AP News in Brief

Chapman, a striking 28-year-old redhead who was branded a femme fatale in media reports and whose photos were splashed across tabloids' front pages, faces a potential penalty of five years in prison if convicted.

Most of the others are charged with crimes that carry penalties of up to 25 years.

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Kagan on way to Supreme Court confirmation following solid performance at hearings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elena Kagan is speeding toward confirmation as the 112th Supreme Court justice, with Republicans showing little appetite for a long-shot filibuster attempt after sparring with her over abortion, gays in the military and other divisive issues.

"Solicitor General Kagan will be confirmed," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., confidently predicted as the Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up its examination of President Barack Obama's high court pick.

Barring an unexpected turn, Kagan will succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and become the fourth female justice in the Supreme Court's history. It would be the first time that three of the court's nine justices were women.

Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, called a filibuster of Kagan "highly unlikely." And asked outright whether Kagan was going to win confirmation, another Judiciary Committee Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, replied, "I assume she will be."

Kagan, 50, spent her last day before the committee Wednesday trying to reassure conservatives that she would be able to separate her personal and political views from a job as a justice on the ideologically split Supreme Court.

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BP oil spill, gushing more than 2 months, nears somber record as Gulf of Mexico's biggest ever

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP's massive oil spill will become the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday based on the highest of the federal government's estimates, an ominous record that underscores the oil giant's dire need to halt the gusher.

The oil that's spewed for two and a half months from a blown-out well a mile under the sea is expected to surpass the 140 million gallon mark, eclipsing the record-setting Ixtoc I spill off Mexico's coast from 1979 to 1980. Even by the lower end of the government's estimates, at least 71.2 million gallons are in the Gulf.

The growing total is crucial to track, in part because Great Britain-based BP PLC is likely to be fined per gallon spilled, said Larry McKinney, director of Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi's Gulf of Mexico research institute.

"It's an important number to know because it has an impact on restoration and recovery," McKinney said.

The oil calculation is based on the higher end of the government's range of barrels leaked per day, minus the amount BP says it has collected from the blown-out well using two containment systems. Measuring it helps scientists figure out where the missing oil is, hidden below the water surface with some even stuck to the seafloor. Oil not at the surface damages different parts of the ecosystem.

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AP IMPACT: 40 million doses of expired swine flu vaccine to be burned; $260 million lost

ATLANTA (AP) — About a quarter of the swine flu vaccine produced for the U.S. public has expired — meaning that a whopping 40 million doses worth about $260 million is being written off as trash.

"It's a lot, by historical standards," said Jerry Weir, who oversees vaccine research and review for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The outdated vaccine, some of which expired Wednesday, will be incinerated. The amount, more than twice the usual leftovers, likely sets a record. And that's not even all of it.

About 30 million more doses will expire later and may go unused, according to one government estimate. If all that vaccine expires, more than 43 percent of the supply for the U.S. public will have gone to waste.

Federal officials defended the huge purchase as a necessary risk in the face of a never-before-seen virus. Many health experts had feared the new flu could be the deadly global epidemic they had long warned about, but it ended up killing fewer people than seasonal flu.

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Hurricane Alex drenches northern Mexico as it pushes inland; largely spares nearby Texas

SAN FERNANDO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Alex ripped off roofs, flooded streets and forced thousands of people to flee coastal fishing villages as it pushed into northern Mexico.

The Atlantic season's first hurricane largely spared nearby Texas, which had prepared for a possible direct hit. While it spawned two tornadoes and caused 1,000 people to evacuated low-lying areas there, state officials reported no injuries or major damages.

Earlier, Alex whipped up high waves that frustrated oil-spill cleanup efforts on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico and delivered tar balls and globs of crude onto already soiled beaches.

The storm made landfall Wednesday night on a relatively unpopulated stretch of coast in Mexico's northern Tamaulipas state, about 110 miles (180 kms) south of Brownsville, Texas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Alex was pushing inland early Thursday at 12 mph (19 kph) but had weakened to a Category 1 storm and was expected to weaken further and dissipate within 24 to 36 hours. By 4 a.m. CDT (0900 GMT), it was located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, and 160 miles (260 kilometers) southwest of Brownsville. It had sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).

