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Dudley to outline BP plans to help Gulf recover

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley was set to outline his company's long-term efforts to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from the oil spill Friday morning, and will be getting help from a Clinton administration-era emergency management official. The oil giant said Dudley would be in Biloxi, Miss., to announce that former Federal Emergency Management Agency head James Lee Witt will support its recovery efforts. Local officials, especially in Louisiana, have been clamoring for more long-term commitments in the face of reports that the oil spill is dissipating, at least on the water's surface.

3 US troops die, deadliest month of Afghan war

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Three U.S. service members were killed in blasts in Afghanistan, bringing the toll for July to at least 63 and making it the deadliest month for Americanforces in the nearly 9-year-war. A NATO statement Friday said the three died in two separate blasts in southern Afghanistan the day before. The statement gave no nationalities, but U.S. officials say all three were Americans. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending notification of kin.

Wildfire explodes in rural LA County hills

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters plan an aggressive air attack at first light Friday against a fast-moving wildfire that exploded in northern Los Angeles County, chewing through more than 7 square miles of dry brush, forcing hundreds of evacuations and burning at least three structures. There is zero containment, authorities said.

Economic growth likely slowed in second quarter

WASHINGTON (AP) - The already fragile economic recovery may be getting weaker. Economists expect the government to report Friday that economic growth slowed in the April-to-June quarter as consumers bought less, builders pulled back further, and cash-hungry state and local governments cut spending.

Obama to sell auto bailout good news in Michigan

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is going to the heart of the U.S. auto industry to push an important election-year claim: his administration's unpopular auto industry bailout has turned into an economic good-news story. With Americans facing a still-limping economy and potentially pivotal congressional elections in three months, the White House sees progress in the auto industry as a concrete area of improvement — and one with direct ties to the president's own actions.

Arizona sheriff not relenting after court ruling

PHOENIX (AP) - Lost in the hoopla over Arizona's immigration law is the fact that state and local authorities for years have been doing their own aggressive crackdowns in the busiest illegal gateway into the country. Nowhere in the U.S. is local enforcement more present than in metropolitan Phoenix, where Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio routinely carries out sweeps, some in Hispanic neighborhoods, to arrest illegal immigrants. The tactics have made him the undisputed poster boy for local immigration enforcement and the anger that so many authorities possess on the issue.

GOP gets wish: Rangel case in campaign season

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans wanted an election-season ethics case against Democratic powerhouse Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. And now, it looks like they have one. A House ethics panel of four Democrats and four Republicans, who will determine Rangel's guilt or innocence on 13 ethics charges, held its organizational meeting Thursday. The message going forward, from the top Republican on the panel, was: Let the trial begin.

FBI access to e-mail and Web records raises fears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law. With its proposed amendment, is the Obama administration merely clarifying a statute or expanding it? Only time and a suddenly on guard Congress will tell.

Source: J-Lo close to deal for 'American Idol'

NEW YORK (AP) - Former "Fly Girl" Jennifer Lopez is poised to return to television - this time as a judge on "American Idol." The singer-dancer-actor was close to signing a deal to join Fox TV's hit singing contest, a person familiar with the negotiations said late Thursday. The person, who was not authorized to comment publicly, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Oswalt traded to Phillies; Tejada, Cantu also move

Roy Oswalt granted his own wish: He's now part of a pennant race. Miguel Tejada, Jorge Cantu and Matt Capps joined the mix, too. The trade wheel of fortune kept spinning Thursday with veterans-for-prospects deals that typically dot the stretch run. More swaps were expected before Saturday's 4 p.m. deadline as pitchers Ted Lilly and Jake Westbrook could go.

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