AP - House Democrats offered a broader drilling proposal Wednesday that would allow offshore energy development beyond 50 miles from the coast if a state gives the go-ahead and opens all federal waters 100 miles from land.

AP - President Bush rushed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal to Congress late Wednesday with hopes that lawmakers will expedite passage of one of his top foreign policy initiatives.

AP - The head of the House tax-writing committee admitted Wednesday that he owes about $5,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for failing to report income on his returns.

AFP - Barack Obama strived to wrench the ill-tempered White House campaign back to voters' anxieties as he castigated the "lies and phony outrage" of his Republican foes over a farmyard taunt.

AP - A scandal involving sex, drugs and — uh, offshore oil drilling. It's a strange mix, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for those in Congress pressing to expand oil and gas development off America's beaches while trying to stave off an election-year rush by Democrats to impose new taxes and royalties on the oil industry.

Reuters - Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives unveiled legislation on Wednesday that, if passed, would significantly expand domestic oil production by permitting offshore drilling at least 50 miles from U.S. coasts.

AP - With a pair of easy primary victories behind them, comedian-turned-politician Al Franken and Sen. Norm Coleman wasted no time diving into the homestretch of their already long-running Minnesota Senate battle.

AFP - The White House race plumbed new toxic depths Wednesday as Barack Obama raged against John McCain for stooping to "lies and phony outrage" in response to the Democrat's mocking talk of "lipstick on a pig."

AP - The head of the House tax-writing committee acknowledged Wednesday that he owes about $5,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for failing to report income on his returns.

AP - Speculation by large investors — and not supply and demand for oil — were a primary reason for the surge in oil prices during the first half of the year and the more recent price declines, an independent study concluded Wednesday.

AFP - US Senator Hillary Clinton questioned Tuesday Washington's decision to freeze a much vaunted US-Russian civilian nuclear pact, saying the move might not be in Washington's interest.