Rome expands cruise ship probe as bodies found (Reuters)

Reuters - Italian prosecutors placed four ship's officers and three company executives under investigation Wednesday in connection with the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster as divers found eight more bodies on the wreck including that of a 5-year-old girl.

2 Western journalists among 74 killed in Syria (AP)

AP - Syrian gunners pounded an opposition stronghold Wednesday where the last dispatches from a veteran American war correspondent chronicled the suffering of civilians caught in the relentless shelling. An intense morning barrage claimed her life as well as that of a French photographer.

Argentine train slams into station, killing 49 (AP)

AP - A packed train slammed into the end of the line in Buenos Aires' busy Once station Wednesday, killing 49 people and injuring hundreds of morning commuters as passenger cars crumpled behind the engine. It was Argentina's worst train accident in decades.

Quran burning incites deadly riots in Afghanistan (AP)

AP - Clashes between Afghan troops and protesters angry over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded Wednesday as anger spread despite U.S. apologies over what it said was a mistake.

Strauss-Kahn freed after French police questioning (AP)

AP - French police released former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Wednesday after nearly 30 hours in custody for questioning about a suspected hotel prostitution ring.

Obama seeks corporate tax rate cut, loophole limit (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama on Wednesday proposed a lower corporate tax rate and an end to dozens of loopholes he said helps companies move jobs and profits overseas. "It's not right and it needs to change," he said.

Arizona finally gets GOP candidates' attention (AP)

AP - Rick Santorum is looking for another upset or two, while Mitt Romney is hoping to keep his leading rival at bay in the run-up to the 20th debate of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Obama Dividend Tax Increase Aims at the Rich but Will Hit the Elderly (ContributorNetwork)

ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | According to the Wall Street Journal, a proposal tucked into President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget proposal would triple the tax rate on corporate dividends. Obama claims this is a tax increase on the rich. But it will hammer elderly retirees.

Nigeria's ex-leader attempts mediation in Senegal (AP)

AP - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is officially in Senegal to observe this weekend's contentious election, met opposition candidates Wednesday in an effort to mediate a growing political standoff in this normally peaceful nation.

Santorum aide: âWhy is Mormonism off limits?â (Daily Caller)

Daily Caller - Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign is arguing that reporters should ask rival Mitt Romney about his Mormon faith if they continue to scrutinize the former Pennsylvania senator’s Catholicism.

Jurors weigh murder case of ex-Va. lacrosse player (AP)

AP - Jurors in the murder trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player began deliberating Wednesday whether he battered his ex-girlfriend to death in a drunken, jealous rage or if his intent to talk with her spiraled out of control, leaving her bleeding and dying in her bedroom.

S&P fails to break key level (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks fell on Wednesday with the S&P 500 stalled near a 10-month-old high after weak data on Europe's business activity raised concerns about a recession.

Suspect in Capitol bomb sting waives court hearing (AP)

AP - A Virginia man charged with plotting a suicide bombing inside the U.S. Capitol has waived his rights to preliminary and detention hearings.

Report: Crime at US public schools on the decline (AP)

AP - Crimes and homicides in public schools nationwide have declined, part of a downward trend seen over the past several years.

Newark mayor: NYPD misled city on Muslim spying (AP)

AP - Newark Mayor Cory Booker and his top police official say the city was misled by the New York Police Department and never would have authorized such wholesale spying on Muslims if they had known about it.

Newark mayor: NYPD misled city on Muslim spying (AP)

AP - Newark Mayor Cory Booker and his top police official say the city was misled by the New York Police Department and never would have authorized such wholesale spying on Muslims if they had known about it.

W.Va. mine boss charged with fraud in deadly blast (AP)

AP - The superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the federal government, becoming the highest-ranking employee to face criminal prosecution in an investigation that appeared to be moving steadily up the corporate ladder.

Past foreclosure means waiting years for new loan (AP)

AP - Next to filing for bankruptcy protection, nothing wrecks your chances of qualifying for a home loan like a foreclosure.

Judge to rule if pharmacies must sell "Plan B" pills (Reuters)

Reuters - A federal judge was expected to rule on Wednesday on whether Washington state can compel pharmacy owners to carry and sell the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B despite their personal religious objections to the drug.

