Tropical Storm Fay hugs Florida's Atlantic coast

By RON WORD and RUSS BYNUM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - 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.

• Rice signs missile defense deal with Poland
• Obama, VP choice to campaign together Saturday
• Food aid sent in to suffering Georgian area
• US beats Japan 4-1 to make Olympic softball final
• States push laws to require paid sick days
• AP IMPACT: Campaigns take cash, seek details later
• Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies
• Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station
• Tampa Bay wins matchup of AL's best records

Rice signs missile defense deal with Poland

By VANESSA GERA and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA

WARSAW, Poland - 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.

• Food aid sent in to suffering Georgian area
• Twin car bombings hit Algerian hotel, barracks
• Hua Guofeng, who briefly ruled China, dies
• Sarkozy visits Kabul after French soldiers killed
• Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora visits Iraq
• NKorea vows to boost 'war deterrent'
• Pirates seize Malaysian tanker off Somalia's coast
• Post-Olympic clamp on Muslim Xinjiang possible
• Darfur tribal chiefs throw in with al-Bashir

Tropical Storm Fay stays on Florida's coast

By RON WORD and RUSS BYNUM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tropical Storm Fay continued its erratic path Wednesday, moving north along the Florida coast but not going out over the Atlantic Ocean, where many had feared it could strengthen and curve back toward the state as a hurricane.

• Kerry returns to stump 4 years after nomination
• Study: Cost often not factor when picking college
• Study finds minorities more likely to be paddled
• Researcher says bigfoot just a rubber gorilla suit
• States throw out costly electronic voting machines
• Searchers locate all missing Grand Canyon hikers
• Flooding recedes in South Texas after foot of rain
• Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies

Chargers' Hester lauded for toughness

SAN DIEGO - Jacob Hester has proven to be exactly as advertised during Chargers training camp: Tough, durable and a true gamer.

• Big Southern California water line nearly ready
• Summary Box: eBay sellers try to digest new rules
• Some eBay sellers frustrated with rule changes
• HP posts 3Q profit jump, faces stiff competition
• Source: Probe into LA city attorney includes review of wife
• Stewart leads Rockies past Dodgers 8-3
• Nolasco pitches, hits the Marlins to win
• Oklahoman won't face charges
• Dunn's fist Arizona homer powers Diamondbacks
• Man pleads not guilty to stabbing Villa Park teen
• DMB sax player dies at 46 from ATV wreck injuries
• LA County to hold taggers' parents liable for graffiti
• Retired officer arrested in SoCal bank robbery
• At plate and on mound, A's no match for Twins
• Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies

Bush to defend terror war in speech to veterans

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush is defending his line-in-the-sand approach to the fight against Islamic terrorism, following presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama in a speech to a major veterans group. His address Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., is to highlight themes GOP hopeful McCain has been using to argue that he is better qualified to be commander in chief than Obama, the Democratic nominee-in-waiting.

• Sen. Stevens wants trial by day, campaign by night
• Web site educates about hiring war vets
• Bush: New Orleans still struggling after Katrina
• Study finds minorities more likely to be paddled
• Overhauling Guard training overhaul is costly
• Rice will not attend Olympic closing ceremonies

Obama, VP choice to campaign together Saturday

By BETH FOUHY

RALEIGH, N.C. - 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.

• Kerry returns to stump 4 years after nomination
• Conventions blend money, parties, ethics rules
• AP IMPACT: Campaigns take cash, seek details later
• Text messaging could help Obama's turnout
• Patriotism a pitfall for Democratic candidates
• McCain, Obama to silence critical ads on Sept. 11
• Obama faces new criticism on abortion
• Democratic convention to highlight "real people"

BJ's posts higher 2Q profit, raises outlook

NEW YORK - BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. reported on Wednesday that its profit edged up in the second-quarter and raised its full-year earnings forecast as frugal shoppers look for deals at discounters.

• Small SUVs improve in crash tests
• Oil steady ahead of inventory report
• Mortgage application volume hits multiyear low
• BP says testing begins on BTC pipeline
• Stocks point higher after Hewlett-Packard report
• Some eBay sellers frustrated with rule changes
• Toyota mulls Japan price hike amid soaring costs
• Massachusetts asks Fidelity to buy back securities
• HP posts 3Q profit jump; faces stiff competition

US beats Japan 4-1 to make Olympic softball final

BEIJING - Crystl Bustos hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the U.S. Olympic softball team beat Japan 4-1 in extra innings and will play for its fourth straight gold medal.

• Receiver Boldin wants Cardinals to trade him
• Yastrzemski undergoes triple bypass surgery
• Harden fans 10, knocks in run as Cubs blank Reds
• Aybar, Rays move to 5-0 at home against Angels
• Maddux rejoins Dodgers for another pennant race
• US men clinch medal, go for gold, in beach v'ball
• Dice-K wins 15th as Red Sox cruise past Orioles
• Delgado, Mets rally past Braves with big 8th
• Peyton Manning hopes to start Colts season opener

Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station

By JAY ALABASTER

TOKYO - Morning train commuters in Tokyo were joined on their way to work by an unusual companion Wednesday: a wild monkey.

• Armed 85-year-old woman makes intruder call cops
• Police: Man says he grew pot in a cost-saving move
• Corpse kept upright for 3-day wake in Puerto Rico
• Wisconsin couple each win $350,000 in lottery
• Cell phone photo foils man in Pizza Hut plot
• Boy wanders into Mexico after school bus mix-up
• Suit accuses restaurant of giving man big tapeworm
• Mich. trooper fatally shoots 7-foot python
• Disabled turtle finds romance after getting wheels

Today in History - Aug. 20

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 20, the 233rd day of 2008. There are 133 days left in the year.