Simpson free...Troop rest bill stopped...National Guard struggling at home

LAS VEGAS (AP) O.J. Simpson is back in Florida. A Las Vegas judge freed him on $125,000 bond Wednesday. He's facing 10 felony counts, including kidnapping, in an alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia dealers. Conviction carries a possible sentence of life in prison.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) Democratic efforts to challenge President Bush's Iraq policies have suffered another blow. A bill that would have guaranteed troops more time at home fell four votes short of advancing in the Senate.

Washington (AP) The National Guard's top general says units in the U.S. continue to struggle with less than half the equipment they need. Lieutenant General Steven Blum says it will take an extra 13 billion dollars over the next five years to get them 90 percent of what's needed.

JENA, La. (AP) The tiny Louisiana town of Jena (GEE'-nuh) is expecting thousands of protesters for a march Thursday. Civil rights activists have accused local prosecutors of being unfairly harsh on six black teens charged in the beating of a white classmate. In contrast, three white students were briefly suspended for hanging nooses in a tree.

NEW YORK (AP) Dan Rather has filed a 70-million-dollar lawsuit against his former bosses at CBS. The former "CBS Evening News" anchor claims they made him a scapegoat for a discredited story about President Bush's military service during Vietnam.



(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 09-20-07 0055CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list