U.S. NEWS DIGEST | Giffords hopes to attend launch

Giffords hopes to attend launch

HOUSTON

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has shown so much progress in her recovery from a bullet wound to the head that friends and family are making plans for her to attend the launch of her husband’s space shuttle mission next month in Florida, a person close to the family told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the family and doctors have not yet publicized the decision. A news conference was scheduled for this morning at the Houston hospital where Giffords is undergoing rehabilitation.

Giffords was shot in the head Jan. 8 at a political event outside a grocery store in an attack that killed six people and wounded 12 others.

Study: Coffee tied to lower stroke risk

DALLAS

Women who enjoy a daily dose of coffee may like this perk: It might lower their risk of stroke. Women in a Swedish study who drank at least a cup of coffee every day had a 22 percent to 25 percent lower risk of stroke, compared to those who drank less coffee or none at all.

“Coffee drinkers should rejoice,” said Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “Coffee is often made out to be potentially bad for your heart. There really hasn’t been any study that convincingly said coffee is bad.”

Northeast, Midwest worry about floods

POMPTON LAKES, N.J.

Residents in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest nervously watched rising waterways Thursday as heavy rain swelled creeks and rivers, damaged houses and detoured commuters. Flood watches were in effect across much of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Delaware River from north of Philadelphia through southern New Jersey, where moderate coastal flooding was predicted. The weather service said minor flooding also was likely today on the Schuylkill River and the Brandywine Creek in Chadds Ford, Pa., and the local school district canceled classes.

The National Weather Service said the Ohio River was expected to crest at more than 4 feet above flood stage this weekend.

President Obama addresses bullying

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama smiled when he said his large ears and funny name once made him a target of school-yard harassment. But he was all seriousness Thursday when he told a White House conference on bullying that torment and intimidation must not be tolerated.

Some 13 million students, about a third of all those attending school, are bullied every year, the White House said. Experts say that puts them at greater risk of falling behind in their studies, abusing drugs or alcohol, or suffering mental or other health problems. Kids who are seen as different because of their race, clothes, disability or sexual orientation are more likely to be bullied.

“If there’s one goal of this conference,” Obama said, “it’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.” He spoke to more than 100 parents, students, teachers and others gathered to discuss the problem.

Associated Press