TOP STORIES FROM THE AP

• Today in History 8/1/2010, 3:00 a.m. CDT
(AP) — Today is Wednesday, July 28, the 209th day of 2010. There are 156 days left in the year.

• Jewish group opposes ground zero mosque 7/30/2010, 12:18 p.m. CDT
(AP) — NEW YORK - The nation's leading Jewish civil rights group is opposing the planned mosque and Islamic community center near ground zero.

• ALL BUSINESS: A bright spot in a tough economy 7/30/2010, 10:56 a.m. CDT
(AP) — NEW YORK - FedEx Corp. is reversing one of the uglier corporate trends of the recession: Starting in January, it will restore matching contributions to its employees' 401(k) plans. For some workers, that means retiring with tens of thousands more dollars socked away.

• EU soon to have uniform cell phone chargers 7/30/2010, 10:46 a.m. CDT
(AP) — BRUSSELS - The European Union will soon bid a fond farewell to a hassle that spares few cell phone user: A dead battery and no suitable power charger.

• AP Interview: European Tour chief eyes growth 7/30/2010, 10:10 a.m. CDT
(AP) — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The head of the European Tour says there is great potential to expand into Eastern Europe, Asia and even South America as several countries step up their construction of world class courses.

• FYI: Wells Fargo getting rid of penalty rates 7/30/2010, 9:32 a.m. CDT
(AP) — Wells Fargo is getting rid of penalty interest rates on credit cards. These are the higher rates imposed when customers are 60 days late. Customers will be notified of the change in their August statements.

• Chevron 2Q income triples on higher energy prices 7/30/2010, 7:42 a.m. CDT
(AP) — NEW YORK - Chevron's second-quarter earnings tripled on better refining margins and higher prices for oil and natural gas, the company said Friday.

• Recession was deeper than gov't previously thought 7/30/2010, 7:30 a.m. CDT
(AP) — WASHINGTON - The recession was deeper than the government previously thought.

• Firefighters attack river of flame northeast of LA 7/30/2010, 6:56 a.m. CDT
(AP) — PALMDALE, Calif. - Aircraft and about 500 firefighters are attacking a river of flame running through grassy hills northeast of Los Angeles and residents of about 1,000 homes wait to see if the blaze is kept away.

• Merck's 2Q net drops on higher costs, charges 7/30/2010, 6:22 a.m. CDT
(AP) — Drugmaker Merck & Co. on Friday reported a 52 percent drop in second-quarter net income, weighed down by big merger and restructuring charges from buying Schering-Plough Corp., generic competition and other factors.

• Aspiring police officers train, compete at event 7/30/2010, 4:01 a.m. CDT
(AP) — ATLANTA - Shoot or don't shoot? Eighteen-year-old William Bryant takes a deep breath and gulps before he aims his pistol and shoots a passenger in a van who appears to be reaching for a weapon.

• Immigration skirmish brews in quiet SC town 7/30/2010, 3:52 a.m. CDT
(AP) — SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - In a quiet Southern bedroom community of gardens and parks across the country from Arizona, another skirmish in the battle over illegal immigration is brewing.

• Immigration skirmish brews in quiet SC town 7/30/2010, 3:52 a.m. CDT
(AP) — SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - In a quiet Southern bedroom community of gardens and parks across the country from Arizona, another skirmish in the battle over illegal immigration is brewing.

• PPR H1 net profit more than doubles 7/30/2010, 1:28 a.m. CDT
(AP) — PARIS - Retail-to-luxury group PPR SA said Friday that net profit in the first half of the year more than doubled as consumer spending recovered and the company increased its business outside of Europe.

• FBI access to e-mail and Web records raises fears 7/30/2010, 12:15 a.m. CDT
(AP) — WASHINGTON - Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law.

• Economic growth likely slowed in second quarter 7/30/2010, 12:08 a.m. CDT
(AP) — WASHINGTON - The already fragile economic recovery may be getting weaker.

• Economic growth likely slowed in second quarter 7/29/2010, 11:01 p.m. CDT
(AP) — WASHINGTON - The already fragile economic recovery may be getting weaker.

• House passes bill to boost commuter airline safety 7/29/2010, 10:51 p.m. CDT
(AP) — WASHINGTON - The House has passed far-reaching aviation safety legislation developed in response to a deadly commuter airline crash in western New York last year.

• Arizona sheriff not relenting after court ruling 7/29/2010, 10:17 p.m. CDT
(AP) — PHOENIX - Lost in the hoopla over Arizona's immigration law is the fact that state and local authorities for years have been doing their own aggressive crackdowns in the busiest illegal gateway into the country.

• NY AG announces probe of life insurance industry 7/29/2010, 9:45 p.m. CDT
(AP) — NEW YORK - State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he had opened a fraud investigation into how life insurers pay out benefits after policyholders die.

• SF summer colder than usual 7/29/2010, 9:45 p.m. CDT
(AP) — By Carl Nolte

• State board looks to shutter failingcharter schools 7/29/2010, 9:29 p.m. CDT
(AP) — By Jill Tucker

• Lawsuit targets election initiative 7/29/2010, 9:26 p.m. CDT
(AP) — By Bob Egelko

• Asia stocks fall as data takes shine off earnings 7/29/2010, 8:29 p.m. CDT
(AP) — TOKYO - Asian markets fell Friday, overlooking strong earnings from some of the region's biggest companies as Japanese shares tumbled on dour economic figures and a strong yen.

• Ellen DeGeneres out as 'American Idol' judge 7/29/2010, 8:14 p.m. CDT
(AP) — LOS ANGELES - Ellen DeGeneres is dancing off "American Idol" after one season, leaving Fox's hit show with two vacancies on its judging panel.