JENA, La. — A judge on Friday denied a request to release a teenager whose arrest in the beating of a white classmate sparked this week's civil rights protest in Louisiana.

Mychal Bell's request to be freed while an appeal is being reviewed was rejected at a juvenile court hearing, effectively denying him any chance at immediate bail, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because juvenile court proceedings are closed.

Earlier, Bell's mother emerged from the hearing in tears, refusing to comment.

Bell, 17, was convicted of aggravated second-degree battery, which could have led to 15 years in prison. But his conviction was thrown out by a state appeals court that said he could not be tried on the charge as an adult because he was 16 at the time of the beating.

On Thursday, the case drew thousands of protesters to this tiny central Louisiana town to rally against what they see as a double standard of justice for blacks and whites. The march was one of the biggest civil rights demonstrations in years.

The case dates to August 2006, when a black Jena High School student asked the principal whether blacks could sit under a shade tree that was a frequent gathering place for whites. He was told yes. But nooses appeared in the tree the next day.

———

Rice orders review of security practices

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday she had ordered a "full and complete review" of security practices for U.S. diplomats in Iraq following a deadly weekend incident involving private guards protecting an embassy convoy.

Rice's announcement came as the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad resumed limited diplomatic convoys under the protection of Blackwater USA outside the heavily fortified Green Zone after a two-day suspension because of the weekend incident in that city.

Rice said she had directed the State Department to examine "how we are providing security to our diplomats."

The review will include all aspects of protection, including the rules of engagement for security guards and under what jurisdiction they should be covered, department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

While on a plane returning from the Middle East to Washington, Rice ordered the review on Thursday in a phone call to the veteran diplomat who will lead it, Patrick Kennedy, a senior management official, according to McCormack. He said the review would be conducted as quickly as possible and might bring in outside experts.

———

Louisiana, Mississippi prepare for possible tropical weather

NEW ORLEANS — Coastal Louisiana and Mississippi prepared Friday for what could be their first brush with tropical weather since hurricanes Katrina and Rita laid waste to the area and killed more than 1,600 people more than two years ago. A tropical depression lurking off the Florida Gulf Coast was expected to grow into a weak tropical storm before coming ashore Saturday afternoon, probably in Mississippi.

Tropical storm warnings stretched from Apalachicola, Fla., to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Forecasts showed the system possibly moving as far east as Mobile, Ala., or as far west as New Orleans.

No evacuations were ordered, but authorities were monitoring the storm closely.

People living in some flood-prone areas of Mississippi were urged to seek substantial shelter. Officials in the New Orleans-area weighed whether to open shelters or evacuate trailer parks. Decisions were expected by late afternoon.

Showers were expected to begin Friday evening in New Orleans. Forecasters said the area could receive 2 to 4 inches by the end of the day Saturday. Wind gusts of up to 55 mph were also possible, raising concerns for the thousands of residents still living in FEMA trailers in the region.

———

Gunman sought after shooting at Delaware State University

DOVER, Del. — Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, prompting administrators mindful of the massacre at Virginia Tech to order a swift shutdown of the campus while police searched for the gunman.

Police identified two students as "persons of interest," questioning one and looking for the other, while students remained locked in their dorms and officers lowered gates to keep anyone from coming onto the campus of the 3,690-student historically black university.

"The biggest lesson learned from that whole situation at Virginia Tech is don't wait. Once you have an incident, start notifying the community," said university spokesman Carlos Holmes.

The shooting, reported to police at 12:54 a.m., happened as a group of students were returning from an on-campus cafe. A 17-year-old male student was in stable condition; a female student, also 17, was shot in the abdomen and in serious condition.

The two students were shot on the Campus Mall, between the Memorial Hall gymnasium and Richard S. Grossley Hall, an administrative building. Investigators believed the shootings may have been preceded by an argument at the cafe, and Holmes said it did not appear to be random.

