Overheating Machines Complicate Florida’s Recount Battle

By TERRY SPENCER and GARY FINEOUT ,  Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s election recount drama is intensifying as lawyers return to court and tallying machines break down ahead of a Thursday deadline to complete reviews of the senate and governor races. Much of the trouble centers on the Democratic stronghold of Palm Beach…

Jonestown Survivors Lost Only Life They Knew, Built New Ones

OAKLAND, CA (AP) — Jonestown was the highlight of Mike Touchette’s life — for a time. The 21-year-old Indiana native felt pride pioneering in the distant jungle of Guyana, South America. As a self-taught bulldozer operator, he worked alongside other Peoples Temple members in the humid heat, his blade carving roads and sites for wooden…

Returning Winds Have Southern California Firefighters Wary

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and BRIAN MELLEY ,  Associated Press MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — With Santa Ana winds returning and hundreds of homes in ashes, firefighters were struggling to corral a devastating Southern California wildfire that has ravaged scenic canyons and celebrity enclaves near the ocean. Crews taking advantage of a weekend lull in the winds had…

Congress Returns To New Dynamic, GOP Shutdown Threat

By LISA MASCARO , AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress returns to a changed political landscape Tuesday as newly-elected lawmakers arrive in Washington, the parties elect new leadership and incumbents square off for one final legislative sprint before House Democrats take power. Voters swept away eight years of House Republican control in last week’s…