WASHINGTON (AP) -- Digging in for a long struggle, Republican senators and governors assailed the Democrats’ newly minted health care legislation Thursday as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and heavy new burdens for deficit-ridden states. Despite the criticism, there were growing indications Democrats would prevail on an initial Senate showdown set for Saturday night, and   Full Story

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any new U.S. forces President Barack Obama sends to Afghanistan could move into the country swiftly, despite logistical hassles that force almost all major deliveries of troops and supplies to go by air. His wording suggested that, as expected, Obama will soon approve an increase in the already record U.   Full Story

LIMA, Peru (AP) -- A gang in the remote Peruvian jungle has been killing people for their fat, police charged Thursday, draining it from their corpses and offering it on the black market for use in cosmetics. Medical experts expressed skepticism that a major market for fat might exist. Three suspects have confessed to killing five people for their fat, said Col.   Full Story

ATLANTA (AP) -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia. High rates of obesity and diabetes were reported in more than 80 percent of counties in the Appalachian region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the new research from the U.   Full Story

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. climate chief has a message for naysayers about the Copenhagen climate conference next month: It will succeed. Yvo De Boer, the U.N. official who is shepherding the talks, sought to assure reporters Thursday that the long-anticipated United Nations-led meeting Dec.   Full Story

TORONTO (AP) -- Canada’s defense minister on Thursday attacked the credibility of a senior Canadian diplomat who alleged that government officials ignored evidence that prisoners handed over to Afghanistan’s intelligence service a few years ago were tortured. Defense Minister Peter MacKay dismissed calls for a public inquiry after intelligence officer Richard Colvin testified   Full Story

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is leaning toward running for the U.S. Senate rather than making a bid for governor, two Republican advisers said Thursday. "From staff, we have been hearing that he has been indicating quietly and privately recently that governor might not be the best fit for him now," one adviser said, "but the U.   Full Story

CEDAR CREEK, Texas (AP) -- Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come. Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in   Full Story

GENEVA (AP) -- Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery -- essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.   Full Story

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- America’s relations with South Korea, a crucial Asian ally, are on an upswing as President Barack Obama meets with President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday, though a stalled trade agreement is still a concern for the economic powerhouses. Obama, winding up his weeklong Asian journey, is expected to emphasize the two nations’ unified efforts to prod a defiant   Full Story

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd became history’s longest-serving member of Congress on Wednesday, earning a formal salute from the Senate and President Barack Obama for his nearly 57 years of service. "I’ve loved every precious minute of it," the frail West Virginia Democrat, who turns 92 on Friday, said during a day of floor tributes to him, and moments before the Senate   Full Story

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California regulators adopted the nation’s first energy-efficiency standards for televisions Wednesday in hopes of reducing electricity use at a time when millions of American households are switching to power-hungry, wide-view, flat-screen, high-definition sets. The 5-0 vote by the California Energy Commission is just the latest effort by the state to secure   Full Story

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More Americans support creation of a new government-run health insurance plan to compete with the private insurance market, a new Associated Press poll finds, but the level of enthusiasm depends on how the question is asked. Varying enthusiasm Tell people that letting the government sell insurance would be cheaper for them, and a majority is in favor.   Full Story

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- College athletes are still setting records and dispelling myths -- in the classroom. Just like the late NCAA President Myles Brand believed they could. The NCAA’s latest graduation numbers show nearly four out of five student-athletes earn their diplomas on time, an all-time high, and federal statistics show athletes are still more likely to graduate on time than   Full Story

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- College students ditched class, employees skipped work and some huddled in the cold overnight just to make sure they get an orange wristband Wednesday that would let them meet Sarah Palin. Thousands gathered outside a Barnes & Noble and chanted "Palin! Palin! Palin!" for the kickoff of the former Republican vice presidential candidate’s "Going Rogue" book   Full Story