into the canopy of trees.

\"I...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton began her presidential quest armed with talent, tenacity, fame, money, connections and a team that knew how to win. Many people believed her victory in the Democratic nomination was a sure thing. Her ultimate failing may have been in believing it, too.

Clinton had one big problem out of the gate: 40 percent or more of Americans said they\'d never vote for her. She was too polarizing. It\'s love her or hate her.

Clinton powered through that hurdle in state after state, showing grit that earned her the valuable political currency of being merely...

By SHEILAH MILLER (AP)

Crews and search dogs hunted Sunday for survivors or bodies in the piles of debris left after a tornado rumbled through a day earlier and killed at least seven people.

Officials held out hope that they wouldn\'t find any more bodies in this town, once a bustling mining center of 20,000 that dwindled to about 800 people as families fled lead pollution here.

Residents said the tornado created a surreal scene as it moved through Picher late Saturday afternoon, injuring 150 people, overturning cars, throwing mattresses and twisted metal high into the canopy of trees.

\"I...

By SHEILAH MILLER (AP)

Many have fled this depressed, pollution-scarred mining town. Those who have chosen to stay or have not yet relocated face a new heartache.

A tornado ripped through a 20-block swath of Picher late Saturday afternoon, killing at least seven people. The same storm system then moved into southwest Missouri where tornadoes took the lives of at least 12 others, authorities said.

On Sunday, storms rumbled across Georgia, killing at least one person in Dublin, about a 121 miles southeast of Atlanta, authorities said. Weather officials had not yet confirmed whether the storms...

By ROGER NOMER (AP)

Many have fled this depressed, pollution-scarred mining town. Those who have chosen to stay or have not yet relocated face a new heartache. A tornado ripped through a 20-block swath of Picher late Saturday afternoon, killing at least seven people. The same storm system then moved into southwest Missouri where tornadoes took the lives of at least 12 others, authorities said.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said Picher\'s victims included an infant. He said at least three people were confirmed missing.

\"We\'ve seen homes that were completely leveled to the...

By Marc F. Henning (AP)

Many have fled this depressed, pollution-scarred mining town. Those who have chosen to stay or have not yet relocated face a new heartache.

A tornado ripped through a 20-block swath of Picher late Saturday afternoon, killing at least seven people. The same storm system then moved into southwest Missouri where tornadoes took the lives of at least 12 others, authorities said.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said Picher\'s victims included an infant. He said at least three people were confirmed missing.

\"We\'ve seen homes that were completely leveled to the...

By ROGER NOMER (AP)

A tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed at least 18 people as severe storms raked the nation\'s heart Saturday, injuring many and mangling buildings in the storm-weary region.

At least 12 people were killed after severe storms spawned tornadoes and high winds across sections of southwestern Missouri, the State Emergency Management Agency said. Ten of the dead were killed when a twister struck near Seneca, near the Oklahoma border.

At least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher, authorities...

By Marc F. Henning (AP)

A tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed at least 18 people as severe storms raked the nation\'s heart Saturday, injuring many and mangling buildings in the storm-weary region.

At least 12 people were killed after severe storms spawned tornadoes and high winds across sections of southwestern Missouri, the State Emergency Management Agency said. Ten of the dead were killed when a twister struck near Seneca, near the Oklahoma border.

At least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher, authorities...

By Charles Dharapak (AP)

No constituency is more eager to see a woman win the presidency than America\'s feminists, yet _ despite Hillary Rodham Clinton\'s historic candidacy _ the women\'s movement finds itself wrenchingly divided over the Democratic race as it heads toward the finish.

At breakfast forums, in op-ed columns, across the blogosphere, the debate has been heartfelt and sometimes bitter. Are the activist women supporting front-runner Barack Obama betraying their gender? Are Clinton\'s feminist backers mired in an outdated, women\'s-liberation mind-set?

Ellen Bravo is a Milwaukee author...

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

With the racially tinged Democratic race drawing to an awkward close, Barack Obama and John McCain face the challenge of winning over \"Hillary Democrats\" _ the white, working-class voters who favored the former first lady over Obama\'s historic candidacy.

