AP News in Brief

Afghan President Karzai effectively handed a 2nd term when challenger drops out

KABUL (AP) _ President Hamid Karzai was effectively handed a second five-year term Sunday when his only challenger dropped out of the race, and the Obama administration said it was prepared to work with the man it has previously criticized to combat corruption and confront the Taliban insurgency.

President Barack Obama has been waiting for a new government in Kabul to announce whether he will send tens of thousands of new troops to Afghanistan. The war has intensified and October was the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces.

Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah announced his decision to quit six days before the runoff election, after last-minute talks led by the U.S. and United Nations failed to produce a power-sharing agreement acceptable to Karzai, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

In an emotional speech, Abdullah told supporters that he could not accept an runoff led by the same Karzai-appointed election commission that managed the fraud-marred vote in August. The runoff was set for Nov. 7 after U.N.-backed auditors annulled nearly a third of Karzai's votes as fakes.

"I will not participate in the Nov. 7 election," Abdullah said, because a "transparent election is not possible."

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CIT Group seeks prepackaged reorganization in New York bankruptcy court,

WASHINGTON (AP) _ After struggling for months to avert bankruptcy, lender CIT Group has filed for Chapter 11 protection in an attempt to restructure its debt while trying to keep badly needed loans flowing to thousands of mid-sized and small businesses.

CIT made the filing in New York bankruptcy court Sunday, after a debt-exchange offer to bondholders failed. CIT said in a statement that its bondholders overwhelmingly opted for a prepackaged reorganization plan which will reduce total debt by $10 billion while allowing the company to continue to do business.

The Chapter 11 filing is one of the biggest in U.S. corporate history, following Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, WorldCom and General Motors. CIT's bankruptcy filing shows $71 billion in finance and leasing assets against total debt of $64.9 billion.

A prepackaged bankruptcy, which has the support of major bondholders, speeds up the process of restructuring CIT's debt and could allow it to exit court protection by the end of the year. In addition to reducing its debt, CIT said the plan cuts cash needs over the next three years, which should help it return to profitability more quickly.

"The decision to proceed with our plan of reorganization will allow CIT to continue to provide funding to our small business and middle market customers, two sectors that remain vitally important to the U.S. economy," said Jeffrey M. Peek, chairman and CEO. Peek has said he plans to step down at the end of the year.

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Coast Guard: Search for survivors of military plane, helicopter crash now recovery effort

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The search for nine people missing when a U.S. Coast Guard plane collided with a Marine Corps helicopter over the Pacific Ocean is now a recovery mission, officials said Sunday.

Petty Officer First Class Allison Conroy said there was little chance of finding survivors among the seven military personnel aboard the Coast Guard C-130 and the two in the Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter.

"We always hold out some hope, but at this point the Coast Guard has suspended the active search for survivors," Conroy said.

The two aircraft collided Thursday evening as the Coast Guard was searching for a missing boater. The Marine helicopter was flying in formation with another Cobra helicopter and two transports on a nighttime training exercise.

The Coast Guard has begun its investigation into the cause of the crash, Conroy said.

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Withdrawn Republican in NY congressional race throws support to the Democrat

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ A day after Republican state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava abruptly suspended her campaign for a New York congressional seat, she announced Sunday she's endorsing the Democrat in the race _ not the Conservative Party candidate favored by fellow Republicans.

Scozzafava said Democrat Bill Owens would be better at building on the legacy of Republican John McHugh, who previously represented the 23rd Congressional District. McHugh vacated the seat after accepting a position in the Obama administration as secretary of the Army. The special election to replace him is scheduled for Tuesday.

"John and I worked together on the expansion of Fort Drum and I know how important that base is to the economy of this region," said Scozzafava's statement. "I am confident that Bill will be able to provide the leadership and continuity of support to Drum Country just as John did during his tenure in Congress."

Scozzafava added, "It's not in the cards for me to be your representative."

A recent Siena College poll showed Scozzafava finishing a distant third behind Owens and conservative Doug Hoffman. Big-name Republicans including Sarah Palin and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson threw their support behind Hoffman.

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Obama campaigns a final day for NJ's governor, calling Corzine central to his own agenda

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) _ In a final campaign swing on behalf of the only governor seeking re-election this fall, President Barack Obama on Sunday pitched Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's bid as a key component for the White House to make good on its political promises.

"He's one of the best partners I have in the White House. We work together," Obama said. "We know our work is far from over."

