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Beyond today's headlines

PHOTOS OF THE DAY — View all the latest photos in the news from around the nation and across the globe, updated daily by the Associated Press. See today's gallery.

STATE OF THE ECONOMY

U.S. ECONOMY — The economy grew at a much slower pace this spring than previously estimated, mostly due to the largest surge in imports in 26 years and a slowdown in companies’ restocking of goods. Interactive.

HOME SALES — Home prices rose in June for a third straight month as now-expired tax credits inspired a burst of home-buying. But prices are expected to fall through the rest of the year now that demand has faded. Interactive.

UNEMPLOYMENT — The unemployment rate rose in nearly half of the nation's 374 largest metro areas in July, as the pace of hiring slowed from earlier this year. Interactive map.

ECONOMY POLL — President Barack Obama earned his lowest marks ever on his handling of the economy in a new Associated Press-GfK poll, which also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans now describe the nation's financial outlook as poor. Interactive.

GM CEO STEPS DOWN — General Motors Co. chief Ed Whitacre said Thursday he’s stepping down as CEO on Sept. 1, his mission accomplished as the company reported its second straight quarterly profit. Whitacre, 68, will be replaced by GM board member Daniel Akerson. Like Whitacre, Akerson has a background of leading telecommunications companies. Interactive.

SOCIAL SECURITY — Prospects are bleak for fixing Social Security’s financial problems as the government retirement insurance program celebrates its 75th anniversary. Many Democrats adamantly oppose any cut in benefits to reduce cost and some won’t accept a gradual increase in the retirement age, something that was done in the last overhaul in 1983. Republicans say an increase in Social Security taxes is out of the question, even for the wealthy. Interactive.

FEDERAL RESERVE — More worried about the recovery, the Federal Reserve took a small step to bolster the economy. Wrapping up a one-day meeting, the Fed said it will use the proceeds from its investments in mortgage bonds to buy government debt on a small scale. That could help nudge down long-term rates on mortgages and corporate debt, but won’t likely have a dramatic impact on stimulating growth, economists say. Interactive.

FINANCIAL STRESS — After easing for four months, the nation’s economic stress worsened in June because more bankruptcies in the West and foreclosures outside the Sun Belt outweighed lower unemployment, according to The Associated Press’ monthly analysis of conditions around the country. Economic stress index | Europe's financial crisis.

BEIGE BOOK — The pace of economic activity has slowed or held steady in parts of the country, revealing a choppy path back to health. Interactive.

GAS PRICES — Track oil and gas prices locally or nationwide with the following tools. Local gas prices | Gas prices nationwide | Gas prices globally.

MORE ...

• Unemployment benefits
• What recovery?
• Executive compensation

IRAQ — All the latest news from Iraq. Special section.

Storm Blog
STORM BLOG — Maintained by the staff of the American Press, updated as situations warrant.

Earl menaces eastern U.S. — A powerful Hurricane Earl threatens to sideswipe much of the East Coast just ahead of Labor Day, worrying countless vacationers who were planning to spend the traditional last week of summer at the beach. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns people along the Eastern Seaboard to prepare for possible evacuations as the Category 4 hurricane steams across the Caribbean with winds of 135 mph. (More ...).

Also:
• Live Global Storm Tracker
• SW La. Contraflow Plan
• Warm Water Feeds Storms
• Major storms since 1851, and a look at the five categories

INCUMBENTS IN TROUBLE — A little-known conservative lawyer from Alaska has become the latest newcomer to the national political stage to take down an incumbent in 2010. Joe Miller claimed the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate when GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded. Interactive.

MIDEAST PEACE — Opening Mideast peace talks under the shadow of fresh violence, President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday not to allow “extremists and rejectionists” to undercut long-stalled negotiations on creating a sovereign Palestinian state beside a secure Israel. Interactive.

MOSQUE NEAR GROUND ZERO — The imam leading plans for an Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York said the fight is over more than "a piece of real estate" and could shape the future of Muslim relations in America. Interactive.

SOLAR PUBLIC LANDS — Since 2005 hundreds of applications have been filed with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management seeking access to public lands to build large-scale solar power plants. But not one has been approved by BLM. Interactive map.