Obama and McCain clearly have set their sights on each other, a recognition of the long odds Clinton faces in trying to capture the Democratic presidential nomination. The McCain campaign figures some of her supporters might be up for grabs and won\'t necessarily vote Democratic in the general election in November.

\"I\'ve...

By Tony Gutierrez (AP)

A gorilla recognized as the world\'s oldest in captivity celebrated her 55th birthday by munching down a four-layer frozen fruit cake and banana leaf wrapped treats.

Jenny\'s caretakers at the Dallas Zoo say she\'s having a few joint issues and her eyesight isn\'t what it used to be but she still looks good for an old ape.

\"It\'s a special milestone for us,\" said Todd Bowsher, curator of the zoo\'s Wilds of Africa exhibit. \"It signifies that we\'ve made great strides in veterinary care, nutrition and animal husbandry.\"

The International Species Information System,...

By Susan Walsh (AP)

Sen. Barack Obama got a front-runner\'s welcome back at the Capitol Thursday, pressing congressional \"superdelegates\" to support him in a visit that had the look and feel of a campaign victory lap.

On the House floor, he was quickly surrounded by well-wishers calling him, \"Mr. President\" and reaching out to pat him on the back or shake his hand. The glad-handers included a few Republicans and supporters of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He picked up the superdelegate support of at least two lawmakers: Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina, where...

By Charles Dharapak (AP)

Sen. Barack Obama got a front-runner\'s welcome back at the Capitol Thursday, pressing congressional \"superdelegates\" to support him in a visit that had the look and feel of a campaign victory lap.

On the House floor, he was quickly surrounded by well-wishers calling him, \"Mr. President\" and reaching out to pat him on the back or shake his hand. The glad-handers included a few Republicans and supporters of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He picked up the superdelegate support of at least two lawmakers: Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina, where...

By Danny Johnston (AP)

There\'s a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own.

An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year _ a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.

Some doctors believe the stigma of mental illness is magnified in a profession that prides itself on stoicism and bravado. Many fear admitting psychiatric problems could be fatal to their careers, so they suffer in silence.

And when the pain is...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Hillary Clinton is pushing on in her race for the Democratic White House bid, despite calls to drop out. She has events scheduled today in the upcoming primary states of Oregon, South Dakota and West Virginia. Barack Obama will be in Washington today.

With her money drained and her options dwindling, a resolute Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to press on with her presidential bid even as she and top advisers were hard-pressed to describe a realistic path for her to wrest the nomination from Barack Obama.

After a wrenching primary outcome Tuesday in which she was routed in North...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Her money drained and her options dwindling, a resolute Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed Wednesday to press on with her presidential bid even as she and top advisers were hard-pressed to describe a realistic path for her to wrest the nomination from Barack Obama.

After a wrenching primary outcome Tuesday in which she was routed in North Carolina and barely won Indiana, Clinton made a hastily scheduled trip to West Virginia to show her determination to fight on. The state holds a primary next Tuesday.

\"I\'m so happy to be here in West Virginia and excited about the next week as...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Her money drained and her options dwindling, a resolute Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed Wednesday to press on with her presidential bid even as she and top advisers were hard-pressed to describe a realistic path for her to wrest the nomination from Barack Obama.

After a wrenching primary outcome Tuesday in which she was routed in North Carolina and barely won Indiana, Clinton made a hastily scheduled trip to West Virginia to show her determination to fight on. The state holds a primary next Tuesday.

\"I\'m so happy to be here in West Virginia and excited about the next week as...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will remain in the presidential race \"until there\'s a nominee.\" The former first lady declined to say whether that meant through the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Clinton also disclosed that she had loaned her campaign an additional $6.4 million in recent weeks, additional evidence that her once front-runner campaign was in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama pocketed the support of at least four Democratic convention superdelegates on Wednesday, building on the momentum from a convincing North...

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

Barack Obama pocketed the support of at least four Democratic convention superdelegates on Wednesday, building on the momentum from a convincing North Carolina primary victory. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton disclosed she had loaned her strapped campaign an additional $6.4 million in recent weeks.

Clinton showed no sign of surrender in the presidential race, but former Sen. George McGovern, the party\'s 1972 presidential candidate, urged her to reconsider.

Obama was at home in Chicago during the day as his aides spread word that he would soon begin campaigning in states likely...