AP Top Headlines At 5:03 p.m. EDT

Military adds armor to Iraq vehicles as roadside bombs surge

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. military is reinforcing the sides of its topline mine-resistant vehicles to shore up what could be weak points as troops see a spike in armor-piercing roadside bombings across Iraq, The Associated Press has learned....

Obama picks up 9 superdelegates, union endorsement

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign....

Records show Sharpton owes overdue taxes, other penalties

NEW YORK (AP) -- Big corporations give him money. Presidential candidates seek his endorsement. He has influential friends in Congress and the governor's mansion. The Rev. Al Sharpton has emerged over the past decade as perhaps the nation's most prominent civil rights leader, a status that was demonstrated again this week when he led protests against police brutality that briefly shut down six of Manhattan's major bridges and tunnels....

Aid on the way to devastated Myanmar but so is heavy rain

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- More aid is on the way to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar - but so is the heavy rain. A week after Cyclone Nargis flattened low-lying villages and killed whole families at a time, the military junta finally agreed Friday to allow a U.S. cargo plane to bring in food and other supplies to the isolated country. Myanmar gave the green light after confiscating other shipments, prompting the U.N. to order a temporary freeze in shipments....

Dig for human remains to begin at ranch where Manson hid

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- The sheriff of the remote region where Charles Manson hid after a killing spree in the summer of 1969 said Friday that he will allow researchers to begin digging into the sandy soil in search of possible human remains....

Happy Mother's Day: Woman pregnant with 18th child

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- It's a happy Mother's Day for an Arkansas woman - she's pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year's Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins....

Data from Columbia disk drives survived the shuttle accident

Jon Edwards often manages what appears impossible. He has recovered precious data from computers wrecked in floods and fires and dumped in lakes. Now Edwards may have set a new standard: He found information on a melted disk drive that fell from the sky when space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003....

Judge sends wrestler's son to jail for 8 months for crash

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- A judge in Florida says the 17-year-old son of wrestler Hulk Hogan should serve eight months in jail for reckless driving. Nick Bollea was led off to begin his sentence immediately after Friday's ruling. He will be on five years' probation and lose his driving privileges for three years....

Driver gets in wreck, sees his home catch fire, gets ticket

ROCK ISLAND, Tenn. (AP) -- One moment, Justin Hill was turning into his driveway. Minutes later he was being flown to a hospital as his home went up in flames. Then he got a traffic ticket....

MLB suspends Mariners slugger Sexson for 6 games

NEW YORK (AP) -- Seattle slugger Richie Sexson was suspended for six games and fined Friday by Major League Baseball after charging the mound and throwing his helmet at a Texas pitcher the previous night....