Obama drew 6,500 people at a rally in Camden and another 11,000 later in Newark, according to campaign estimates. He urged supporters to work hard to give Corzine another term in office so he can work with Washington to help repair a brittle economy. A Corzine loss would be seen as a political embarrassment for the White House.

Obama tagged Republican leadership and lax regulations for the economic crisis and dismissed GOP candidate Chris Christie's criticism of Corzine. Their race is seen as a tossup, and a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll released Sunday found Christie backed by 43 percent of likely voters and Corzine by 42 percent.

"It wasn't a consequence of Obama policies or Corzine policies that we went into this hole," the president said during a raucous campaign stop in Camden. "There seems to be some selective memory going on here."

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Ohio coroner says 6 bodies found at convicted rapist's home were homicide victims, all female

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Six women whose badly decomposed bodies were found at the home of a convicted rapist were all victims of homicide, the coroner's office said Sunday.

At least five of the women apparently had been strangled, said Powell Caesar, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County coroner. Decomposition made it difficult to determine how the sixth died, he said.

The bodies "could have been there anywhere from weeks to months to years," Caesar said.

None of the victims has been identified, Caesar said. Two were black, but the race of the others hadn't been determined, he said.

Anthony Sowell, a 50-year-old registered sex offender, was arrested Saturday when officers spotted him walking down the street of his east-side neighborhood. Court records and jail officials had no information about whether he had an attorney. No charges have been filed regarding the bodies.

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Geithner sees economy slowly rebounding; says deficits an issue to deal with later

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledges the federal budget deficit is too high, but that the priorities now are economic growth and job creation.

Asked repeatedly on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether this means taxes will rise, Geithner avoided giving specifics. He did say President Barack Obama is committed to dealing with deficit in a way that will not add to the tax burden of people making less than $250,000 a year.

The White House has not decided how to reduce the red ink, Geithner said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

"Right now we're focused on getting growth back on track," he said. "And we're not at the point yet where we have to decide exactly what it's going to take."

He acknowledged that the economic recovery, while showing positive movement, has been shaky and uneven.

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Jackson's 2-week run extended after 'This Is It' reaps $101M worldwide, $21.3M weekend in US

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ "Michael Jackson's This Is It" pulled in $101 million worldwide in its first five days, and distributor Sony is extending the farewell performance film beyond its planned two-week run.

The film was the No. 1 Halloween thriller domestically with a $21.3 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's low-budget horror sensation "Paranormal Activity," slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, lifting its total to $84.8 million.

"This Is It" raised its domestic total to $32.5 million. The movie pulled in $68.5 million overseas, including $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China.

"He's just loved everywhere on the planet," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It doesn't matter if it's Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America. Every continent in the world loved him and his music."

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Meb Keflezighi becomes 1st American man to win NYC Marathon since 1982; Tulu wins women's race

NEW YORK (AP) _ Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982 on Sunday, a victory that capped an outstanding day for American distance running.

Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia captured the women's race, with two-time defending champ Paula Radcliffe falling back to fourth then grabbing her left leg in pain after finishing.

Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, learned after a disappointing performance in the U.S. Olympic trials in New York two years ago he had a stress fracture in his hip. He capped the long and painful comeback with a landmark victory against a deep field for his first major marathon title.

That day in 2007 he also lost close friend Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died during the race. Keflezighi said the tears he shed after winning were for Shay.

Born in Eritrea, the 34-year-old runner became a U.S. citizen in 1998. He was second in New York in 2004 and third in 2005. Wearing "USA" on the front of his jersey, Keflezighi won in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds.

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Not-so-sweet 16: Offense struggles, but Colts survive with 18-14 win over 49ers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The Indianapolis Colts won their 16th straight regular-season game, the equivalent of an undefeated season, and Jim Caldwell became the first rookie coach since the NFL merger to open his career with seven consecutive wins thanks to Sunday's 18-14 victory over San Francisco.

Peyton Manning topped 300 yards and got credit for another Colts rally, but it was Joseph Addai who won it.

The fourth-year running back threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne early in the final quarter to give the Colts their only lead.

The Colts (7-0) are the last unbeaten team in the AFC for the fourth time in five years after Baltimore defeated Denver 30-7 on Sunday.

Indianapolis extended the franchise record for consecutive wins, becoming the eighth team in league history with 16 straight wins.