Top 20 Yahoo!News highest rated - drip, drip, drip

Once again, * is leading the league in average, coming in at a whopping 0.850! And credit Ashkkkroft with a sacrifice in this one, and a bloop single from the GOP...

1. GOP Attorneys General Asked For Corporate Contributions
washingtonpost.com - Thu Jul 17,12:57 PM ET
Republican state attorneys general in at least six states telephoned corporations or trade groups subject to lawsuits or regulations by their state governments to solicit hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions, according to internal fundraising documents obtained by The Washington Post.
Avg Rating: 4.6, 81 ratings


2. Senate committee to widen its intelligence inquiry
USA TODAY - Thu Jul 17, 5:42 AM ET
WASHINGTON -- The Senate Intelligence Committee indicated Wednesday that it will widen its investigation into President Bush's disputed charges last January about Iraq's attempts to buy uranium in Africa, going beyond the CIA's responsibility in the examination of the White House's role in the controversy.
Avg Rating: 4.5, 182 ratings


3. Democrat Eyes Potential Grounds for Bush Impeachment
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham said on Thursday there were grounds to impeach President Bush if he was found to have led America to war under false pretenses.
Avg Rating: 4.5, 114 ratings


4. VFW Outraged at Inadequate Funding for Veterans Health Care
U.S. Newswire - Thu Jul 17,12:53 PM ET
Officials of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. today expressed dismay at yesterday's approval of the VA-HUD Independent Agencies Subcommittee appropriations bill claiming the measure will seriously jeopardize veterans' health care.
Avg Rating: 4.5, 109 ratings


5. U.S. Aid Groups Complain to Bush Over Iraq
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 3:12 PM ET
Leading aid groups working in Iraq complained to President Bush on Thursday their programs were being hampered by rampant insecurity, the absence of a civil service and limited access to U.S. occupiers in Baghdad.
Avg Rating: 4.5, 94 ratings


6. White House aide pushed for sketchy Iraq claim: US senator
AFP - Thu Jul 17, 1:07 PM ET
CIA director George Tenet told lawmakers in a closed-door session that a White House aide was "hell-bent" on using a dodgy accusation about Iraq's nuclear goals, a US Senator said, garnering a heated denial from the president's spokesman.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 207 ratings


7. Justice Dept. delegation to Iraq couldn't work or talk
USA TODAY - Thu Jul 17, 5:41 AM ET
WASHINGTON -- Members of an American delegation sent to Iraq to begin restoring that nation's civilian justice system made little progress and were restricted from publicly discussing their work, said a federal judge who was part of the group.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 204 ratings


8. In Brooklyn, Ashcroft Could Face Reckoning on Detainee Mistreatment
Village Voice - Wed Jul 16, 2:17 PM ET
A month after its release, a meticulous exposé of the Justice Department's troubling treatment of immigrants detained after the September 11 attacks has spurred a burst of legal activity that could lead to a reckoning for U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a Brooklyn courthouse.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 192 ratings


9. US in tight spot in UN over reinforcements in Iraq
AFP - Thu Jul 17, 2:19 PM ET
The United States, which went to war in Iraq without the United Nations' backing, now finds itself in the awkward position of having to ask for UN help in stabilizing the country.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 142 ratings


10. More than 1,000 children killed or wounded by abandoned arms in Iraq: UNICEF
AFP - Thu Jul 17, 1:38 PM ET
More than 1,000 Iraqi children have been killed or wounded by abandoned weapons and munitions since the April 9 fall of Baghdad, the UN children's fund UNICEF said, urging action from the US-led coalition here.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 142 ratings


11. British Row Over Iraq Dossier Turns Nasty
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 4:24 PM ET
A row between the government and the BBC over Iraq turned nasty Thursday when politicians accused the state broadcaster's defense correspondent of changing his story, and he responded by claiming he had been "ambushed."
Avg Rating: 4.4, 71 ratings


