COLOMBIA-HOSTAGES
Freed Americans back home LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AP) - The American ambassador to Colombia says U.S. and Colombian forces cooperated closely on a daring hostage rescue mission. Three U.S. military contractors were captured five years ago when their drug surveillance plane crashed in a rebel-held jungle. Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were flown back to an Air Force Base in Texas late Wednesday, quickly taken away for medical checkups and reunions with their families. They and a dozen other hostages were freed in a daring mission Wednesday by spies who tricked the rebel captors into putting the hostages on board what turned out to be a government helicopter. Among the freed captives is Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who was captured while campaigning six years ago. She says when they realized they were in a friendly helicopter, they were jumping up and down with so much joy she thought it would fall from the sky. CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP
Today on the presidential campaign trail UNDATED (AP) - With just 124 days to go until Americans choose a new president, Democrat Barack Obama has no public events on his schedule today. And Republican John McCain continues what he insists is a non-campaign trip south of the border. He plans some sightseeing in Mexico City this morning before talks with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon (fay-LEE'-pay kahl-duh-ROHN') and has an informal news conference. McCain's Latin America trip this week has centered on the subject of free trade, which he supports. Yesterday McCain was in Colombia, where the government is getting enormous praise today for its dramatic rescue of more than a dozen hostages, including three Americans. McCain says he was briefed on the rescue plan in advance. He and Obama are both congratulating Colombia and its president over the successful outcome. OIL PRICES
Oil rises above $144 on US supply drop KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The price of oil is back up in record territory again today. It's trading above $144 a barrel in Asia. The unprecedented price runup is being fueled by a multitude of concerns, including a larger-than-expected drop in U.S. stockpiles and the threat of conflict with Iran. It's expected that the European Central Bank will raise interest rates today which could further weaken the U.S. dollar and drive oil prices even higher. The price could also get a boost from increased buying ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. One analyst looks for oil prices to be "bubbling away at $145" a barrel. SOLAR POWER
Solar application moratorium called off WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bureau Of Land Management says there won't be a moratorium on applications to build solar plants on public lands. The BLM had wanted to put new applications on hold during a comprehensive review of potential environmental impacts. That review was not scheduled to be completed until May 2010 and there's been strong public opposition to a delay. The bureau has yet to approve a solar project on federal land. The solar projects that are already built or under way in the U.S. are on private property. The announcement came as solar industry officials told a Senate panel in New Mexico there's a burning need to tap the sun's energy. Solar currently generates only a 10th of one percent of U.S. electricity. But lawmakers say concentrated solar power could be as cheap as wind or natural gas within five or 10 ten years. BABY LAUNCHED
Georgia teen charged after thrown-baby video online LEESBURG, Ga. (AP) - A south Georgia teenager is charged with child cruelty after an online video showed a young man launching a baby several feet across a room. The video posted on YouTube shows the teenage boy putting a baby on one side of a large, inflatable pillow on the floor. The boy then jumps on the pillow and the baby flies several feet across the room before landing on the floor and crying. Sheriffs say the teen's parents were supposed to be babysitting the child. The 16-year-old Lee County boy was arrested Tuesday after a school teacher saw the video and called the sheriff's office. The boy's name was not released because of his age. He's been charged with cruelty to children. The video has since been removed from YouTube. IRAQ
Iraqi government bans pictures in vote BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi government has banned candidates in upcoming provincial elections from using pictures of people not running for office in their campaign materials. The ban announced today appears to be aimed at limiting the influence of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been struggling with the government for authority but is not competing in the elections. The Iraqi Cabinet has also banned candidates from campaigning in mosques or other places of worship, another blow to al-Sadr and his supporters. The provincial elections are scheduled to be held by October. But there is considerable uncertainty about whether they will happen on time because parliament has not approved a new law providing for the elections. IRAN-NOBEL LAUREATE
Iranian Nobel laureate calls for peace TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi (shih-REEN' eh-BAH'-dee) is calling on Iran and the U.S. to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program. Ebadi warns that military action would harm ordinary people. She told a group of activists today that she expects "Iran and the U.S. to settle their disputes through negotiation." The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner says she also opposes economic sanctions against her nation because they hurt the people, too. The U.S. and its allies say Iran's nuclear program is intended to produce weapons. Iran denies that, saying its program is for producing energy. Neither the U.S. nor Israel has ruled out a military option, though both say they would prefer a diplomatic solution. BRIDGE JUMPER
Handcuffed woman jumps from bridge near Wenatchee WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) - In Washington state, there's been no trace of a 43-year-old police drug informant who jumped off a bridge Tuesday night in handcuffs, with officers nearby. Sandra Duffy had been arrested earlier in the day on drug and probation charges and agreed to help in a police sting of a cocaine seller who wanted to meet on the bridge. A coat was draped over her hands to hide the cuffs. Three uniformed officers and three undercover officers were nearby when she jumped 20 feet into the water. The water temperature was about 48 degress. A Chelan County sheriff's lieutenant says it's possible she made it to shore from the Sleepy Hollow Bridge near Wenatchee TROPICAL WEATHER
Tropical depression forms in Atlantic Ocean MIAMI (AP) - A tropical depression has formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 miles-an-hour with higher gusts. But some strengthening is forecast and the National Hurricane Center says it could become a tropical storm today. The depression is located about 250 miles south-southeast of the Cape Verde Islands. It's moving toward the west-northwest at about nine miles-an-hour, and forecasters are expecting that track to continue with some increase in speed over the next couple days. FLYING LAWN CHAIR
Oregon lawn-chair pilot plans 300-mile flight GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - Maybe it doesn't beat flying coach, but an Oregon man is planning a 300-mile flight this weekend by lawnchair. Kent Couch hopes to go from his gas station in central Oregon to Boise, Idaho, in a chair suspended from 150 helium-filled latex party balloons. It's the third time he's tried. Last year he made it 193 miles before running low on helium and landing in a patch of sagebrush. Thanks to a corporate sponsor, his lawnchair rig is now equipped with satellite trackers to help him know exactly where he is. To gain altitude he dumps water from 15-gallon barrels and to come down, he pops some of the balloons with a pellet gun. Couch says "cluster ballooning" is generally carefree although he acknowledges "a little stress" coming down. He hopes one day to lawnchair across the English Channel and Australia. And he doesn't use a seat belt.
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