Rice in Baghdad...Six killed in Iraq...Benedict to visit Ground Zero

BAGHDAD (AP) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Baghdad meeting with top Iraqi and U.S. officials. Rice says she's there to promote new Sunni and Kurd support for the U.S.-backed Shiite government.

BAGHDAD (AP) At least six people have been killed today in fighting in a Baghdad Shiite stronghold. Two children are among the dead. The clashes came hours after Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued what he calls a "final warning" of "open war" unless the government ends a crackdown on his followers.

NEW YORK (AP) Pope Benedict this morning will descend into the Ground Zero pit in lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center once stood. The pope is to pray with Nine-Eleven survivors and bless the ground with holy water. The pope concludes his U.S. visit tonight.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) With a crucial primary looming in Pennsylvania, Hillary CLinton and Barack Obama will be pushing for votes there today. The state's 158 Democratic delegates make up the biggest remaining prize of the ongoing battle for the party's White House nod.

CHICAGO (AP) A toddler remains hospitalized in Chicago after a gust of wind blew his stroller into Lake Michigan Friday. The two-year-old was submerged for at least 15 minutes before being pulled out unconscious but alive. The boy's grandfather was pushing the stroller. He's being treated for exposure after jumping into the frigid water to try to save the child.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 04-20-08 0646CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list