Anti-stress dolls made in SC cheer deployed troops

By Mike Gullett (AP)

Stunned survivors picked through the little that was left of their communities Sunday after tornadoes tore across the Plains and South, killing at least 22 people in three states and leaving behind a trail of destruction and stories of loss.

At least 15 people died in southwestern Missouri. In the fading mining town of Picher, Okla., at least six people were killed, and at least one person died in storms in Georgia.

Susan Roberts, 61, stared at the smashed remains of her classic 1985 Cadillac sitting on her living room floor _ the only thing left of her Seneca home. A woman...

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 Don Ryan (AP)

Barack Obama erased Hillary Rodham Clinton\'s once-imposing lead among superdelegates Saturday when he added more endorsements from the group of Democrats who will decide the party\'s nomination for president.

Obama added superdelegates from Utah, Ohio and Arizona, as well as two from the Virgin Islands who had previously backed Clinton. The additions enabled Obama to surpass Clinton\'s total for the first time in the campaign. He had picked up nine endorsements Friday.

The milestone is important because Clinton would need to win over the superdelegates by a wide margin to...

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

Barack Obama erased Hillary Rodham Clinton\'s once-imposing lead among superdelegates Saturday when he added more endorsements from the group of Democrats who will decide the party\'s nomination for president.

Obama added superdelegates from Utah and Ohio, as well as two from the Virgin Islands who had previously backed Clinton. The additions enabled Obama to surpass Clinton\'s total for the first time in the campaign. He had picked up nine endorsements Friday.

The milestone is important because Clinton would need to win over the superdelegates by a wide margin to claim the...

By Paul Sakuma (AP)

The unemployment rate drops. Productivity grows. The trade deficit shrinks. Sounds great, right? Not so fast.

Borrowing radio broadcaster Paul Harvey\'s signature saying: let\'s hear the rest of the story.

Some seemingly good economic numbers can be something of a mirage masking weaknesses in the national economy.

Let\'s take the unemployment rate, which dipped to 5 percent in April, from 5.1 percent in March. A closer look reveals that the decline in unemployment is not as good as it looks at first blush. The drop came as the number of people holding part-time jobs for...

By Ryan Gardner (AP)

The amazement was on their faces. Hundreds waited for Barack Obama on that evening in South Carolina, 15 weeks ago, to claim victory _ a surprising victory, surprisingly large.

And amazing it was. It made it possible for him to stand today on the verge of being the first black person ever nominated for president by a major party.

One could guess the thoughts of the blacks and whites in that crowd: Can you believe that our state _ South Carolina, first to secede and first to open fire in the Civil War _ is now catapulting a black man to the front of the presidential contest in...

By Charles Rex Arbogast (AP)

The amazement was on their faces. Hundreds waited for Barack Obama on that evening in South Carolina, 15 weeks ago, to claim victory _ a surprising victory, surprisingly large.

And amazing it was. It made it possible for him to stand today on the verge of being the first black person ever nominated for president by a major party.

One could guess the thoughts of the blacks and whites in that crowd: Can you believe that our state _ South Carolina, first to secede and first to open fire in the Civil War _ is now catapulting a black man to the front of the presidential contest in...

By Susan Walsh (AP)

Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton\'s once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign.

Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter.

In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the...

By Susan Walsh (AP)

Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton\'s once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign.

Obama picked up the backing of six superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter.

In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the...

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 Jae C. Hong (AP)

Barack Obama swept to victory in the North Carolina primary on Tuesday but fell behind Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana, the last big-delegate prizes left in their long race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama\'s win mirrored earlier triumphs in Southern states with large black populations, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina among them.

The Associated Press made its North Carolina call based on surveys of voters as they left the polls.

That made Indiana, a virtual must-win Midwestern state for the former first lady, who was hoping to counter...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

Barack Obama swept to victory in the North Carolina primary on Tuesday but fell behind Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana, the last big-delegate prizes left in their long race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Obama\'s win mirrored earlier triumphs in Southern states with large black populations, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina among them.

The Associated Press made its North Carolina call based on surveys of voters as they left the polls.

That made Indiana, a virtual must-win Midwestern state for the former first lady, who was hoping to counter...

