Police charge 2 in death of Ala girl forced to run (AP)

AP - At a doublewide trailer along a dirt road in rural Alabama, authorities say 9-year-old Savannah Hardin was forced to run for three hours as punishment for having lied to her grandmother about eating candy bars. The severely dehydrated girl had a seizure and her death days later was ruled a homicide.

Oakland police accused of shooting cousin of Oscar Grant (Reuters)

Reuters - A man shot and wounded by an Oakland police officer last weekend was a cousin of Oscar Grant, whose shooting death by a Bay Area transit officer sparked violent demonstrations in 2010, his attorney said on Wednesday.

FACT CHECK: Errant claims on auto bailout, taxes (AP)

AP - Twenty Republican presidential debates later, the head-scratching claims kept coming.

FACT CHECK: Errant claims on auto bailout, taxes (AP)

AP - Twenty Republican presidential debates later, the head-scratching claims kept coming.

DC police official in celeb escort flap to sue (AP)

AP - A former District of Columbia police commander whose division provided a police escort to actor Charlie Sheen last April has given notice that he intends to file a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, saying he was demoted because he testified to the D.C. Council that such escorts for celebrities were commonplace.

Jury: 26 years total for former U.Va. lax player (AP)

AP - A jury recommended late Wednesday that a former University of Virginia lacrosse player should serve 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend and another year in prison for a grand larceny charge.

Lesbian federal worker wins health benefits case (AP)

AP - A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that the U.S. government cannot deny health benefits to the wife of a lesbian court employee by relying on the 1996 law that bars government recognition of same-sex unions.

Is It Time to Start Worrying About Inflation Again? (Time.com)

Time.com - The greatest threat to any long-term investor is inflation. It not only erodes the value of stocks and bonds, but also depresses economic growth and misleads policymakers

A Champion in Purgatory: Muhammad Ali Returns to Vegas (Time.com)

Time.com - As part of an extended celebration of his 70th birthday, the ailing legend appears at a massive fundraiser to benefit brain research

Santorum's Big Bet: Will Firm Focus on Social Issues Propel Him into the Lead? (Time.com)

Time.com - To position himself as a credible threat to Barack Obama, Santorum had to use the spotlight afforded by his three-state sweep two weeks ago to demonstrate the breadth of his appeal

Virginia Gov. shifts on abortion bill; revised measure (Reuters)

Reuters - Virginia's Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday abruptly shifted his stance on a hotly-contested bill requiring women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound, asking lawmakers to revise the legislation just before a scheduled vote.

Fiery charges: Romney, Santorum assail each other (AP)

AP - Primed for a fight, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum traded fiery accusations about health care, spending earmarks and federal bailouts Wednesday night in the 20th and possibly final debate of the roller-coaster race for the Republican presidential nomination.

GOP candidates want more on illegal immigration (AP)

AP - The Republican candidates say more must be done to combat illegal immigration.

Philippines' Arroyo pleads not guilty to fraud (AP)

AP - Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pleaded not guilty to an electoral fraud charge Thursday at the opening of a landmark trial that is seen as a key test of her reformist successor's campaign to stamp out corruption.

8-year-old critical after Wash. school shooting (AP)

AP - An 8-year-old girl was in critical condition Wednesday after she was shot in the abdomen at her elementary school near Seattle, and one of her classmates was detained, authorities said Wednesday.

Romney, Santorum trade barbs over former senator (AP)

AP - Republicans Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are sparring over Santorum's support for his former Senate colleague, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

Australian PM calls party vote as challenger rises (AP)

AP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard put her job on the line Thursday, announcing a leadership ballot in hopes of quashing a comeback by the premier she ousted in a Labor Party coup. But Kevin Rudd's supporters said that even if Gillard survives Monday's vote, the turmoil surrounding her unpopular government will continue until she is out.

HP profit plummets, CEO urges patience (Reuters)

Reuters - Hewlett-Packard Co's earnings fell nearly 44 percent and the world's No. 1 computer maker forecast a second-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates as it struggles with weak sales of PCs and printers.

Newark mayor: NYPD Muslim files 'deeply offensive' (AP)

AP - The mayor and police director of New Jersey's largest city said Wednesday the New York Police Department misled their city and never told them it was conducting a widespread spying operation on Newark's Muslim neighborhoods. Had they known, they said, they never would have allowed it.

Shelling kills 2 Western journalists in Syria (AP)

AP - Syrian gunners pounded an opposition stronghold where the last dispatches from a veteran American-born war correspondent chronicled the suffering of civilians caught in the relentless shelling. An intense morning barrage killed her and a French photojournalist — two of 74 deaths reported Wednesday in Syria.

