US stocks rise ahead of Fed decision

Wall Street rose Wednesday as oil prices fell back and investors awaited the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates and policymakers' take on the economy.

Investors worried about the impact of higher oil and gas prices on consumer spending and the overall economy got a reprieve when light, sweet crude fell $4.17 to $132.83 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The pullback came in response to news from the Energy Department that U.S. supplies of fuel and oil rose more than expected last week. The buildup indicates Americans are cutting their use of fuel because of higher prices; a resulting drop in prices would relieve some of the inflationary pressures in the …

No loaf lost on bears: If you're playing for Smith, you'd better be hustling

SAN FRANCISCO -- Preseason games are the only time when itactually doesn't matter if you win or lose but how you play the game.

It starts with effort. Nobody wants to be caught loafing on tape,and cameras are omnipresent. Every practice, every scrimmage, everygame is filmed from multiple angles.

If a player isn't a part of the Bears' plans for this season,another team could see him on tape, so every play is essential,starting tonight in the team's preseason opener against the SanFrancisco 49ers.

Every NFL team keeps some statistic that measures hustle, andBears coach Lovie Smith is renowned for charting "loafs," plays inwhich it's determined that 100 …

Politics Goes E-mail Crazy

You thought you were just buying a plane ticket online, and now your e-mail inbox is loaded with fund-raising pitches, congressional newsletters and position papers.

Online shopping is one of the easiest ways people's e-mail addresses can become part of opt-in commercial databases that people in politics use to target prospective voters. This unwanted e-mail is largely considered spam.

Congress dealt with the problem partially with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which limited types of commercial e-mail. But political messages were excluded. And that's just how political professionals like it.

"There's a distinct difference between political and government communication …

France slaps record fines on steel cartel

France's competition authorities Tuesday slapped a record euro575 million ($776 million) in fines on 11 companies, including subsidiaries of global steel giant ArcelorMittal, for running a cartel in the steel trading sector from 1999 to 2004.

The damage to the French economy caused by the cartel amounts to "hundreds of millions of euros," France's Conseil de la Concurrence said in a statement.

ArcelorMittal steel trading subsidiary PUM Service Acier received the largest fine, euro288 million, for its role as one of three "leaders" of the cartel, said Virginie Guin, a spokeswoman for the regulator.

That makes it the largest …

Protesters heckle Obama adviser in Israel

Two ultranationalist Israeli activists have been arrested for shouting insults at White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

The two men approached Emanuel Thursday as he was touring Jerusalem's Old City with his family under heavy security.

The protesters began shouting insults and slogans from afar, yelling, "Jerusalem is not for sale." They were referring …

National weather

Hi Lo Otlk

Anchorage 36 26 Cldy

Baltimore 75 46 Clr

Boston 45 37 Cldy

Chicago 67 49 Rain

Dallas-Ft Worth 82 68 PCldy

Denver 55 32 PCldy

Detroit 71 43 Rain

Honolulu 81 67 Clr

Houston 83 68 Cldy

Indianapolis 77 56 Rain

Kansas City 63 59 PCldy

Las Vegas 85 58 Clr

Little Rock 81 63 PCldy

Los Angeles 74 54 …

Wiley, USC have rematch of memorable 1935 debate

DALLAS (AP) — Teams from Wiley College and the University of Southern California will have a rematch Friday of the memorable 1935 debate that saw the small, historically black school prevail over the nationally known, mostly white powerhouse.

The exhibition will be held at Wiley in the small town of Marshall, near Texas' border with Louisiana.

The 1935 debate at USC took place when the nation was heavily segregated and helped inspire "The Great Debaters," a 2007 movie starring Denzel Washington. The movie climaxes with a fictional debate against Harvard that was modeled on the real match in California.

"Before the civil rights movement, before Dr. King, Malcolm X, before …