2/18 Yahoo! News: Top Stories

A-Rod says cousin injected him with substance (AP) February 17, 2009 at 10:41 pm AP - Alex Rodriguez read from several sheets of crumpled paper, trying again to explain where he went wrong. "Amateur hour," he called it. The slugger who might someday become baseball's all-time home run king remembered more details about performance-enhancing drugs Tuesday, saying his cousin repeatedly injected him from 2001-03 with a mysterious substance from the Dominican Republic. GM, Chrysler seek more gov't aid, to cut more jobs (AP) February 17, 2009 at 10:39 pm AP - General Motors and Chrysler said Tuesday their request for federal aid ballooned to a staggering $39 billion — only months after receiving billions in loans — in new plans that envision massive job losses and intense restructuring to survive a deepening recession. Howard scores 45 as Magic beat Bobcats in overtime (AP) February 17, 2009 at 10:30 pm AP - Dwight Howard had a career-high 45 points, to go with 19 rebounds and eight blocks, leading the Orlando Magic to a 107-102 overtime victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night. Animal experts are baffled by chimp attack (AP) February 17, 2009 at 10:20 pm AP - Travis the chimpanzee, a veteran of TV commercials, was the constant companion of a lonely Connecticut widow who fed him steak, lobster and ice cream. He could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself. U.S. charges Allen Stanford with "massive" fraud (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 9:39 pm Reuters - Texas billionaire Allen Stanford and three of his companies were charged with "massive" fraud on Tuesday as federal agents swooped down on his U.S. headquarters. Obama signs stimulus bill, readies homeowner plan (AP) February 17, 2009 at 9:30 pm AP - Racing to reverse the country's economic spiral, President Barack Obama signed the mammoth stimulus package into law Tuesday and readied a new $50 billion foreclosure rescue for legions of Americans who are in danger of losing their homes. Obama OKs about 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan (AP) February 17, 2009 at 9:28 pm AP - President Barack Obama approved adding some 17,000 U.S. troops for the flagging war in Afghanistan, his first significant move to change the course of a conflict that his closest military advisers have warned the United States is not winning. Burris tried to raise funds for Blagojevich (AP) February 17, 2009 at 9:20 pm AP - U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now acknowledges attempting to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich — an explosive twist in his evolving story on how he landed a coveted Senate appointment from the man accused of trying to sell the seat. Muslim TV exec accused of beheading wife in NY (AP) February 17, 2009 at 9:17 pm AP - The crime drips with brutal irony: a woman decapitated, allegedly by her estranged husband, in the offices of the television network the couple founded with the hope of countering Muslim stereotypes. Cache of Ice Age fossils found in Los Angeles (AP) February 17, 2009 at 9:09 pm AP - Scientists are studying a huge cache of Ice Age fossil deposits recovered near the famous La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of the nation's second-largest city. Clinton heads to Indonesia (AFP) February 17, 2009 at 9:02 pm AFP - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed Wednesday to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, aiming to show the Islamic world that Washington wants to open a new chapter in ties. Woman uses wedgie to capture suspected thief (AP) February 17, 2009 at 8:50 pm AP - It took a wedgie and a headlock to pin down a man suspected of breaking into a car. Yvonne Morris, a technician at the Brickyard Animal Hospital, said she chased a man who broke into a co-worker's car, but he kept squirming away from her. Obama signs most 'sweeping' stimulus bill in US history (AFP) February 17, 2009 at 8:40 pm AFP - President Barack Obama signed his huge 787-billion-dollar stimulus bill into law, declaring the "beginning of the end" of the worst US economic crisis since the 1930s. Los Angeles nears water rationing (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 7:59 pm Reuters - With a recent flurry of winter storms doing little to dampen California's latest drought, the nation's biggest public utility voted on Tuesday to impose water rationing in Los Angeles for the first time in nearly two decades. GM and Chrysler seek nearly $22 billion more in aid (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 7:14 pm Reuters - General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC requested nearly $22 billion in combined additional U.S. government aid and have reached a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers union to reduce labor costs. Israel engaged in covert war inside Iran: report (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 7:07 pm Reuters - Israel is involved in a covert war of sabotage inside Iran to try to delay Tehran's alleged attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, a British newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting a former CIA agent and intelligence experts. Obama signs stimulus into law, housing moves next (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 6:58 pm Reuters - President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus bill into law on Tuesday as global markets plunged on fears the recession would deepen despite government rescue plans around the world. Obama orders 17,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 6:57 pm Reuters - President Barack Obama, in his first major military decision, has ordered 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to tackle worsening insurgent violence, the White House said on Tuesday. New scrutiny over Burris Senate nomination (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 5:32 pm Reuters - Roland Burris came under fresh scrutiny on Tuesday after disclosing he tried to raise money for the disgraced former Illinois governor who named him to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. Burris acknowledges trying to raise money for gov. (AP) February 17, 2009 at 2:54 pm AP - U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged trying to raise money for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before being appointed to the Senate. Stocks drop on worries about economy, automakers (AP) February 17, 2009 at 2:38 pm AP - Stocks tumbled Tuesday as investors grew more doubtful that the government can quickly turn around the still-weakening economy. U.S. charges Stanford Financial with "massive" fraud (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 2:38 pm Reuters - U.S. authorities charged Texas billionaire Allen Stanford and three of his companies with "massive ongoing fraud" on Tuesday as federal agents swooped in on Stanford's U.S. headquarters. Obama set to sign stimulus bill into law (AFP) February 17, 2009 at 2:33 pm AFP - President Barack Obama was Tuesday set to sign his 787-billion-dollar stimulus bill, meant to create or save 3.5 million jobs and pull the United States out of its worst economic tumult in 80 years. Obama sees Afghan situation deteriorating (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 1:56 pm Reuters - The situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting worse and a solution will require more than just military force, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday. White House seeks to rein in executive pay excesses (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 1:35 pm Reuters - A top economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the Obama administration has to sort out some rules on executive pay limits, but is determined to address the issue. Facebook users protest retention of information (AP) February 17, 2009 at 1:33 pm AP - Tens of thousands of Facebook users are protesting new policies that they say grant the social-networking site the ability to control their information forever, even after they cancel their accounts. California to begin layoff proceedings today (AP) February 17, 2009 at 12:25 pm AP - After a frustrating holiday weekend that failed to yield the one vote needed to end California's budget stalemate, the state is poised to begin layoff proceedings Tuesday for 20,000 government workers. A year on, Kosovo celebrates 'historic birthday' (AFP) February 17, 2009 at 11:18 am AFP - Thousands of revellers took to Kosovo's streets on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of its declaration of independence, as nationalist Serbs reasserted their opposition to the move. Clinton calls for coordinated economic response (Reuters) February 17, 2009 at 9:33 am Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for coordinated action to revive the global economy on Tuesday and invited Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso to meet President Barack Obama at the White House next week. Some TV stations get ready to cut analog signals (AP) February 17, 2009 at 7:27 am AP - Some TV stations will cut their analog signals today and move to digital-only broadcasting. Others will take advantage of a grace period passed by Congress and wait until June 12.