Midwest flooding...Obama passes on public financing...Mortgage sting



OAKVILLE, Iowa (AP) Forecasters are predicting near record crests as floodwaters move down the Mississippi toward Quincy, Illinois, and Winfield, Missouri. President Bush and John McCain have been getting firsthand looks at the damage left behind in Iowa. Bush says he wants small communities to know the federal government is just as concerned about them as large cities.

Washington (AP) Barack Obama is giving up public financing for his presidential campaign. John McCain says he'll take it and is accusing the Democrat of not living up to his word. Obama has shattered fundraising records this campaign season.

WASHINGTON (AP) More than 400 real estate industry players have been indicted in a nationwide crackdown on mortgage fraud. The FBI says those named in the cases include housing developers, mortgage lenders and brokers, lawyers, real estate agents and appraisers.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) House and Senate leaders have agreed to a new compromise surveillance bill. It would shield telecommunications companies that helped the government wiretap citizens' phones and computers after 9/11 from potentially costly civil lawsuits.

WASHINGTON (AP) A consumer advocacy group is suing the Food and Drug Administration over a prescription painkiller sold under names such as Darvon and Darvocet. Public Citizen argues that painkiller is too risky to stay on the market, and the suit accuses the FDA of failing to act on the group's petition for a ban.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 06-19-08 1640CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list