Poll: Obama benefitting from improving economy (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama is reaping political benefits from the country's brighter economic mood. A new poll shows that Republicans and Democrats alike are increasingly saying the nation is heading in the right direction and most independents now approve the way he's addressing the nation's post-recession period.

Police say love triangle led to CA murder-suicide (AP)

AP - A 73-year-old gunman entangled in a love triangle shot and killed the treasurer of a remote-controlled airplane club who police said was having an affair with the estranged wife of the attacker.

Teenage girl dies after inhaling helium at party (AP)

AP - Last weekend, 14-year-old Ashley Long told her parents she was going to a slumber party. But instead of spending the night watching videos and eating popcorn two blocks away, she piled into a car with a bunch of her friends and rode to a condo in Medford, Ore., where police say the big sister of one of her friends was throwing a party with booze and marijuana.

Man's childhood comic collection fetches $3.5M (AP)

AP - Billy Wright plunked down dime after dime for comic books while growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s, caring for the collection he started around the age of 9 until his death more than half a century later. On Wednesday, most of that collection sold for a whopping $3.5 million.

Idaho GOP state Sen. McGee resigns amid scandal (AP)

AP - An Idaho Republican state senator who had been seen as a political riser has stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations.

GOP rivals pass contraception debate, hit Obama (AP)

AP - The Republican presidential candidates are trying to avoid a debate on contraception and instead are looking to keep the focus of their criticism on President Barack Obama.

Payroll tax cut signed into law (Politico)

Politico - Obama signs the tax cut extension, notching an election-year victory and rare bipartisan agreement.

GOP rivals spar over earmarks in Congress (AP)

AP - Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are clashing on spending requests during a sharp confrontation that fellow Republican Newt Gingrich calls "silly" as the Republican presidential contenders' debate.

Palin aides lash out at HBO's 'Game Change' (AP)

AP - Current and former aides to Sarah Palin lashed out Wednesday at HBO's "Game Change," describing the upcoming film's depictions of her on the 2008 campaign trail as "sick" and inaccurate.

Romney defends himself as 'severely conservative' (AP)

AP - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is explaining what he meant when he described himself as "severely conservative" at a conservative political meeting earlier this month.

Grasping at Straws: The Syrian Opposition Appeals to Russia (Time.com)

Time.com - In the face of continuing bloodshed in their homeland, one anti-Assad group courts the regime's allies in the Syrian business community and Moscow. Is it all in vain?

Syria: War Reporter Marie Colvin and Photographer Remi Ochlik Are Killed (Time.com)

Time.com - A celebrated American-born war reporter and a young French photographer were killed on Wednesday morning when Syrian forces bombed a makeshift media center in the besieged city of Homs

Take Two: Can a Second Bailout Save Greece? (Time.com)

Time.com - After months of delays, arguments and doubts, euro zone finance ministers agreed on a second, $170 billion bailout of beleaguered Greece in the early hours of Tuesday morning

Authorities tracing phone of mountain man's family (AP)

AP - Troy James Knapp is a wanted man, a mountain recluse authorities say is responsible for more than two dozen cabin burglaries in the remote southern Utah wilderness. He's considered armed and dangerous, a ticking time bomb.

Opening GOP debate, Romney pounces on Santorum (AP)

AP - Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are sparring in what is likely to be the final debate before the next slate of states has nominating contests, trading barbs on Washington spending and borrowing.

Obama signs payroll tax cut extension into law (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama signed the payroll tax cut extension into law Wednesday, notching an election-year victory and rare bipartisan agreement in the continuing partisan battle over jobs, taxes and debt.

Struggling Floridians line up for a chance to keep homes (Reuters)

Reuters - Nearly 1,200 people lined up at a downtown Miami conference center on Wednesday, holding onto mortgage documents and income statements in the hope of saving the homes they are struggling to pay for.

Swedish palace: crown princess about to give birth (AP)

AP - The Swedish Royal Court says Crown Princess Victoria has been admitted to a hospital for the birth of her first child, who would be a future heir to the throne.

Argentine train slams into station, killing 49 (AP)

AP - The first two cars were packed as usual for the morning rush, so tightly that people stood pressed flesh to flesh, sandwiched between bicycles and the few seats, many without so much as a strap to hold onto.

Judge says Wash. can't make pharmacies sell Plan B (AP)

AP - Washington state cannot force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the state's true goal was to suppress religious objections by druggists — not to promote timely access to the medicines for people who need them.