DRUG WAR — A Texas-born fugitive known as "La Barbie" grinned Tuesday as police paraded him in handcuffs and described his alleged life of luxury and savagery, cut short when he became the third suspected drug lord to fall in Mexico in the past 10 months. Interactive.

INDONESIA VOLCANO — An Indonesian volcano that had been dormant for four centuries erupted for the second straight day Monday, forcing over 30,000 people to flee. Interactive.

PAKISTAN FLOODS — After fleeing the Soviet invasion of his country with nothing, Afghan refugee Ziarat Gul spent three decades building a new life in neighboring Pakistan. After the devastating floods that rolled across Pakistan last month, he is back to nothing. Interactive.

CHILE MINE COLLAPSE: — Thirty-three men stuck a half mile underground are now the longest-trapped miners in recent history as a huge drill is in the early stages of digging a planned escape route. Interactive.

SUSPICIOUS LUGGAGE — Two men on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam were questioned by Dutch authorities after U.S. officials found a cell phone taped to a Pepto Bismol bottle and a knife and box cutter in checked luggage connected with the men, a law enforcement official said. Interactive.

TEEN DAREDEVILS — The motorcycle racing community mourned the death of a promising 13-year-old rider in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while defending the youth circuit that allows teens to drive vehicles that can top 120 mph. Interactive timeline.


SPORTS

NFL POWER RANKINGS — This interactive power-ranks the AFC and NFC teams by offense, defense, coaching and special teams with analysis on each team as the season ramps up. Interactive.

WOODS DIVORCE — Nine months after his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his Florida home, Tiger Woods and his wife are divorced. Interactive timeline.

CLEMENS INDICTED — A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids. Interactive timeline.

CONFERENCE CAROUSEL — The college football landscape will remain intact for one more year. In an offseason that once promised major realignment only four teams will actually leave for what they hope are greener pastures. This summer, Colorado of the Big 12 and Utah of the Mountain West announced their intent of moving to the Pac-10, while Nebraska decided to join the Big Ten. Boise State will also shift from the Western Athletic Conference to the Mountain West. All changes commence next season. Interactive.

FAVRE RETURNS ... AGAIN — The lure of playing in another Super Bowl brought Brett Favre back to the NFL. Yes, again. Favre joined his Minnesota Vikings teammates at practice Wednesday. The three-time MVP wore a helmet, shoulder pads and red quarterback’s jersey as he worked out with Minnesota for the first time since getting battered by New Orleans as the Vikings lost the NFC championship game in January. Interactive timeline.

OTHER RECENT UPDATES

BECK TIMELINE — Glenn Beck hosts the "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Interactive timelline.

N. KOREA AND CARTER — An American held captive for seven months in North Korea stepped off a plane in his hometown Friday, looking thin but joyful as he hugged the former president who had helped win his release and family and friends surrounded him in a group embrace. Interactive timeline.

BLAGOJEVICH TRIAL — The juror who was the lone holdout on some counts at former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s political corruption trial has said she had a responsibility to follow her conscience and that she stands by her vote. Interactive.

SERIAL STABBER — Elias Abuelazam arrived back in Michigan on Thursday shackled, surrounded by a more than a dozen police and wrapped — for his own safety — in a bulletproof vest to face the first of what likely will be numerous charges related to more than a dozen stabbing attacks. Interactive.

WOMEN IN POLITICS — The suffragists who 90 years ago won voting rights for women would likely shake their heads in wonder at this election, with its “mama grizzly” candidates and high-stakes woman-vs.-woman showdowns. Interactive.

KATRINA FIVE YEARS LATER — The federal agency charged with helping homeowners and businesses rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita failed on many levels. The Small Business Administration's mishandling of a major loan program is a legacy deeply felt in Gulf areas yet to recover five years after the devastating storms. Interactive.

NOISIER HYBRIDS — Toyota's Prius hybrid is becoming a little less quiet with a new electronic humming device that is the automaker's answer to complaints that pedestrians can't hear the top-selling car approaching. Here is an interactive showing results to studies about hybrid noise detection and videos of what hybrids could sound like with the safety features is available. Interactive with video.

TAINTED EGGS — The owner of an egg farm at the center of a massive salmonella recall was able to expand his egg empire despite being branded a “habitual violator” of Iowa’s environmental laws — a label that was supposed to ban him from building any more farms. Interactive.