By Eric Risberg (AP)

The outlook for the housing market darkened further Tuesday as the nation\'s largest buyer of home mortgages said it racked up more than $2 billion in quarterly losses and forecast a steeper drop in home prices this year.

If Fannie Mae\'s prediction proves true, the real estate woes could further shake the confidence of consumers already stung by rising food and fuel prices, and an anemic job market.

Home foreclosures are accelerating around the country, adding to the glut of unsold properties and further depressing prices. As a result, a growing number of homeowners are...

By Lisa Poole (AP)

Barney Frank does not have time for chitchat.

The quick-witted, sharp-tongued Massachusetts Democrat who just crafted a massive rescue response to the housing crisis is not your typical, backslapping politician.

But the 68-year-old chairman of the House Financial Services Committee can count votes and cut deals, and as both parties search for a politically palatable way to keep people in their homes, those talents are paying off.

Frank\'s plan to have the government take on as much as $300 billion in new loans for strapped borrowers is drawing bipartisan support as the...

By Susan Walsh (AP)

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is warning that rising late mortgage payments and home foreclosures pose dangers to the national economy. He is urging Congress to take additional steps to alleviate the problems.

In a speech Monday evening, Bernanke said, \"High rates of delinquency and foreclosure can have substantial spillover effects on the housing market, the financial markets and the broader economy.\" He also said that \"it\'s in everybody\'s interest\" to do what is needed to avoid preventable foreclosures.

Bernanke spoke to Columbia University\'s School of...

By Chuck Burton (AP)

Voter excitement, always up before a presidential election, is pushing registration through the roof so far this year _ with more than 3.5 million people rushing to join in the historic balloting, according to an Associated Press survey that offers the first national snapshot.

Figures are up for blacks, women and young people. Rural and city. South and North.

Overall, the AP found that nearly one in 65 adult Americans signed up to vote in just the first three months of the year. And in the 21 states that were able to provide comparable data, new registrations have soared...

By Chuck Burton (AP)

Voter excitement, always up before a presidential election, is pushing registration through the roof so far this year _ with more than 3.5 million people rushing to join in the historic balloting, according to an Associated Press survey that offers the first national snapshot.

Figures are up for blacks, women and young people. Rural and city. South and North.

Overall, the AP found that more than one in 66 adult Americans signed up to vote in just the first three months of the year. And in the 20 states that were able to provide comparable data, new registrations have soared...

By Mary Ann Chastain (AP)

For more than eight months, Youssef Samir Megahed has been in jail, a wild detour from the seemingly innocuous road trip to see Atlantic Coast beaches that he says he and a friend were enjoying.

The U.S. government views the trip differently, accusing Megahed and Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed of transporting explosives materials in the trunk of their car as they traveled through South Carolina.

While the pair sat side-by-side during the traffic stop that led to their arrests, Megahed is scheduled to be the first to face a federal jury when his trial is scheduled to begin on...

By (AP)

The man who coined the word \"cyberspace\" has returned to his home page.

Author William Gibson was given an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, where he was born 60 years ago and which he last saw when he was 5.

\"I was born here in the middle of the previous century, and spent the last 30 years writing about imaginary versions of the current century,\" Gibson said in a short address Saturday. \"Somehow, I never expected to see Conway in the 21st century. I think it looks very good indeed, and I\'m proud to be born...

By (AP)

2007

\"I\'M IN\"

_Jan. 20: Hillary Rodham Clinton announces she\'s running for president from a perch on her living room couch. \"Let the conversation begin,\" she tells voters in a videotaped message posted on her Web site. \"I have a feeling it\'s going to be very interesting.\"

THE MONEY CHASE

_April 15: Turns out Clinton\'s not the only one with the dollars to make a race of it. She and Barack Obama release numbers showing they both raised about $26 million in the first three months of year. By year\'s end, Obama will surpass Clinton in the fundraising race,...

By (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 (AP)

A government-backed mortgage bailout is needed, and it must be done right away.

Before shouting about all the reasons why taxpayers shouldn\'t rescue the profligate who took on more debt than they could handle, think about this: New research estimates one in 33 subprime borrowers will foreclose on their homes in the next two years.

That means the mortgage rot could be on the street where you live. And it could spread to your schools, to your hospitals and to the roads that you drive on.

This is one of those times when doing the right thing isn\'t necessarily fair, but...