AP - Global challenges like soaring oil prices and the Earth's rising temperature await President Bush at a summit of top industrialized nations, but first he set out to soothe emotions on a sensitive Japanese issue that's entangled in the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

AP - A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.

AP - John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement. The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year that favors Democrats.