Reuters - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain sharply criticized the flagging U.S. war effort in Afghanistan on Tuesday and vowed to turn it around if elected, starting with sending more U.S. troops.

Reuters - U.S. Border Patrol agent Reynaldo Zuniga was arrested last month lugging a bag of cocaine up from the Rio Grande, one of a growing number of law enforcement officers accused of taking bribes from drug gangs.

Reuters - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Tuesday a "single-minded" focus on Iraq was distracting the United States from other threats, and he promised to end the war and shift resources to fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Reuters - President George W. Bush on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have cut Medicare reimbursements to insurers and blocked a scheduled pay cut for doctors who treat patients under the government's health program for the elderly.

Reuters - General Motors Corp on Tuesday announced a plan to cut costs by $10 billion, suspend its common stock dividend and sell up to $4 billion in assets in a bid to shore up cash and survive a deep industry slump.

Reuters - A weakening housing market, strained banking system and rising oil prices threaten the U.S. economy, and restoring financial market stability is a top priority, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday.

AP - Cleveland left-hander Cliff Lee will throw the first pitch of tonight's All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium, where the American League looks to continue its recent dominance against the National League. The junior circuit is 10-0-and-1 over the last 11 meetings.

AP - Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have broken up, their publicists said Monday. "Jimmy and Sarah have no further comment," Kimmel's spokesman Lewis Kay told The Associated Press, confirming the split that was first reported on Vanity Fair magazine's Web site.

AP - In a nod to privacy complaints, Viacom Inc. won't be told the identities of individuals who watch video clips on the popular video-sharing site YouTube.

AP - A 16-year-old captured in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo Bay sobs during his questioning, holding up his wounded arms and begging for help in a video released Tuesday that provided the first glimpse of interrogations at the U.S. military prison.

AP - Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday that overall U.S. interests have been hurt rather than helped by the Bush administration's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq 18 months ago, and vowed to stick to his plan to withdraw combat troops within 16 months of becoming president.

AP - General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will lay off salaried workers, cut truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow $2 billion to $3 billion to weather a severe downturn in the U.S. market.

AP - The economy showed the depth of its twin problems on Tuesday, slow growth and rising inflation, as the nation wrestled with a teetering financial system, a slumping dollar and rising prices for food and fuel.