12. House panel votes to undo new FCC rule
USA TODAY - Thu Jul 17, 5:47 AM ET
A House committee Wednesday voted to toughen media ownership rules eased just last month by the Federal Communications Commission, giving surprising momentum to the proposal.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 66 ratings


13. Senators Delay Pryor's Court Nomination
AP - 49 minutes ago
Senators temporarily delayed voting on Alabama Attorney General William Pryor's nomination to a federal appeals court Thursday after questions were raised about Pryor's fund-raising activities for a GOP attorneys general group.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 64 ratings


14. House Halts Administration Plan to Outsource Park Staff; Conservation Group Declares Victory for National Parks
U.S. Newswire - Thu Jul 17, 1:50 PM ET
The U.S. House of Representatives decided today to preserve language in the fiscal year 2004 Interior Appropriations bill that protects national park staff and visitors from a damaging White House policy that would outsource to private contractors up to 70 percent of positions in the National Park Service.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 52 ratings


15. Judge Asks for Views on Dropping Moussaoui Case
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 4:33 PM ET
A federal judge on Thursday asked prosecutors, defense lawyers and Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui to give their views on whether she should dismiss the case because the government refuses to produce an al Qaeda captive for questioning.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 45 ratings


16. Veterans Funding Proposal Slammed; Will 'Severely Hamstring' Services, Says AMVETS
U.S. Newswire - Thu Jul 17, 3:36 PM ET
"Totally unacceptable" is how AMVETS (American Veterans) National Commander W.G. "Bill" Kilgore described legislation proposed by a House subcommittee for funding veterans' healthcare and related services.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 39 ratings


17. New Test May Improve Cancer Detection
Reuters - 2 hours, 36 minutes ago
A new blood test could represent a simple, inexpensive way of detecting cancer early, new research suggests.
Avg Rating: 4.4, 20 ratings


18. White House Aide Behind Uranium Claim, Senator Says
The New York Times - Thu Jul 17, 2:54 PM ET
A member of the Senate Intelligence Committee said the C.I.A. director told members of Congress that an official insisted the State of the Union address include a disputed assertion about Iraq.
Avg Rating: 4.3, 174 ratings


19. 'Guerrilla' War Acknowledged
washingtonpost.com - Thu Jul 17,12:50 PM ET
The U.S. military's new commander in Iraq acknowledged for the first time yesterday that American troops are engaged in a "classical guerrilla-type" war against remnants of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and said Baathist attacks are growing in organization and sophistication.
Avg Rating: 4.3, 173 ratings


20. Pentagon Considers More Reservists for Iraq Duty
Reuters - Thu Jul 17,12:22 PM ET
The Defense Department is considering calling up thousands of additional National Guard and Reserve troops in the coming months for service in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday.
Avg Rating: 4.3, 161 ratings

Excuse me while I go read the articles and thanks for the post!

2003 really seemed to be Bush's year. Mid-way through, it just might end up the worst year of his pampered life.

1. Calif. Accident Death Toll Rises to 10
AP - 23 minutes ago
A 7 1/2-month-old boy on Thursday became the 10th victim to die after an 86-year-old man smashed through a farmers market the previous afternoon, striking more than 50 people.


2. Airport Workers Find Gun in Teddy Bear
AP - 1 hour, 40 minutes ago
Airport security workers found a loaded handgun stuffed inside a brown teddy bear that a 9-year-old boy was carrying on a trip home after his family's Florida vacation, authorities said Thursday. Full Coverage



3. Democrat Eyes Potential Grounds for Bush Impeachment
Reuters - 2 hours, 31 minutes ago
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham said on Thursday there were grounds to impeach President Bush if he was found to have led America to war under false pretenses.


4. Charges Weighed in L.A. Crash, Death Toll Hits 10
Reuters - 2 hours, 40 minutes ago
One day after an 86-year-old man lost control of his car and barreled for three blocks through a crowded street market in Santa Monica, the number of dead rose to 10 on Thursday as police weighed possible charges against the driver.


