AP - The independent label sticks to John McCain because he antagonizes fellow Republicans and likes to work with Democrats.

AP - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Monday questioned rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's opposition to free trade agreements that some voters contend has eliminated thousands of U.S. jobs and mocked her weekend visit to an Indiana bar as pandering to the working class.

AP - As a court takes up the plight of more than 400 children removed from a polygamist compound, parents say the children have been traumatized in state care and are staying in deplorable conditions.

Reuters - Wachovia Corp posted a surprising first-quarter loss on Monday as credit problems from mortgages and other debt soared, prompting the bank to lower its dividend, raise $7 billion in capital and cut jobs.

Reuters - Blockbuster Inc said on Monday it has offered up to $1.3 billion for electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc , in the movie rental chain's most aggressive step yet to recast itself as an entertainment hub.

Reuters - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is expected to testify in a New York court on Monday in a bid to stop the publication of a fan's unofficial encyclopedic companion to the boy wizard series.

AP - Scientists using federal grants spread fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes on yards in poor, black neighborhoods to test whether it might protect children from lead poisoning in the soil. Families were assured the sludge was safe and were never told about any harmful ingredients.

AP - Pope Benedict XVI may not see them or hear them, but aggrieved Roman Catholic activists hope his U.S. visit this week will help them draw attention to issues ranging from the ordination of women and gay rights to sex abuse by priests and the Vatican ban on contraception.

Reuters - Iraq will seek parliamentary approval for a strategic agreement being negotiated with the United States even though it expects heated debate over the deal, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.

AP - Kenyan police fired bullets and tear gas to clear machete-waving gang members who blocked roads and set a police post on fire Monday to protest the killing of an imprisoned gang leader's wife.

AFP - Bosses will be able to spy on workers' emails without consent under new anti-terror laws being considered in Australia, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday.

AP - One of South America's smallest countries proved on Sunday it can hold the biggest barbecue in the world.

Reuters - A large U.S. study has linked alcohol consumption to an increased risk of the most common type of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

AP - A construction worker's bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.

AP - International finance leaders are working on plans to deal with the economic crisis that has roiled nations and sent food and energy prices soaring.

AP - The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month's offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday.

AP - President Mwai Kibaki named rival Raila Odinga as prime minister Sunday, implementing a power-sharing deal after protracted negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago.