Top headlines:
4 ex-Spitzer aides, appointee charged: The Coast Guard has stopped 59 ships from traversing a closed stretch of the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico Thursday. ›01:47
EPA experts list warming's health risks: EPA scientists detailed a rising death toll from heat waves, wildfires, disease and smog caused by global warming in an analysis the White House buried. ›23:06, 14.07
Obama and the case of the missing 'thesis': Deep Background: Today Barack Obama made it official.He doesnt have and cant release any copies of the thesis-length paper he wrote 25 years ago while a senior at Columbia University. ›18:05, 24.07
XM, Sirius settle with FCC, pave way for merger: Approval of a merger of the nations only two satellite radio companies was imminent after the pair agreed to pay $19.7 million to settle charges they violated federal rules. ›19:54, 24.07
Obama speaks in Berlin: Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama stood before an enormous crowd in Berlin on Thursday and summoned Europeans and Americans to work together to defeat terrorism. ›20:20, 24.07
U.S.: Fence will hurt life along border: The U.S.-Mexico border fence will make life harder on some farmers, damage wildlife habitat, and generally become an obstacle to border life, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged. ›20:12, 16.07
Climbing fall kills 4 as mom watches: A Dutch woman watched her husband and three children fall to their deaths Thursday while climbing near Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, Italian rescuers said. ›21:00, 24.07
Showdown over packing heat in national parks: A crane fell while putting a steeple on an Oklahoma City church, crushing a car and killing an 80-year-old man who was watching the construction, firefighters said. ›18:45, 24.07
Simon Cowell voted top reality TV villain: Simon Cowells scathing critiques of American Idol contestants made him the favorite reality TV villain in America, but cohort Paula Abdul was declared the worst reality TV judge in a poll released on Thursday. ›18:22, 24.07
Top 5 best fighting games: From "Double Dragon" to "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," these button-mashing butt-kickers can really dish out the pain. ›13:08, 24.07
Is your ex a con?: Do you really know who people are? Thats the slogan for pay site People Search's freshly launched (and totally free!) companion site, CriminalSearches.com. ›23:27, 23.07
EPA sued over water runoff rules: Five environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, claiming the federal government is violating the Clean Water Act by failing to set standards for farm and urban runoff that is polluting Florida's waterways. ›20:35, 17.07
NYT: McCain focuses on Arizona: Presidential candidates are usually able to count on their home state, but Senator John McCains chances in Arizona are somewhat less assured. ›08:15, 24.07
U.S.: Iraq insurgency has lost its clout: The insurgency that bedeviled U.S. forces for years and killed thousands of Iraqis and Americans is "not even much of a challenge any more" to Iraq's future, the American ambassador says. ›22:25, 24.07
Russell Brand to host MTV VMAs: The British actor and comedian will host this years Video Music Awards, set to air live from Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles on Sept. 7. ›21:58, 24.07
Cancer center director warns of cell phone risks: The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. ›22:21, 24.07
Abandon ice floe, researchers told: Russian scientists are evacuating a research station built on an Arctic ice floe because global warming has melted the ice to a fraction of its original size, a spokesman said. ›14:58, 14.07
Calif. condors pass test by fire: As wildfire whipped toward a remote sanctuary of the endangered California condor last month, the rare birds got their biggest test in survival. ›20:58, 17.07
Judge: Girl can't be called Talula Does The Hula: A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it. ›10:32, 24.07
Estelle Getty remembered as frugal, feisty, fun: Estelle Getty was remembered at a private memorial service as a feisty, funny woman who never forgot growing up in the Great Depression. ›01:23
Iraq banned from Beijing Summer Olympics: Iraq has been banned from taking part in the Beijing Olympics because of a government decision to disband the country's National Olympic Committee, a senior official of the committee said on Thursday. ›20:52, 24.07
Ex-official: Karzai hurting drug war: A former top U.S. counter-narcotics official alleges that President Hamid Karzai is obstructing the fight against the countrys burgeoning narcotics trade. ›14:44, 24.07
China marshals Olympic spirit to rebuild: The streets of Yingxiu, China, are alive with the sounds of a town being brought back from the dead part of a huge quake recovery push that matches the nation's Olympic effort. ›00:17
Princess Diaries star had own diaries seized: The New York Daily News has reported that actress Anne Hathaway's diaries were confiscated by the FBI for possible use in the case against her ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri. ›21:12, 24.07
