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AP Top News at 7:37 a.m. EDT - September 16

Baucus unveiling health bill without GOP on board

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Max Baucus' decision to release his long-awaited health care overhaul bill with no Republicans on board dims the chances for a bipartisan compromise on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. The Senate Finance Committee chairman insisted Tuesday that he'll keep negotiating with the three Republicans and two fellow Democrats who've been in closed-door talks with him for months on the bill he was to reveal Wednesday. Baucus, D-Mont., said he hopes that by the time the committee votes on the bill, as early as next week, Republicans will be there.

Consumer prices expected to have remained in check

WASHINGTON (AP) - A report due out Wednesday is expected to show that inflation remained in check last month, as the weak economy prevents retailers and manufacturers from raising prices. The report comes after the Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales jumped in August by the largest amount in more than three years. Labor Department data also showed that excluding volatile energy and food costs, core inflation posted a modest 0.2 percent increase, as measured by the Producer Price Index.

Hatoyama Japan's prime minister, names Cabinet

TOKYO (AP) - Longtime opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama was elected prime minister and installed his new Cabinet Wednesday, promising to reinvigorate Japan's economy and shake up government with his left-of-center party after more than 50 years of nearly unbroken rule by conservatives. Hatoyama's victory marks a major turning point for Japan, which is facing its worst economic slowdown since World War II, with unemployment at record highs and deflation intensifying. But concerns ran deep over whether the largely untested government would be able to deliver.

Technician in custody in Yale grad student slaying

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Police have taken a Yale University animal research technician into custody to collect DNA samples and searched his apartment for evidence that might link him to the death of a graduate student who worked in the same lab. More than 20 police officers and FBI agents searched the apartment of 24-year-old Raymond Clark III Tuesday night and led him away him as neighbors leaned over the building's iron railing and cheered.

Astronomers find rocky planet outside solar system

WASHINGTON (AP) - Astronomers have finally found a place outside our solar system where there's a firm place to stand - if only it weren't so broiling hot. As scientists search the skies for life elsewhere, they have found more than 300 planets outside our solar system. But they all have been gas balls or can't be proven to be solid. Now a team of European astronomers has confirmed the first rocky extrasolar planet.

US envoy to press Israel yet again on settlements

JERUSALEM (AP) - Washington's special envoy to the Mideast on Wednesday wrapped up his second meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without reaching an agreement on curtailing Israeli settlement construction. U.S. official George Mitchell will sit down with Netanyahu for a third time on Friday, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. Mitchell made no comment after Wednesday's meeting.

Analysis: Al-Qaida death a blow to terror group

WASHINGTON (AP) - The death of a key al-Qaida leader in a daring helicopter assault in Somalia caps more than a decade-long hunt by U.S. authorities and strikes a blow to the terror group's operation there, but it could also trigger a new spate of attacks on Western targets. Senior U.S. officials and other experts said the commando raid Monday afternoon left six dead, including Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of the most wanted al-Qaida operatives in the region. Saleh's body and those of at least three other foreign fighters were taken away by U.S. special operations forces for forensic testing, after the raid in a southern village near Barawe, the officials said.

Search of Garrido home gives hope to grieving mom

ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - Sharon Murch believed she eventually would find her daughter Michaela, who was taken more than a decade ago. The miraculous reunion of another little California girl with her family 18 years after her abduction has only brightened that hope. "I know that if Jaycee Dugard can be found alive and come home after 18 years, then my daughter can be found alive and come home," Murch said Tuesday at a news conference in front of Phillip and Nancy Garrido's home.

Winner crowned on CBS TV show 'Big Brother 11'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jordan Lloyd was served the $500,000 grand prize on "Big Brother 11." The goofy 22-year-old waitress from Matthews, N.C., bested Natalie Martinez, the scheming 24-year-old recent college graduate from Gilbert, Ariz., on the season finale of the voyeuristic CBS reality show. Lloyd received five votes from the show's seven-member jury, which included viewer votes as the possibly tie-breaking seventh pick for the first time.

Dice-K shuts down Angels, leads Red Sox to 4-1 win

BOSTON (AP) - Daisuke Matsuzaka gave the Los Angeles Angels another thing to worry about in October. The Red Sox right-hander returned from a three-month stint on the DL with six shutout innings on Tuesday night to lead Boston to a 4-1 victory over the Angels, their likely first-round playoff opponent. "I've been a burden on my teammates. I feel that I owe them," said Matsuzaka, who hadn't pitched for Boston since June 19 and hadn't won since June 2. "There's not much left in the season. In the limited opportunity I do have, I want to show my appreciation to my teammates and the fans."

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