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AP Top News at 4:10 p.m. EDT -Tuesday, July 13, 2010

New BP cap set for slow tests of how it holds oil

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - With a tight new cap freshly installed on its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, BP planned gradual tests starting Tuesday to see if the device can stop oil from pouring into the sea for the first time in nearly three months. The cap would be just a temporary solution, but it offers the best hope yet for cutting off the crude that has fouled the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP exploded April 20, killing 11 workers.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner dies at 80

NEW YORK (AP) - George Steinbrenner, whose big wallet and win-at-all-cost attitude whipped the New York Yankees into a billion-dollar sports empire, died Tuesday. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday July 4. Steinbrenner had a heart attack, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and died at about 6:30 a.m, a person close to the owner told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not disclosed those details.

Reid: Final vote on bank regulation on Thursday

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning a final vote Thursday morning on a sweeping overhaul of financial regulations. Passage in the Senate would send the bill to President Barack Obama for his signature. Reid announced the timing Tuesday after votes to ensure its passage fell into place. At least three Republicans, 55 Democrats and two independents are expected to support the bill. That would provide the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican procedural hurdles.

Quick guilty plea in 'Barefoot' case in Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - The American teenager who police call the "Barefoot Bandit" pleaded guilty Tuesday to a minor offense in the Bahamas and will be deported soon to face prosecution for a string of break-ins and plane thefts across the United States. Colton Harris-Moore pleaded guilty to illegal entering the country at his first court appearance in the Bahamas, where police ended the 19-year-old convict's alleged two-year crime spree by capturing him following a high-speed boat chase.

Italy nabs 300 mobsters, reveals new mob structure

MILAN (AP) - Anti-mafia prosecutors claimed a major victory over the powerful and growing 'ndrangheta crime syndicate, infiltrating intimate weddings, baptisms and other gatherings to gather information that led to the arrests Friday of 305 people, including top bosses, and the seizure of more than euro60 million in cash and property. One of the most significant revelations to emerge from the investigation was that the Calabrian mob had a tight hierarchal structure like that of the Sicilian Mafia, and wasn't just an association of clans as previously believed. While expanding its economic reach into the wealthy Lombard region in northern Italy, the 'ndrangheta (en-DRAN-geh-tah) is also concentrating its power in its native Calabria, exerting tight control over all strategic decision-making, anti-mafia prosecutors said.

Defector do-over? Missing Iranian wants to go home

WASHINGTON (AP) - An Iranian scientist sought refuge in the Pakistani Embassy compound and asked to go home, an apparent defection gone wrong that could embarrass the U.S. and its efforts to gather intelligence on Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program. Iran - and at one point, scientist Shahram Amiri - claimed the CIA had kidnapped him; the U.S. said Tuesday that nothing of the sort happened. Amiri disappeared while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in June 2009, surfacing in videos but otherwise out of sight until the latest bizarre twist in the case.

Ex-Blago aide says he was worried, contacted FBI

CHICAGO (AP) - A lobbyist who for years was one of Rod Blagojevich's closest advisers testified Tuesday that he became so concerned about the intensifying pressure the Illinois governor was placing on potential campaign contributors that he contacted the FBI and began cooperating in the government's investigation. "I was increasingly alarmed about the level of aggressiveness the fundraising had taken on," John Wyma said at Blagojevich's federal corruption trial.

Another cadmium jewelry recall — 137K Tween pieces

About 137,000 pieces of imported children's jewelry sold at two stores popular with preteen girls - Justice and Limited Too - were recalled Tuesday for high levels of cadmium, the latest in a series of recalls involving the toxic metal. The voluntary recall, announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, was the sixth callback since The Associated Press first released findings of an investigation into cadmium in children's jewelry.

4-time Texas lotto winner rich with money, mystery

BISHOP, Texas (AP) - The odds that Joan Ginther would hit four Texas Lottery jackpots for a combined $21 million are astronomical. Mathematicians say the chances are as slim as 1 in 18 septillion - that's 18 and 24 zeros. Just as unlikely? Getting to know one of the luckiest women in the world.

Ex-NFL star Taylor pleads not guilty to NY rape

NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) - Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to an indictment that alleges he had sex with a 16-year-old girl in a New York hotel room. The former NFL star allegedly paid $300 to the girl, a Bronx runaway, for their encounter in May. Taylor pleaded not guilty through his lawyer to third-degree rape, patronizing a prostitute, sexual abuse and endangering a child.

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