Romney proposes 28 percent top income tax rate (Reuters)

Reuters - Republican Mitt Romney, looking for a boost in his presidential campaign, proposed an overhaul of the tax system on Wednesday that he said would cut Americans' tax rates by 20 percent and limit deductions for the wealthy.

Ex-mine official charged in fatal West Virginia blast (Reuters)

Reuters - The former superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 workers died in a 2010 explosion was charged on Wednesday with felony conspiracy by tipping off employees to safety inspections and concealing dangerous violations, authorities said.

MGM Resorts 4th-quarter loss narrows, revenue up (AP)

AP - MGM Resorts International said Wednesday that high costs kept it in the red in the fourth quarter, but it lost less than a year earlier as more people stayed at its Las Vegas Strip casinos and visitors spent more on the food, gambling, entertainment and shopping it offers.

GM in alliance talks with Peugeot in Europe (AP)

AP - General Motors Co. is in talks about a possible alliance with France's leading car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen, a deal that could dwarf PSA's partnerships with BMW, Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota.

Ark. man pleads not guilty in death of teen (AP)

AP - A convicted rapist accused of killing a 16-year-old girl he met online pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday, several days after authorities found the girl's body in a blue, plastic barrel in western Arkansas.

Assad forces try to bomb Homs into submission (Reuters)

Reuters - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rained rockets and bombs down on opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs on Wednesday, reducing buildings to rubble and killing more than 80 people, including two Western journalists.

How low can you go? Whitney Houstonâs lifeless body covers National Enquirer (Daily Caller)

Daily Caller - Running an image of Whitney Houston’s lifeless body on the cover is pretty par for the course for The National Enquirer, but it’s still a bit much.

Iran defiant as U.N. nuclear talks fail (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.N. nuclear watchdog ended its latest mission to Iran after talks on Tehran's suspected secret atomic weapons research failed, a setback likely to increase the risk of confrontation with the West.

AP Exclusive: National meth lab busts up in 2011 (AP)

AP - Methamphetamine lab seizures rose nationally again in 2011, further evidence the powerfully addictive and dangerous drug is maintaining a tight grip on the nation's heartland, according to an Associated Press survey of the nation's top meth-producing states.

Obama seeks corporate tax rate cut, loophole limit (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama on Wednesday proposed a lower corporate tax rate and an end to dozens of loopholes he said helps companies move jobs and profits overseas. "It's not right and it needs to change," he said.

High court torn over law banning lie about medals (AP)

AP - The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided Wednesday over a law that makes it a crime to lie about having been awarded top military honors.

Rising sales point to better year for housing (AP)

AP - The housing market is flashing signs of health ahead of the spring-buying season.

Home resales at 1-1/2 year-high, supply falls (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. home resales rose to a 1-1/2 year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

McDonnell to 'review' ultrasound bill (Politico)

Politico - The bill has gained widespread national attention.

Gas prices up for 4th straight week in W.Va. (AP)

AP - Gas prices in West Virginia are about 46 cents higher per gallon compared with a year ago.

Obama helps break ground on black history museum (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama heralded a new national black history museum as "not just a record of tragedy, but a celebration of life" as he marked Wednesday's groundbreaking of the long-sought-after museum on the National Mall.

Chavez surgery rocks Venezuela ahead of election (Reuters)

Reuters - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's imminent departure for more cancer surgery in Cuba has thrown his re-election campaign into uncertainty and once again shaken the socialist leader's passionate supporters.

Common prenatal tests become campaign issue (AP)

AP - First birth control, now prenatal testing? Once again a fact of life for many American women has become a jarring issue in the presidential race.

Ind. Rep. stands by Girl Scouts slam (Politico)

Politico - He's sticking sticking by his claim that the Girl Scouts is a “radicalized organization.”

A $1M donor for every presidential hopeful (AP)

AP - Just two dozen ultra-wealthy donors are behind a surge of million-dollar contributions to the new breed of political committees during the presidential campaign.

Pennsylvania university heads paint bleak tuition outlook (Reuters)

Reuters - The heads of Pennsylvania's four largest universities pleaded with lawmakers on Wednesday to ignore Governor Tom Corbett's proposal to cut state subsidies on higher education by 30 percent.