The Associated Press took a look at statements made by President Barack Obama in his speech last night, tackling, among other issues, the reasons why the U.S. is using military action in Libya and how we have gone about doing so. While the AP did not see any of the President’s statements as being flat [...]

The struggle between Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebel leaders in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi has taken yet another dramatic turn, this time with the severely underarmed rebels shooting down a plane near the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, the consequences of the UN’s actions earlier this week have begun to show, with the French air force entering the country today– all this while Gaddafi has announced he has implemented a ceasefire.

The hits just keep on coming for affable paranoid mad scientist Julian Assange. He’s been accused of putting countless informants’ lives on the line by releasing the Afghan War Diaries. He’s been accused of an act fitting the Swedish legal definition of the crime of rape. And now, a former employee is accusing him of abusing his cat in a “battle for dominance.”

The Associated Press’ decision to package news that President Barack Obama quit smoking as an “alert” has inspired its fair share of eye rolls among those in the media whose job it is to, well. Cover the media. Not that anyone is anything less than thrilled by the President’s progress, of course.

The AP is reporting that Mark Madoff, son of infamous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, was found hanged in his apartment at 7:30 this morning. Police officials are investigating but have called the matter an “apparent suicide,” according to the AP. The younger Madoff was also under investigation for ties into his father’s illegal dealings.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele‘s tenure has been one of the more controversial in recent memory, and a new AP report shows many RNC insiders are hoping his embattled reign is nearing its end. Interviewing 51 committee members, the AP found 39 were hoping Steele would not run for reelection in January, and even some of his closest allies feel this is the sunset of his time at the head of the Republican Party.

If you’re looking for a new truck, you might also be in the market for an assault rifle. That’s the idea behind a new promotion at a truck dealership in Sanford, Florida, which gifts all new truck buyers with a $400 voucher to a local gun shop.

Change you can abandon? Just two weeks before the midterms new poll out by the AP contains some pretty disheartening news for President Obama. According to its results nearly one quarter of voters who supported the President in his historic election in 2008 are “defecting to the GOP or considering voting against the party in power this fall.” Apparently voters did not feel so great about ‘hope’ once they got to know it.

Senior U.S. District Judge Jack Camp was arrested last Friday for buying cocaine, marijuana and the painkiller roxycodone for himself and a stripper with whom he was engaging in a pay-to-play affair. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, which he brought with him to a meeting with an undercover FBI agent who he believed to be a drug dealer.

AP press releases have provided some fascinating reading of late — between banning the use of the term ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ and refusing to provide images of burning Korans it’s almost like watching cable news but without all the hyperbole and shouting. Here’s the latest.

It’s official. Pastor Jones and his 30 followers have hijacked the newscycle. After nine years of managing to calmly and respectfully mark the anniversary of 9/11 the nation appears to have suddenly gone into nutty overdrive. So much so the State Department has issued a “‘Worldwide Caution’ to warn Americans of dangers abroad linked to plan for Koran burning and 9/11 anniversary.” The AP is taking matters into their own hands.

Author Joe McGinniss, whose rental of the property next to Camp Palin in Wasilla, Alaska earned him his own Facebook note and a decent month of bad publicity at the hands of Governor Sarah, is calling “mission accomplished.” McGinniss told the AP over the weekend that his controversial stay– and his research– is over.

Earlier today, chief Wikileaks spokesman (and suspected founder) Julian Assange told the AP that the Pentagon had communicated to his organization. It took about an hour for the Pentagon to deny any dialogue. Now, after a letter from the Department of Defense to a Wikileaks legal representative has surfaced, the Pentagon is standing by their “no direct contact” claim but backed down on their earlier, more absolute claim. Oh, and they don’t want to cooperate.

According to Wikileaks primary entity Julian Assange, the Pentagon has agreed to talk about working with the whistleblowing organization to help them in releasing the remaining 15,000 Afghan War files Wikileaks has promised to publish online after their initial 90,000+ document leak. Except, according to the Department of Defense, those talks never happened.

In a recent interview, Michael Hastings, author of the Rolling Stone article that led to the ousting of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, denied claims he broke any pre-arranged ground rules for his story, and added that he had another military embed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon, however, is denying him an embed assignment, citing trust problems.

Seventy-nine days later, though the BP Oil Disaster is still raging, the energy giant’s new July 27 timeline has given some a cause for optimism. But a new Associated Press investigation shows we might have more problems to worry about: 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico run the risk of “leaking even more crude into water already tainted by the massive BP spill.”

A heinously corrupt Midwestern politician known for his political theatrics and ridiculous hair has seen his latest plan foiled yet again. No, it’s not Rod Blagojevich this time– it’s his stylistic forefather, James Traficant. The former Ohio Congressman’s post-prison bid for another run in Congress is not to be, say authorities, because he wasn’t able to collect enough signatures. Truly a sad day for democracy.

It’s almost like Alvin Greene was special-ordered by the media in anticipation of the inevitable slow news days to come this summer; thus far he appears to be the gift that keeps on giving. What he is apparently not giving these days is any love to the media. It seems Alvin Greene has started to conclude the press may not be in his corner.

The latest interesting installment in the reality show world comes not from the U.S. or Britain, but all the way from Malaysia. The show, “Imam Muda” (or “Young Leader”), seeks to find a young, male, Muslim “leader for these times.”

Finally, some good news: AP is reporting that BP COO Doug Suttles has told them that the company expects the oil leak flooding the Gulf of Mexico could be reduced to a “relative trickle” by next Monday or Tuesday, thanks to a new containment cap and the arrival of a second pumping ship.

Most teenagers probably have an embarrassing story to tell related to their parents using Facebook– a site previously open only to college students– but 17-year-old Lane New‘s story probably takes the cake. His mother, Arkadelphia, Arkansas native Denise New, was just convicted of a misdemeanor harassment charge for changing his password and impersonating him on his Facebook wall.

Oops. Perhaps there is something to President Barack Obama’s claim today that the pressure on Al-Qaeda is forcing them into hasty work. Fox News is reporting today that a “key figure” in Al-Qaeda fell victim to an unplanned Al-Qaeda “bombing” when he made a fatal mistake in designing the weapon.

With 41% of precincts in, MSNBC and CNN are reporting that Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln is still leading her opponent, Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, but not by enough to win decisively. As per Arkansas electoral law, it appears Lincoln will be forced into a run-off election against Halter for the nomination.

The AP is reporting that Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak has won the Democratic Senate primary against incumbent Senator Arlen Specter, who recently defected from the Republican Party citing irreconcilable differences with party administrators. Moments later, CNN also projected Sestak the winner in a close race.

The Associated Press, one of the most respected journalistic enterprises in the world, has put the might of its reputation and all its resources behind a cutting-edge, breathtaking exposé on… Roland Martin‘s ascots. The CNN commentator, who captivated the writers of the Daily Show and recruited colleague Rick Sanchez into the ascot revolution, is the focus of an AP report entitled “Ascot Ascendant? Martin Eyes Neckwear Comeback” (really), and it is unclear from the tone whether the author is aware that he is not writing a serious story.