(Continued from page 26)

bels have their rear bases. If the opposition were to gain control of Aleppo, it would be a major blow to the regime.
• ___

• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans have long considered Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri one of their top targets in the Senate this year. They just didn't know who her opponent would be.
• GOP voters will decide among three contenders -- Sarah Palin-backed Sarah Steelman, businessman John Brunner, and Rep. Todd Akin, who was endorsed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- in the marquee contest in Tuesday's state primaries. No clear favorite has emerged in a primary race that will set up one of November's most anticipated Senate contests.
• All three Republicans have cast themselves as the best conservative alternative to McCaskill, who is seeking re-election for the first time since winning her seat in 2006.
• Other races in the four states with elections Tuesday include a Republican primary in Michigan that will determine who will take on Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee; a showdown between two of Missouri's most prominent Democratic families, as Reps. Russ Carnahan and

William Lacy Clay vie for a St. Louis-area seat in a race brought on by congressional redistricting; and a Democratic congressional primary for an open seat in Washington state. In Kansas, Republican primaries could determine whether a conservative bloc takes control of the state legislature.
• The closely watched race between Steelman, Akin and Brunner promises to have the most national consequence. The GOP needs to net four seats from Democrats to gain control of the Senate in 2012.
• ___

• LONDON (AP) -- Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:
• ___
• GABBY'S GRAND FINALE

(Continued on page 28)