5. Saddam Probably Alive as New Tape Surfaces - U.S.
Reuters - 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
Saddam Hussein is probably alive and hiding in northern Iraq, and that belief is fueling attacks against American forces by loyalists of the former Iraqi president, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Full Coverage


6. Decision on Bryant Case Expected Friday
AP - 3 minutes ago
After two weeks of investigation, the district attorney will announce Friday whether Kobe Bryant will be charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman.


7. Bechler's Widow Sues Supplement Maker
AP - 1 hour, 46 minutes ago
The widow of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler has sued the manufacturer and the distributor of a dietary supplement containing ephedra for $600 million. Full Coverage


8. J.Lo Says She's a 'Faithful Person'
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 7:20 PM ET
Actress Jennifer Lopez made friends with fiance Ben Affleck in 2001 but said she never slept with him until after she separated from her then dancer husband Cris Judd.


9. Robertson Clarifies Supreme Court Remarks
AP - Thu Jul 17, 7:22 PM ET
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Thursday he was not talking about any particular Supreme Court justices when he asked his television audience to pray that three liberal justices retire. Full Coverage


10. Bush, Blair Insist Iraq Tried to Rebuild Nuke Program
Reuters - 2 hours, 54 minutes ago
With embattled British Prime Minister Tony Blair at his side, President Bush on Thursday stood by his assertion that Iraq was trying to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program and declared: "We won't be proven wrong." Full Coverage


11. Record Number of WTC Designs Submitted
AP - Thu Jul 17,11:42 AM ET
A record 5,200 groups from around the world submitted proposals for a memorial to the victims of the World Trade Center attack, officials announced Thursday. Full Coverage


12. Woods Rallies After Nightmare Start
Reuters - Thu Jul 17,11:55 AM ET
Tiger Woods, bidding for a second British Open title, struggled to a scrappy first-round 73 on Thursday after losing his ball on the way to a triple-bogey seven at the opening hole.


13. DNC Head Says No Dem. Will Replace Davis
AP - 41 minutes ago
The chairman of the Democratic National Committee vowed Thursday that no Democrat will run to replace Gov. Gray Davis if a Republican-led recall drive reaches the ballot. Full Coverage


14. Bush and Blair Defend Iraq War Decision
AP - 38 minutes ago
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair forcefully defended their decision to topple Saddam Hussein on Thursday, dismissing criticism that no Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have yet been found. Full Coverage


15. Rosie Going to Trial over "Rosie"
E! Online - Thu Jul 17, 1:15 PM ET
A New York judge has ordered dueling breach-of-contract lawsuits by Rosie O'Donnell and her onetime publisher Gruner + Jahr USA over the demise of the ex-talk-show queen's eponymous 'zine to go to trial this fall.


16. Prisoner Wants Sex Change at Taxpayers' Expense
Reuters - Thu Jul 17,12:57 PM ET
A convicted murderer wants the state of New York to pay $500,000 for his sex change and a key ruling in his case has moved him closer to his dream of serving the rest of his sentence in a women's jail. Full Coverage


17. Family Suing Over Hell Prediction at Funeral
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 8:38 AM ET
A New Mexico family is suing their local Catholic church over a funeral Mass in which they claim a priest said their relative was only a middling Catholic and going straight to hell. Full Coverage


18. Diana's Ex Angers Britain With New Boasts
AP - 2 hours, 10 minutes ago
Princess Diana's former lover, despised in Britain for revealing intimate details of their affair, has stirred up more revulsion — and fascination — by boasting the princess was good in bed and allowing excerpts from her private letters to be read on a television documentary. Full Coverage


19. New Drug May Lead to One-Stop Diabetes Pill
Reuters - Thu Jul 17, 2:04 PM ET
Researchers said on Thursday they had found a new class of drugs that might attack diabetes on more than one front -- and that could be taken as a pill. Full Coverage


20. Original G.I. Joe Figure Up for Auction
AP - 37 minutes ago
His hand-painted expression reflects a history of battles. His camouflage helmet is cracked, but the stitching on his green fatigues is remarkably intact.