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AP Top News at 7:28 p.m. EST -Thursday, February 25, 2010

Obama: Bipartisan health deal may not be possible

WASHINGTON (AP) - After a day of debate and disagreement, President Barack Obama concluded Thursday's unprecedented live talkfest on health care with the bleak assessment that accord between Democrats and Republicans may not be possible. He rejected Republican preferences for seeking a step-by-step solution or simply starting over. Obama strongly suggested that Democrats will try to pass a sweeping overhaul without GOP support, by using controversial Senate budget rules that would disallow filibusters. And then, he said, this fall's elections would write the verdict on who was right.

AP source: Ethics panel finds Rangel broke rules

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press has learned that the House ethics committee has concluded that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel knowingly accepted Caribbean trips in violation of House rules that forbid hidden financing by corporations. A congressional source familiar with the findings but not authorized to be quoted by name said at least four of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the trips in 2007 and 2008 have been exonerated.

Campaign flashback: McCain clashes with Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) - Who said the 2008 presidential campaign was over? President Barack Obama upbraided his former Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, on Thursday for resorting to political "talking points" at a health care summit Obama organized in hopes of bridging the divide between the two parties. After McCain used his time to complain that Obama reneged on a campaign promise to bring "change in Washington," the president bluntly told the Arizona Republican that "we're not campaigning any more. The election is over."

Snowstorm in Northeast, rain pounds New England

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A slow-moving winter storm packing heavy, wet snow and potentially flooding rain spread over the Northeast on Thursday, disrupting air traffic andclosing schools. Utility companies braced for possible widespread power outages overnight due to high winds and toppled trees. The strongest wind and heaviest snow was forecast for late Thursday and early Friday, with a foot or more of snow and high winds expected from southeastern Pennsylvania, into New Jersey and New York and up to parts of New England.

Afghan government installed in Taliban stronghold

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials raised the national flag over Marjah on Thursday, asserting government control even as Marines searched for militant holdouts. Kabul also confirmed the arrest of another top Taliban leader - part of a roundup that could further strain the insurgent movement. About 700 men in turbans and traditional caps gathered in a central market for the flag-raising ceremony, during which Abdul Zahir Aryan was installed as the top Afghan official in this town of 80,000 in Helmand province. The provincial governor told the crowd that authorities were eager to listen to requests from the townspeople and provide them with basic services that they didn't have under the Taliban.

SeaWorld will keep whale despite trainer's death

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Despite calls to free or destroy the animal, SeaWorld said Thursday it will keep the killer whale that drowned its trainer, but will suspend all orca shows while it decides whether to change the way handlers work with the behemoths. Also, VIP visitors who occasionally were invited to pet the killer whales will no longer be allowed to do so.

NY Gov. Paterson won't drop bid despite scandal

NEW YORK (AP) - Despite calls from leading Democrats to step aside, New York Gov. David Paterson says he won't drop his election bid amid a growing scandal surrounding accusations of domestic violence against a key aide. Speaking in New York City Thursday night, Paterson said he will talk to key New York Democrats but for now he's continuing his campaign to be elected governor. Paterson rose to governor in 2008 when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal.

Interval training can cut exercise hours sharply

LONDON (AP) - People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour. Those regimens - also called interval training - were originally developed for Olympic athletes and thought to be too strenuous for normal people. But in recent years, studies in older people and those with health problems suggest many more people might be able to handle it. If true, that could revolutionize how officials advise people to exercise - and save millions of people hours in the gym every week. It is also a smarter way to exercise, experts say.

Judge OKs child support for Bristol Palin's son

PALMER, Alaska (AP) - A judge on Thursday approved child support for Bristol Palin and set a trial date to force the issue along, while urging her and the father of her son to work out a resolution outside of the courtroom. Judge Kari C. Kristiansen encouraged Palin and Levi Johnston, both 19, to work with a judge who specializes in such matters in a settlement conference and not go to trial. She set a court date for Sept. 23-24.

McGwire saddened by brother's book on steroids

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - Mark McGwire said he's saddened his estranged brother wrote a book that chronicles their use of performance-enhancing drugs and reiterated his claim that he only took them to heal from injuries. McGwire said Thursday he's so up set with his brother, Jay McGwire, that he doesn't believe reconciliation is possible.

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