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From The Associated Press

Schwarzenegger endorses McCain in GOP race

LOS ANGELES—California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Sen. John McCain in the Republican presidential race Thursday, praising him as an extraordinary leader who can reach across the political aisle to get things done.

McCain predicted a “flood of endorsements across this country from both liberals and conservatives” would soon come his way as he tries to take command of the nominating fight after a bruising series of early primaries and caucuses.

“I won a Republican-only primary in the state of Florida but I also have been able to gain the support of independents, as well, which is vital to winning a national election,” he said.

McCain and his principal remaining rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, square off in 21 primaries and caucuses next week with more than 1,000 delegates at stake.

At a news conference, Schwarzenegger said McCain has the national security credentials to do the job, and is a crusader against wasteful spending.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also attended the event, one day after he dropped out of the race and threw his support behind his longtime friend.

Romney: McCain uses Nixon-like tactics

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused his rival John McCain of adopting underhanded tactics from Richard Nixon, the GOP president who resigned in disgrace.

“I don’t think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning,” Romney said in his most pointed rebuttal yet to front-runner McCain’s claim that the former Massachusetts governor favors a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Romney denies this charge and most media analyses have concluded that Romney wasn’t using `timetable’ in the same way Democratic candidates have.

McCain’s decision to level the timetable charge during the Florida primary before Romney could rebut it “was reminiscent of the Nixon era,” Romney said. McCain ended up winning the Florida contest Tuesday.

Despite the incendiary reference to Nixon, Romney said of McCain: “I think he’s a man of character.” But he added: “I think he took a sharp detour off the `Straight Talk Express,’” — the name of the Arizona senator’s campaign bus.

McCain adviser Steve Schmidt responded that Romney “is lashing out because he’s unable to defend his comments about a timeline, albeit a secret one ... . John McCain has simply pointed out a fundamental difference between them at the time when John McCain was advocating a strategy for victory.”

Al-Qaida’s commanders killed in Pakistan

CAIRO, Egypt—Abu Laith al-Libi, a top al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan who was blamed for bombing a base while Vice President Cheney was visiting last year, has been killed in Pakistan, according to a militant Web site.

Al-Libi was a key link between the Taliban and al-Qaida and was one of the Americans’ 12 most-wanted men with a bounty of $200,000 on his head.

“He was martyred with a group of his brothers in the land of Muslim Pakistan,” said the Web site, which frequently carries announcements from militant groups. “Though we are sad for his loss, he left a legacy that will inflame the enemy nation and religion.”

The statement included al-Libi’s picture. In an earlier announcement on the same site, a banner appeared in a section reserved for affiliated militant groups and not open to public posting.

“We congratulate the Islamic nation for the martyrdom of the sheik, the lion, Abu Laith al-Libi,” it said.

FDA warns of suicide risk with epilepsy drugs

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Epilepsy drugs used by millions of people may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, the Food and Drug Administration warned in an alert to doctors Thursday.

The FDA analyzed almost 200 studies of 11 different anti-seizure drugs, some that have been on the market for decades. The studies tracked almost 28,000 people given the medications and another 16,000 given dummy pills.

Very rarely were suicidal thoughts or behavior reported. Still, the FDA found drug-treated patients did face about twice the risk: 0.43 percent of drug-treated patients experienced suicidal thoughts or behavior compared with 0.22 percent of placebo-takers.

Overall, four people in the drug-treated groups committed suicide, and none in the placebo groups.

What that means: For every 1,000 patients, about two more drug-treated patients experienced suicidal thoughts than placebo-takers, FDA concluded.