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AP Top News at 9:39 p.m. EST

Grammy Awards struggle with honoring Houston

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Grammys got underway Sunday as The Recording Academy grappled with the task of paying tribute to one of their fallen greats, Whitney Houston, while at the same time honoring the best in music, from the irreverent to the poignant. It was a delicate balance. The show started off with Bruce Springsteen, complete with a string section, performing his new song "We Take Care of Our Own," a rousing song that references the troubles of the nation.

Investigators seek answers to Houston's death

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Investigators worked Sunday to piece together what killed Whitney Houston as the music industry's biggest names gathered for a Grammy Awards show that felt as much like a memorial as a celebration. Coroner's officials say they will not release any information on an autopsy performed Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death. The singer was found in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to say anything more about the room's condition or any evidence investigators recovered.

Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting

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ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greek lawmakers on Monday approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy, after riots in Athens and other cities left stores looted and burned and more than 120 people hurt. The historic vote paves the way for Greece's European partners and the International Monetary Fund to release $170 billion (euro130 billion) in new rescue loans, without which Greece would default on its mountain of debt next month and likely leave the eurozone - a scenario that would further roil global markets.

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In complicating move, al-Qaida backs Syrian revolt

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BEIRUT (AP) - Al-Qaida's leader has called for the ouster of Syria's "pernicious, cancerous regime," raising fears that Islamic extremists will try to exploit an uprising against President Bashar Assad that began with peaceful calls for democratic change but is morphing into a bloody, armed insurgency. The regime has long blamed terrorists for the 11-month-old revolt, and al-Qaida's endorsement creates new difficulties for the U.S., its Western allies and Arab states trying to figure out a way to help force Assad from power. On Sunday, the 22-nation Arab League called for the U.N. Security Council to create a joint peacekeeping force for Syria, but Damascus rejected it immediately.

Top Republican wants vote on birth control mandate

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Conservatives said Sunday the flap surrounding President Barack Obama's birth control mandate was far from over, with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell saying he'll push to overturn the requirement because it was another example of government meddling. While a senior White House official shrugged off such remarks, declaring the issue resolved and new legislation unlikely, the heated rhetoric from Republicans suggested the GOP would try to keep the debate alive in an election year to rally conservatives and seize upon voter frustration with big government.

Santorum plans aggressive strategy against Romney

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A day after Mitt Romney regained some momentum in the Republican presidential contest, his rival Rick Santorum went on the attack, calling the front-runner "desperate" while promising to compete aggressively to win the state where Romney grew up. Santorum said Sunday he could do "exceptionally well" in Michigan, where Romney's father served as governor. The Midwestern state and Arizona host Republican presidential nominating contests on Feb. 28.

The fight begins: Obama's budget going to Congress

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The new budget that President Barack Obama is sending to Congress aims to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade by restraining government spending and raising taxes on the wealthy. To help a weak economy, Obama's proposal Monday requests increases in transportation, education and other areas. While administration officials on Sunday defended the plan as a balanced approach, Republicans belittled the effort as a repeat of failed policies that did too little to attack soaring costs in such programs as Medicare and threatened growth by raising taxes.

Venezuela's opposition chooses Chavez's challenger

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - State governor Henrique Capriles handily won a primary vote Sunday to become the single candidate who will challenge Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, launching a race to try to dislodge a leader who after 13 years in power still has a loyal following. Opposition election chief Teresa Albanes announced the preliminary results, saying that Capriles won about 62 percent of the vote, beating Zulia state Gov. Pablo Perez by a margin of more than 30 percentage points.

Induced labor allows dying Texas man see daughter

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DALLAS (AP) - Diane Aulger was about two weeks from her delivery date when she and her husband decided there was no time to wait: Mark Aulger had only days to live, and he wanted to see his child. Diane Aulger had her labor induced and gave birth to their daughter Jan. 18. When tiny Savannah was placed in his arms, Mark Aulger "cried, and he just looked very sad," his wife said. He died five days later from complications related to his cancer treatment.

Mickelson crushes Tiger and wins Pebble Beach

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) - He knew his game was getting close, and he broke through with flair Sunday in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. That turned out to be Phil Mickelson, not Tiger Woods.