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to check. As he got out, the back of the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
• A newlywed bride and eight of her friends were still inside, but passersby quickly pulled three from the burning Lincoln Town Car late Saturday night. And one woman managed to reach safety by squeezing through the partition from the passenger section to the driver's compartment, Brown told authorities.
• But five others, including the bride whose marriage they were celebrating on a girls' night out, became trapped.
• The five were found dead as firefighters doused the vehicle -- all huddled near the partition, apparently unable to squeeze through.
• "My guess would be they were trying to get away from the fire and use that window opening as an escape route," said San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault, who also relayed some of the comments the driver made to investigators.
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Israeli PM visits China, signaling 'business as usual' after twin airstrikes in Syria
• BEIRUT (AP) -- Israel signaled a return to "business as usual" on Monday, a day after its aircraft struck targets in Syria for the second time in 48 hours in an unprecedented escalation of Israeli involvement in the Syrian civil war.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Israel after a meeting of his security Cabinet and arrived in China for a scheduled visit on Monday, a possible indication that Israel does not expect an immediate retaliation.
• Syria and its patron Iran have hinted at possible retribution for the strikes, though the rhetoric in official statements has been relatively muted.
• Still, the back-to-back airstrikes, though not officially acknowledged by the Israeli government, raised new concerns about a regional war.
• Israeli officials have indicated they will keep trying to block what they see as an effort by Iran to send sophisticated weapons to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia ahead of a possible collapse of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
• ___
Senate to pass online sales tax bill in victory for national retailers; House fate uncertain
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attention online shoppers: The days of tax-free shopping on the Internet may soon end for many of you.
• The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that would empower states to collect sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The measure is expected (Continued on page 25)
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