AP - Investors are searching for direction Wednesday, after two days of relatively flat trading. Stock futures are narrowly mixed.

AP - Government debt is growing, as is the deficit. The economy is struggling to get out of recession and there is talk of spending cuts or higher taxes. The unions are on edge. And the currency is plummeting.

AP - A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks — some of them unusually well-preserved — have been found in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany.

AP - Two of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies said Tuesday they are uniting their animal health businesses in a deal to become the top dog in the veterinary industry.

AP - Toyota owners claiming that massive safety recalls are causing the value of their vehicles to plummet have filed at least 89 class-action lawsuits that could cost the Japanese auto giant $3 billion or more, according to an Associated Press review of

AP - From the start, David Letterman made sure the story of a $2 million shakedown attempt over his sex life was one he narrated himself.

AP - Sen. Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent years by winning the seat once held by Sen. Edward Kennedy, has a book deal.

AP - "The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime" (Pantheon Books, 304 pages, $25), by Jason Turbow with Michael Duca: Major League Baseball is a complex, intricate game with a thick r

AP - Minnesota Vikings lineman Pat Williams echoed teammate Kevin Williams in telling a judge he didn't know an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement contained a substance banned by the NFL.

AP - Yankees star Alex Rodriguez said he is at ease with his ties to a Canadian sports doctor embroiled in cross-border investigations involving HGH and another drug, though he doesn't know when he'll talk to federal authorities about the case.

AP - John Roberson scored 19 points, Nick Okorie added 18 and Texas Tech overcame a sloppy start defensively to open the Big 12 tournament with an 82-67 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.