• 45 killed as jet swerves at Madrid airport runway 8/20/2008, 8:08 a.m. PDT
MADRID, Spain (AP) — Spain's Interior Ministry says 45 people are dead after an airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff from the Madrid airport.

• AP IMPACT: Campaigns take cash, seek details later 8/20/2008, 8:07 a.m. PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has consistently followed the government's instructions for keeping prohibited foreign money out of their presidential campaigns, and some of that banned money has slipped into Obama's campaign.

• APNewsAlert 8/20/2008, 7:58 a.m. PDT
MADRID, Spain (AP) — Spanish Interior Ministry says at least 45 dead in airliner accident at Madrid airport .

• Party time! Convention delegates face the music 8/20/2008, 7:50 a.m. PDT
(AP) — In Minnesota, Republicans will be partying to the soothing surf pop of the Beach Boys and classic rock favorites Styx. Democrats in Denver get punk rock and Rage Against the Machine.

• Russians dig in as pullback drags on in Georgia 8/20/2008, 7:48 a.m. PDT
SACHKHERE, Georgia (AP) — Russian forces on Wednesday built a sentry post just 30 miles from the Georgian capital, appearing to dig in to positions deep inside Georgia despite pledges to pull back to areas mandated by a cease-fire signed by both countries.

• Today on the presidential campaign trail 8/20/2008, 7:45 a.m. PDT
(AP) — IN THE HEADLINES

• Conventions blend money, parties, ethics rules 8/20/2008, 7:43 a.m. PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama and John McCain have burnished images as politicians who keep special interests at arms' length, yet there won't be much stiff-arming at their nominating conventions.

• Sen. Joe Lieberman to speak at GOP convention 8/20/2008, 7:32 a.m. PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2000 and now an independent who is one of John McCain's strongest supporters, will speak at the Republican National Convention, an official said.

• Missile strike reported in northwest Pakistan 8/20/2008, 7:28 a.m. PDT
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say missiles have struck a suspected militant hideout near the Afghan border.

• Labor Dept: Fewer workers killed on job in 2007 8/20/2008, 7:26 a.m. PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. workers killed on the job has dropped to a historic low.

• Jury finds ranch negligent in 10-death landslide 8/20/2008, 7:15 a.m. PDT
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A jury has ruled that a ranch company's negligence helped lead to the huge 2005 landslide that crushed part of a seaside community and killed 10 people.

• Rice signs missile defense deal with Poland 8/20/2008, 7:14 a.m. PDT
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.

• Appalachian Trail to get its 1st highway underpass 8/20/2008, 6:17 a.m. PDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Appalachian Trail is getting something new along its 2,175-mile route from Georgia to Maine — a highway underpass.

• Bush to defend terror war in speech to veterans 8/20/2008, 6:17 a.m. PDT
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush said Wednesday the war on terror must be fought with all assets of the United States and not treated primarily as a matter of law enforcement. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has faulted the administration for not using the criminal justice system more.

• Hua Guofeng, who briefly ruled China, dies 8/20/2008, 6:11 a.m. PDT
BEIJING (AP) — Hua Guofeng, who briefly ruled China as communist founder Mao Zedong's successor but was pushed aside as a prelude to reforms that launched an economic boom, died Wednesday at the age of 87, state-run media reported.

• Zardari backed for Pakistan president 8/20/2008, 5:57 a.m. PDT
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A major opposition party on Wednesday backed Benazir Bhutto's widower to become Pakistan's president, as the power struggle following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf intensified.

• Canada extradites alleged Mafia boss to Italy 8/20/2008, 5:56 a.m. PDT
ROME (AP) — One of Italy's most-wanted criminals was extradited from Canada on Wednesday and locked in an Italian high-security prison, the Justice Ministry said.

• UN chief expected to visit Myanmar in December 8/20/2008, 5:56 a.m. PDT
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is planning to visit Myanmar at the end of this year to hold talks on the country's political problems, the main opposition party said Wednesday.

• Philippines: peace deal to be renegotiated 8/20/2008, 5:56 a.m. PDT
KAUSWAGAN, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine peace process was thrown into disarray Wednesday, with the government saying a proposed deal with Muslim rebels must be renegotiated after the guerrillas shot or hacked 37 people to death in a brutal rampage.

• Mourning gorilla holds on to body of her baby 8/20/2008, 5:55 a.m. PDT
BERLIN (AP) — A gorilla at a zoo in the German city of Muenster is refusing to let go of her dead baby's body several days after it died of unknown causes.

• Wildfire prompts evacuation order in Wash. state 8/20/2008, 5:53 a.m. PDT
DAVENPORT, Wash. (AP) — Rain overnight came to the aid of firefighters at a wildfire in Washington state that prompted an evacuation order for dozens of homes.

• Democratic convention to highlight "real people" 8/20/2008, 5:39 a.m. PDT
CHICAGO (AP) — An Indiana railroader, an Iowa mother and a Michigan truck driver are getting a moment at the Democratic convention to help portray Barack Obama as the people's champion and counter GOP characterizations of him as an out-of-touch celebrity.

• Tropical Storm Fay hugs Florida's Atlantic coast 8/20/2008, 5:35 a.m. PDT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Fay meandered north along the Florida Atlantic coast Wednesday but did not immediately head out over the ocean, lessening the chances it will gain strength and become hurricane.

• NATO general says Pakistan chaos emboldens Taliban 8/20/2008, 5:26 a.m. PDT
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Drawing strength from the chaos in neighboring Pakistan, Afghan insurgents are using their growing control of the border area to plot increasingly brazen attacks against international forces, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said.

• Obama, VP choice to campaign together Saturday 8/20/2008, 5:22 a.m. PDT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Barack Obama and his newly named running mate will campaign together Saturday at the place where the Democratic presidential hopeful formally launched his White House bid.