CNN 2008-07-23

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Hope you're having a great day. I'm Nicole Lapin at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Senator John McCain really focusing on his foreign policy experience today. At a town hall event in Rochester, New Hampshire, John McCain argued that he and not Senator Barack Obama is best suited to make the tough calls at home and abroad. Meantime, Senator Barack Obama is in Jordan today as he continues his trip overseas. He is really sticking by his plan to withdraw American troops from Iraq within 16 months if he is elected.

A waiting, watching and worrying just a little bit for Dolly. This is a storm that just keeps growing stronger by the hour with winds reaching 70 miles an hour. Hurricane warnings are now in effect all along the stretch of Texas and the Gulf¹ of Mexico. Hundreds of National Guard troops also on standby for this. Several cities are also getting ready for evacuations.

America's fourth largest bank is taking a big loss today. Wachovia posted a nearly 9-billion-dollar loss in the second quarter of this year. The bank is blaming the drop in mortgage defaults and its declining market value. Wachovia says it will cut more than 6,000 jobs nationwide as well as slash² its dividend³.

In London, the star of "The Dark Knight⁴" Christian⁵ Bale has been questioned and released following an arrest on charges he assaulted his mom and his sister at a hotel on Sunday night. Bale's lawyer released a statement saying that Bale answered all of the questions by police and was released with no charges pending⁶.

 Also disgraced Olympic track star Marion Jones has asked President Bush to commute⁷ her prison sentence. Jones is serving a six-monthsentence for lying about using performance-enhancing drugs as well as a check fraud scam. The Justice Department says that Jones is among hundreds of convicted felons⁸ who have appealed for presidential pardons or sentence commutations.

Those are the headlines at this hour. For more on those stories and other news of the day, CNN is always your source online, on TV or on your cellphone. Take care.