Good morning.
Our early headlines were:
-- Jobless Claims Nearly Unchanged.
-- BlackBerry: 'We've Let Many Of You Down;' Still Working To Restore Service.
-- GOP Presidential Contender Herman Cain Takes Lead In Second Poll.
-- Alleged Iran Plot Is More 'Caper Novel' Than Spy Novel.
We've also updated the news from Orange County, Calif., where authorities now say eight people were killed during a shooting rampage Wednesday at a beauty salon.
Other top headlines of the morning:
-- "Congress Passes 3 Free Trade Agreements," With South Korea, Colombia And Panama. (The Associated Press)
-- Sgt. Gilad Schalit "To Be Back Home In Israel By Next Week." (The Jerusalem Post)
-- "Listeria Deaths From Cantaloupe Rise To 23 Nationwide." (The Denver Post)
Coming up later today:
-- "U.S. Seeks Record Sentence For Ex-Hedge Fund Boss."
"A hedge-fund founder once recognized as one of the richest citizens in the U.S. would serve the longest sentence in history for an insider trading conviction if a federal judge grants the government's request to send him to prison for two decades. Raj Rajaratnam's sentencing was scheduled for Thursday in Manhattan. Prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Richard J. Holwell to send the 54-year-old, one-time billionaire to prison for at least 19 1/2 years for his May conviction on securities fraud charges. They say federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence up to 24 1/2 years." (The Associated Press)
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