2/13 Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Obama honors Lincoln's vision of strong union (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:48 pm AP - Summoning the pride of a nation, President Barack Obama paid fond tribute Thursday to Abraham Lincoln by challenging people to embrace his vision of a collective union and reject a "knee-jerk disdain for government." Police: Man questioned about Australia wildfires (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:25 pm AP - A spokesman says police are questioning a man in connection with Australia's deadly wildfires. Victoria state police spokesman Chris Nash told The Associated Press on Friday that a man was assisting investigators with their inquiries into the wildfires, but declined to go into details. Lawmakers say all issues settled in stimulus bill (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:21 pm AP - Reluctant to call it quits, key lawmakers bargained into overtime Thursday on the $790 billion economic stimulus legislation before reaching final agreement more than 24 hours after first announcing a deal. LA police to investigate threats to octuplet mom (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:20 pm AP - Police said Thursday they will investigate death threats against octuplet mother Nadya Suleman and advise her publicist on how to handle a torrent of other nasty messages that have flooded his office. Gregg withdraws as commerce secretary nominee (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:18 pm AP - Saying "I made a mistake," Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew as commerce secretary nominee on Thursday and left the fledgling White House suddenly coping with Barack Obama's third Cabinet withdrawal. Gregg cited "irresolvable conflicts" with Obama's policies, specifically mentioning the $790 billion economic stimulus bill and 2010 census in a statement released without warning by his Senate office. Winds knock out power to thousands on East Coast (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:15 pm AP - Wild winds with gusts topping 65 mph blew from the Great Lakes to the East Coast on Thursday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, disrupting travel and killing at least five people. The high winds, attributed to a strong low pressure system, started Wednesday night and moved east overnight, kicking up gravel and sand from construction sites and hurling garbage cans onto busy New York City streets on Thursday. Woman's record-length fingernails broken in crash (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:14 pm AP - A Utah woman listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails has lost them in a car crash. Lee Redmond of Salt Lake City sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the accident Tuesday. Investigators think missing Fla. girl was abducted (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:12 pm AP - Investigators were treating the disappearance of a 5-year-old north Florida girl as an abduction and continued searching for the child Thursday. When toddlers point a lot, more words will follow (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:09 pm AP - Don't just talk to your toddler — gesture, too. Pointing, waving bye-bye and other natural gestures seem to boost a budding vocabulary. Scientists found those tots who could convey more meaning with gestures at age 14 months went on to have a richer vocabulary as they prepared to start kindergarten. And intriguingly, whether a family is poor or middle class plays a role, the researchers report Friday. Selig says Alex Rodriguez 'shamed the game' (AP) February 12, 2009 at 9:08 pm AP - Unable to punish Alex Rodriguez for flunking a drug test that was supposed to be anonymous, Bud Selig could only chastise him. "What Alex did was wrong and he will have to live with the damage he has done to his name and reputation," the commissioner said Thursday, three days after the Yankees star admitted using banned substances from 2001-2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. Tsvangirai to swear in Zimbabwe's cabinet (AFP) February 12, 2009 at 9:03 pm AFP - Zimbabwe's new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was set to swear in a new cabinet Friday, bringing his party into a fragile union with long-time adversary, President Robert Mugabe. Congress sets final votes on stimulus for Friday (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 8:35 pm Reuters - Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday wrapped up a last minute tax cut and spending details in the $789 billion economic stimulus bill, setting votes for Friday by both chambers. Third Obama cabinet nominee withdraws name (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 8:25 pm Reuters - Republican Senator Judd Gregg withdrew his nomination as Commerce secretary on Thursday in an embarrassing setback to President Barack Obama's efforts to bridge party differences in his fight against recession. U.S. warns of space 'dodgeball' after satellite crash (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 8:19 pm Reuters - Iridium Satellite LLC said Thursday it had no advance warning of an impending collision between one of its communications satellites and a defunct Russian military satellite above Siberia. North Korea assembling longest-range missile: report (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 8:07 pm Reuters - North Korea has been assembling its longest-range missile at an east coast launch base and could test-fire the rocket by the end of this month at the earliest, a leading South Korean daily reported on Friday. Obama eyes home loan subsidies in rescue plan: sources (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 7:32 pm Reuters - The Obama administration is hammering out a program to subsidize mortgages in a new front to fight the credit crisis, sources familiar with the plan told Reuters on Thursday, boosting financial markets. World economic crisis is top security threat: U.S. (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 6:22 pm Reuters - The global economic crisis has become the biggest near-term U.S. security concern, sowing instability in a quarter of the world's countries and threatening destructive trade wars, U.S. intelligence agencies reported on Thursday. U.S. judges admit to jailing children for money (Reuters) February 12, 2009 at 5:36 pm Reuters - Two judges pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting more than $2.6 million from a private youth detention center in Pennsylvania in return for giving hundreds of youths and teenagers long sentences.