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Toyota says 270,000 vehicles have faulty engines worldwide; reports say autos to be recalled

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday about 270,000 cars sold worldwide — including luxury Lexus sedans — have potentially faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls of top-selling models.

Japan's top-selling daily Yomiuri said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources.

Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the company was evaluating measures to deal with the problem of defective engines that can stall while the vehicle is moving. He would not confirm a recall was being considered.

The automaker has been working to patch up its reputation after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of unintended acceleration and other defects.

Of the 270,000 vehicles with engine problems, some 180,000 were sold overseas and the rest in Japan. They include the popular Crown and seven models of luxury Lexus sedans.

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In speech, Obama to spell out for public his argument for moving ahead on immigration overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair.

Obama was laying out his rationale in a speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue.

Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the effort he had promised to make a priority in his first year and which advocates had hoped would be completed by now.

The speech follows up on back-to-back meetings Obama had with advocates and lawmakers at the White House this week.

Obama has said a comprehensive solution means "accountability for everybody" — from the U.S. government meeting its obligation to secure the border, to businesses facing the consequences of knowingly employing illegal immigrants, to those who enter the country illegally owning up to their actions before they can begin the process of becoming citizens.

Recent developments on immigration influenced his decision to give a speech, White House officials say, most notably Arizona's enactment of a tough anti-immigrant law and protests across the country against it.

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Former AIG exec says he could have saved taxpayers a bundle; panel focuses on derivatives

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former executive of bailed-out insurance company American International Group Inc. says if he had been allowed to keep his job, he could have saved taxpayers a bundle.

"I think I would have negotiated a much better deal for the taxpayer than what the taxpayer got," Joseph Cassano, the former chief executive of AIG's Financial Products Division, told a special panel investigating the economic crisis.

Taxpayers rescued AIG to the tune of $182 billion — the biggest of the federal rescues — after the New York company nearly collapsed and helped spark the financial crisis.

Cassano, who was forced to retire in March 2008, testified Wednesday before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, the bipartisan panel that is investigating the origins of the financial meltdown. He said the federal government paid too much to settle AIG's debt.

He said he could have negotiated better deals with the company's Wall Street trading partners if he had stayed on at AIG. He added that he thought the housing market would turn around and that AIG could have recouped some of the value in its investments if it had been more patient.

The crisis inquiry commission's hearings continue Thursday, with the panel examining further the role of derivatives in the crisis, getting reckonings of events from former executives of AIG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., as well as state and federal regulators.

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When court adjourns, NY judge trades in gavel for bass guitar, plays shows in rock band

NEW YORK (AP) — Acting Supreme Court Justice Matthew D'Emic has an important decision to make, with potentially far-reaching implications: Does the classic rock band he used to play in need a new name?

So far, his children and co-workers have suggested Rock-n-Robes, L.L. Cool Judge and The Electric Chairs.

And while D'Emic, 57, has no plans to turn in his gavel for a new Fender guitar any time soon, at least now he knows he's allowed to. A recent opinion from New York's Committee on Judicial Ethics said state judges are free to play in bands for money or sell their artworks — as long as it doesn't interfere with their day jobs.

While there was no rule that prohibited them from extra-judicial activities, two anonymous judges requested clarification from the ethics committee to see if it was proper to moonlight as musicians or artists.

"The judge who wishes to pursue part-time employment as a solo musician may do so only occasionally, for a fee, for family, friends, neighbors and others who are unlikely to appear in the judge's court," the committee of 26 current and former judges wrote this month.

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Finally a free agent able to leave Cleveland, LeBron James ready to hear pitches

NEW YORK (AP) — Finally free to leave Cleveland, LeBron James is ready to hear reasons why he should.

The NBA's long-awaited free agency period opened early Thursday, with teams such as New York and Miami focusing their attention on California.

Now all eyes will be on Ohio.

James was set to welcome the New Jersey Nets and the Knicks to his home state, with additional teams awaiting a later audience with the King.

Teams could begin making their pitches at 12:01 a.m. EDT, and some got started quickly. Chris Bosh heard from four of them, including presumed favorites Chicago and Miami.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson was expecting early visits in Los Angeles from the Hawks and New York Knicks.

The deep class includes other All-Stars such as Dwyane Wade, Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer; veterans such as Shaquille O'Neal and Ray Allen; and young up-and-comers such as Rudy Gay and David Lee.