OIL SPILL — Engineers will soon start the delicate work of detaching the temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing from BP’s blown-out Gulf of Mexico well and the hulking device that failed to prevent the leak — all while trying to avoid more damage to the environment. BP spill timeline| Spill meter | Size of the spill | Hurricanes and oil | Economic impact | Tracking the spill | Environmental impact | Timeline of oil rig accidents.

IRAN'S NUCLEAR ASPIRATIONS — A Taiwanese businessman was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in U.S. prison for violating the Iran trade embargo by arranging illegal shipments of parts that can be used for military or nuclear purposes, including in missiles and unmanned drones. Interactive timeline.

AFGHANISTAN LEAKS — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Wednesday the Pentagon has expressed willingness to discuss the online whistleblower’s request for help in reviewing classified documents from the Afghan war and removing information that could harm civilians. Interactive with video and more.

LIBYA: LOCKERBIE BOMBER — A U.S. senator from New Jersey is hoping someone with information about the release of the convicted Pan Am Flight 103 bomber will talk. Robert Menendez is asking whistle-blowers to contact his office. The Democrat says all information will remain confidential and names won’t be disclosed without permission. Interactive timeline.

TED STEVENS FUNERAL — Dignitaries gathered for the funeral of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who died last week in a plane crash in southwest Alaska and was the longest serving Republican senator in the nation’s history. The Wednesday funeral marks the end of three days of remembrances that began Monday when several hundred people attended a Catholic Mass in Anchorage. Interactive timeline.

FEMALE RAPPERS — While the death of hip-hop has been a matter of debate in recent years, the demise of the star female emcee had been all but accepted. There had always been at least one female rap act to contrast hip-hop’s defining male edge. But in the past few years, women rappers were mere blips on the scene, and the occasional hit only underscored how weak the field had become. Until now. Interactive with video clips.

NOISE EXPOSURE — A stunning number of teens have lost a little bit of their hearing — nearly one in five — and the problem has increased substantially in recent years, a new national study has found. Here is an interactive showing the decibel level of various objects. Interactive.

CIA VIDEOTAPES — The CIA has videotapes of 9/11 plotter Ramzi Binalshibh being interrogated in a secret overseas prison that could provide evidence of how foreign governments aided the U.S. in holding and questioning suspected terrorists. The two videotapes and one audiotape are believed to be the only existing recordings made within the clandestine prison system and could offer a revealing glimpse into Binalshibh's four-year global odyssey that ranged from Pakistan to Romania to Guantanamo Bay. Interactive.

OLD COAL — The U.S. is investing billions to develop clean-coal technologies to curb greenhouse gas emissions. However, it will be years before those technologies can be put into effect and the reliance on old-style coal-burning plants continues. Interactive.

CHINA AHEAD OF JAPAN — Japan lost its place as the world’s No. 2 economy to China in the second quarter as receding global growth sapped momentum and stunted a shaky recovery. Interactive.

RANGEL — Buoyed by a huge turnout at a fundraising gala marking his 80th birthday, Rep. Charles Rangel said Thursday that he was eager to turn his attention to his re-election campaign and let the ethics charges against him play out in Washington. The once-unquestioned dean of the congressional delegation said he’d rather focus on campaigning across his storied district in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood. Interactive.

ASIA FLOODS — New landslides killed 24 people and left 24 missing in China’s remote northwest as downpours threatened more devastation and made rescue work nearly impossible Friday in a region where more than 1,100 people have died. Interactive with video and more.

CLIMATE CHANGE — Floods, fires, melting ice and feverish heat. From smoke-choked Moscow to water-soaked Pakistan and the High Arctic, the planet seems to be having a midsummer breakdown. It's not just a portent of things to come, scientists say, but a sign of troubling climate change already under way. Interactive map.

20 BURGERS OF SUMMER — An interactive featuring 20 burgers of summer showcasing photos, enticing recipes with downloadable pdfs, a history of the hamburger timeline along with cooking tips from AP Food Reporter J.M. Hirsch has been posted with the first four burger recipes available. The interactive will be updated weekly with fresh content. Interactive.

ROSTENKOWSKI DIES AT 82 — Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, the Chicago Democrat who became the leading architect of congressional tax policy in the Reagan era but later went to federal prison for corruption, died Wednesday, a family friend said. He was 82. Interactive timeline.

 
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