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Posted at 1:48 p.m., Monday, July 9, 2007

National & world news highlights

Associated Press

White House says Bush won't withdraw troops from Iraq now despite erosion in GOP support

WASHINGTON — President Bush is not contemplating withdrawing forces from Iraq now despite an erosion of support among Republicans for his war policy, the White House said Monday.

The administration also tried to lower expectations about a report due Sunday on whether the Iraqi government is meeting political, economic and security benchmarks that Bush set in January when he announced a buildup of 21,500 U.S. combat forces. White House press secretary Tony Snow said that all of the additional troops had just gotten in place and it would be unrealistic to expect major progress now.

"You are not going to expect all the benchmarks to be met at the beginning of something," Snow said. "I'm not sure everyone's going to get an 'A' on the first report."

But at the same time, he said that Sept. 15 is not "the drop dead date" by which everything should be completed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Monday that Democrats won't wait for the reports and will move forward with anti-war legislation. By week's end, the Senate will vote on a proposal by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., that would require that troops spend as much time at home as they do in combat. Another proposal, by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., would order troop withdrawals in 120 days.

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Hurricane center chief reassigned 4 days after staff called for his removal

MIAMI — The director of the National Hurricane Center was reassigned Monday, four days after many of the center's employees called for his removal because of his comments about an aging weather satellite.

More than 20 of Bill Proenza's nearly 50 staff members signed a statement last week urging federal officials to dismiss him. They said Proenza had undermined the public's confidence in the center by exaggerating the forecasting problems scientists would face if the satellite failed.

Proenza insisted he was only trying to ensure that his forecasters had the best tools and adequate support. He did not immediately return a message left on his cell phone by The Associated Press.

Deputy Director Ed Rappaport was to assume Proenza's duties on an interim basis, center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

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Reports of Turkish troop concentrations on Iraqi border spur debate about possible invasion

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Reports that Turkey has massed a huge military force on its border with Iraq bolstered fears that an invasion targeting hideouts of Kurdish rebels could be imminent. But how deeply into Iraq is the Turkish army willing to go, how long would it stay and what kind of fallout could come from allies in Washington and other NATO partners?

All these questions weigh on Turkey's leaders, who have enough on their hands without embarking on a foreign military adventure. Turkey is caught up in an internal rift between the Islamic-rooted government and the military-backed, secular establishment, less than two weeks ahead of July 22 elections that were called early as a way to ease tensions in a polarized society.

A military operation could disrupt Turkey's fragile democratic process by diverting attention from campaign topics such as the economy, and raise suspicion about whether the government and its opponents are manipulating the Iraq issue to win nationalist support at the polls.

On Monday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Turkish television that Turkey would take whatever steps were necessary if the United States fails to fulfill its pledge to help in the fight against Kurdish rebels, but he appeared reluctant to order an invasion before the elections.

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Dozens of wildfires ravage the West; rain falls on South Dakota fire that killed homeowner

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. — Overnight rain and cooler temperatures slowed a wildfire that had raced out of a canyon, destroyed at least 30 houses and killed a homeowner who went back to try to save his belongings, a top fire official said Monday.

The change in weather gave firefighters a chance to shore up their fire lines, though conditions could shift again for the worse, state wildland fire coordinator Joe Lowe told crews at a morning briefing held in light rain.

"This fire is not over yet," he cautioned. "This fire could come back to life again."

The blaze was started by lightning on Saturday, and by Monday it had covered an estimated 11 square miles just southwest of Hot Springs, on the southern side of the Black Hills. It was 20 percent contained and crews expected to have it fully contained by Thursday. A state highway that cuts through the fire area remained closed Monday.

Among the evacuees taking shelter at a Hot Springs community center was Mary Goulet, who said she and her husband didn't realize the seriousness until it was almost too late. She said she called 911 when fire surrounded the house.

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Alaska's senator worried about impact of current investigation on his re-election efforts

WASHINGTON — Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator and once the chief power broker for dispensing federal dollars, says he's worried that a corruption investigation "could cause me some trouble" in running for re-election next year.

The 83-year-old Alaska Republican has drawn Justice Department scrutiny over a renovation project in 2000 that more than doubled the size of his home in a resort town surrounded by glaciers.

The remodeling was overseen by Bill Allen, a contractor who has pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska state legislators. Allen is founder of VECO Corp., an Alaska-based oil field services and engineering company that has reaped tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts.

Allen is cooperating with the FBI, and investigators appear to be looking at whether VECO got anything in return for the home improvement help.

Sen. Stevens, who has served since 1968, has been caught up in a larger probe that included FBI raids last summer at offices of six Alaska legislators — including Stevens' son, Ben, who was then the president of the state Senate.

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Researchers say anti-smoking pill shows promise in curbing drinking addiction

WASHINGTON — A single pill appears to hold promise in curbing the urges to both smoke and drink, according to researchers trying to help people overcome addiction by targeting a pleasure center in the brain.

The drug, called varenicline, already is sold to help smokers kick the habit. New but preliminary research suggests it could gain a second use in helping heavy drinkers quit, too.

Much further down the line, the tablets might be considered as a treatment for addictions to everything from gambling to painkillers, researchers said.

Several experts not involved in the study cautioned that there is no such thing as a magic cure-all for addiction and that varenicline and similar drugs may find more immediate use in treating diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Pfizer Inc. developed the drug specifically as a stop-smoking aid and has sold it in the United States since August under the brand name Chantix. Varenicline works by latching onto the same receptors in the brain that nicotine binds to when inhaled in cigarette smoke, an action that leads to the release of dopamine in the brain's pleasure centers. Taking the drug blocks any inhaled nicotine from reinforcing that effect.

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Victoria Beckham as she prepares for move to U.S.: 'I'm just a normal girl from London'

LOS ANGELES — Victoria Beckham insisted Monday that she's "just a normal girl from London" who happens to be "living quite a surreal life" with her soccer star husband David and their three young boys.

Americans can judge for themselves when the newest British import is seen in a one-hour NBC special, "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America," airing July 16 at 8 p.m.

As if Posh and Becks aren't besieged enough by cameras, the special follows Victoria Beckham as she prepares to move from Europe to the United States for her husband's July 21 debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

"It's funny. People really get to see what I'm really like. I have quite a dry sense of humor, which I hope is going to translate to Americans," Beckham said by phone from her London home where boxes were piled up ahead of the family's move Wednesday.

"I'm incredibly blessed and I wanted to show that to everybody."

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Merc's buyout of CBOT gets shareholders' OK, pairing Chicago foes

CHICAGO — The Chicago Board of Trade got the final go-ahead from shareholders Monday to join forces with its longtime rival in an $11.9 billion deal that will end its 159 years of independence but could make the combined all-Chicago company the world's biggest exchange.

The offer by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. to buy one of the nation's oldest and largest financial institutions won approval at shareholder meetings for both companies after four months of back-and-forth bidding involving upstart IntercontinentalExchange Inc.

The two exchanges said the deal should close within days, creating a new firm named CME Group, a Chicago Board of Trade company.

The vote totals weren't immediately available, but executives said preliminary indications were that it passed easily.

"We are pleased that shareholders of both companies have demonstrated support for this groundbreaking merger," said CME Executive Chairman Terry Duffy. "The combination of CME and CBOT creates a strong international company better positioned to compete with growing global exchanges and the over-the-counter market."