Runaway Prius officer: not much left of brakes

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) - The California Highway Patrol officer who helped a man stop his runaway Toyota Prius says he could smell the burning brakes. Todd Neibert gave instructions to James Sikes over a loudspeaker

as they went east on mountainous Interstate 8 in San Diego County Monday afternoon. He says that when Sikes finally got the car stopped, there was not much left of the car's brakes. Neibert says there was "a

bunch of brake material on the ground and inside the wheels." The officer said he told Sikes to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brakes as the Prius neared 85 miles an hour. The car slowed to about 55, at which time Sikes says he turned off the ignition and the car came to a stop. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota have sent investigators to examine the car.

Stock futures inch higher ahead of opening

NEW YORK (AP) - Investors are continuing to search for direction after two days of relatively flat trading. Stock futures are edging higher. A market surge that began a year ago appears to have run out of steam recently. Traders are no longer looking for just anecdotal evidence that a recession is easing like they were last year. Now they want to see signs of sustained economic growth. With little economic data released since last week's better-than-expected jobs report, investors have not made any big moves. A report due out Wednesday is expected to show business inventories rose 0.2 percent in January. Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 9, or 0.1 percent, at 10,573. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are up 1.00, or 0.1 percent, at 1,141.50, while Nasdaq 100 index futures are up 4.75, or 0.3 percent, at 1,906.00.

Obama pushing on health care end game

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama makes a closing argument today for health care reform.

He'll travel to a St. Louis high school for his second health care address in three days and push a new anti-fraud plan. His speech comes as congressional Democrats stand on the brink of delivering a dramatic success with passage of sweeping legislation - or a colossal failure if they cannot get it done. Business groups that oppose the legislation are also stepping it up, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announcing a coordinated ad campaign. An Associated Press-GfK Poll released yesterday found a widespread hunger for health care improvements, but about four in five Americans say bipartisan support is important. Obama signed an executive order yesterday that encourages private auditors to search out improper Medicare and Medicaid

payments of all kinds. They will get a cut of whatever they recover.

Report: States team up on new academic standards

WASHINGTON (AP) - Governors and state education leaders are proposing a new set of standards to define what should be taught in the nation's public schools. The Washington Post reports that the new benchmarks are to be announced today. The new goals would cover English and math from kindergarten through high school. They are meant to replace standards that vary widely from state to state. The proposal was drawn up by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It's intended to

address President Barack Obama's call for higher academic achievement, but the administration was not involved in its creation.

Senate to pass jobless aid, business tax breaks

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate votes Wednesday on a bill extending unemployment benefits up to 99 months in many states and renewing tax breaks popular with businesses and individuals. The measure is likely to pass with bipartisan support despite conservatives' protests that it will add more than $130 billion to

the budget deficit over the next year and a half. The tax breaks include a property tax deduction for those who

don't itemize and credits that help businesses finance research and development. The sweeping bill also prevents doctors from absorbing a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments and extends through December a 65

percent subsidy of health insurance premiums for the unemployed.