WBUL 1620am

NEW YORK (AP) -- A private business group's measure of the economy's health showed the largest drop in one year as stocks fell, new building permits declined and unemployment rose....

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- The jetliner that crashed in Madrid abandoned a first takeoff attempt because of an air gauge that showed overheating, but experts said it was unlikely the gauge was a factor in the accident that killed 153 people....

BEIJING (AP) -- Losing for the first time since 2000, the U.S. softball team was denied a chance for a fourth straight gold medal Thursday, beaten 3-1 by Japan in the sport's last appearance in the Olympics for at least eight years - and maybe for good....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who during a quarter century as union head helped get NFL players free agency and the riches that came with it, has died. He was 63....

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Thursday that U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that timetables should be set for a U.S. troop withdrawal, but conceded that nailing down a broader pact on future relations is difficult....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, the second straight drop from a six-year high, according to government data released Thursday....

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai police said disgraced rocker Gary Glitter agreed Thursday to leave Thailand for London, possibly ending a two-day odyssey that began when he was released from a Vietnamese prison after serving time for molesting children....

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Twin suicide bombings at a massive weapons factory near Pakistan's capital killed at least 50 people Thursday, dashing hopes for an end to turmoil following Pervez Musharraf's ouster as president....

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Tropical Storm Fay hung offshore Thursday and poured more rain on Florida's central Atlantic coast after flooding hundreds of homes, trapping residents and leaving much of Florida a soggy mess....

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Most states don't recognize gay marriage - but now Hallmark does....

WAH, Pakistan (AP) -- A spokesman for Pakistani Taliban groups has claimed responsibility for the two suicide bombings at a government arms factory near the capital....

BEIJING (AP) -- IOC president Jacques Rogge criticized Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on Thursday for showing a lack of respect to other competitors after his record-breaking gold medal performances in the 100 and 200 meters....

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar is pitching Nationwide Insurance. He's in a new ad that's part of the company's "Life Comes at You Fast" campaign....

POTI, Georgia (AP) -- Russian forces blocked the only land entrance to Georgia's main port city on Thursday, a day before Russia promised to complete a troop pullout from its ex-Soviet neighbor....

BEIJING (AP) -- Kerri Walsh celebrated her second straight Olympic gold medal with her husband, Casey Jennings, a fellow beach volleyball pro who failed to qualify for the Beijing Games but made the trip anyway to cheer on his wife....

FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) -- Lose a bet, kiss a horse....

Garret Anderson swung, and that made all the difference....

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sheryl Crow is giving away free music - a tactic she calls the "Tupperware" party approach to inspiring young people to vote....

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said....

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- China is hoping that American college students watching the Summer Olympics will want to travel there, providing a bump similar to what Australia and Greece enjoyed in 2000 and 2004....