———

Giuliani tries to reassure NRA members of his support for the right to bear arms

WASHINGTON — Republican Rudy Giuliani sought to reassure the National Rifle Association of his support for a constitutional right to bear arms as rivals Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee contended the former New York mayor is no friend of gun owners.

In a direct appeal Friday to the powerful lobbying group, Thompson, McCain and Huckabee stressed their backing for gun rights and record of siding with the NRA. Giuliani, who once referred to the NRA as "extremists," tried to explain his shifting views on the issue.

The NRA's support is prized as the group blankets its 4 million members with ads, mailings and phone calls. Before the 2008 election, it hopes to increase its numbers.

"I'd like us to respect each other; I think we have very, very legitimate and mostly similar views," Giuliani told NRA members, who clapped politely a dozen times during his 20-minute speech.

Giuliani also tried to explain why, as mayor, he joined a lawsuit by several cities against the gun industry, arguing that manufacturers and distributors made it too easy for criminals to get guns.

———

Half of the wild bison on Santa Catalina Island have some cow in them

LOS ANGELES — Long thought to be purebred, the wild bison of Santa Catalina Island in fact have a little bit of cow in them, the first DNA analysis of the animals found.

Nearly half of the 98 American bison shipped off the island in 2004 have cattle genes that were passed on through the mother. Catalina bison were believed to be purer than those on the mainland because they lived in isolation on the island since the 1920s.

"We were surprised because there's nothing cattle about them. They look like bison," said biologist Dennis Hedgecock of the University of Southern California, who co-authored the study.

The research done at USC and Texas A&M University appears in the latest issue of the journal Animal Genetics.

Scientists believe the crossbreeding occurred long before the bison were brought to Catalina Island. Hedgecock said the Catalina herd likely descended from animals on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas where cattle ranchers mated bison, also called buffalo, with cows to create a better beef animal. The ranch called the offspring of the union "cataloes."

Bison have roamed Catalina since 1924 when 14 head were brought in as extras for the silent film "The Vanishing American," though the movie did not include footage of the bison. The animals became a mainstay on the island and grew to a herd of 600 at one point.

———

Tennessee teen hopes to find TV stardom after Britney video

Chris Crocker has been called "queer," "a human train wreck," the "Britney guy," an androgynous "it" and much, much worse. But how does this 19-year-old Internet phenomenon, known worldwide for his tearful YouTube defense of Britney Spears, define himself?

"I'm the key to world peace," says Crocker, sporting a sleeveless black T-shirt with a hot pink silhouette of Marilyn Monroe. His blond bob is swept behind an ear and the eye liner is, as always, flawless.

World peace aside, the teenager has captured millions of viewers on MySpace and YouTube with his passionate, campy and sometimes furious monologues about life.

Crocker, which is a stage name, had a cult following after he started posting video blogs a year ago. But it was "Leave Britney Alone" — a profane, smeared-mascara answer to critics of Spears' performance on the MTV Video Music Awards — that earned him instant fame and 8 million YouTube clicks.

"You're lucky she even performed for you!" he screams. "If anybody has a problem with her, you deal with me!"

———

Stocks finish higher following strong Oracle earnings

NEW YORK — Stocks rose soundly Friday, capping a strong week for Wall Street, as investors drew confidence from strong results at Oracle Corp. and a continued sense that lower interest rates should help bolster the economy.

Oracle's report that quarterly profits rose 25 percent as sales grew at their fastest pace in seven years offered fresh evidence that some sectors of the economy continue to hum along even as areas such as housing cause consternation for many investors.

Wall Street found renewed optimism this week after the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates a larger-than-expected one-half percentage point Tuesday. The central bank also lowered the rate it charges to lend directly to banks by the same amount.

"As much as we often underestimate the depth of our problems it's also natural for us to underestimate the depth and robustness of our economy. There are many industry segments that are very healthy," said Robert Brown, chief investment officer at Genworth Financial Asset Management, pointing to stronger-than-expected earnings reports. He contended while Wall Street's exuberance over the Fed's rate cuts is understandable, investors are blithely looking past some of the concerns the economy faces.