U.S. BLASTS CHINA AND RUSSIA FOR FAILING TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING *

STATE DEPT DOWNGRADED THE COUNTRIES, PUTTING THEM ON A PAR WITH N KOREA AND SYRIA *

THE U.S. ALSO DOWNGRADED UZBEKISTAN OVER ITS STATE-SANCTIONED USE OF FORCED LABOR IN ITS ANNUAL COTTON HARVEST *

PRES OBAMA NOW HAS 90 DAYS TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO APPLY SANCTIONS, ALTHOUGH THAT WOULD BE UNLIKELY *

ACTOR JAMES GANDOLFINI, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS PORTRAYAL OF MOB BOSS TONY SOPRANO ON THE HBO SERIES "THE SOPRANOS," HAS DIED *

THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR WAS WORKING ON A NEW SERIES FOR HBO AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH *

GANDOLFINI SUFFERED A POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK ON VACATION IN ITALY *

U.S. AND SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES WILL MEET IN QATAR THIS WKND TO DECIDE ON HOW TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR HELP FROM THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY *

MEETING WILL INCLUDE GOVT OFFICIALS FROM 11 COUNTRIES IN THE SO-CALLED FRIENDS OF SYRIA GROUP *

TALKS COME A WEEK AFTER THE OBAMA ADMIN AGREED TO SEND ARMS TO SYRIAN REBELS AMID THE COUNTRY'S DEADLY TWO-YEAR CIVIL WAR *

FED RESERVE SAYS IT EXPECTS UNEMPLOYMENT TO FALL FASTER THIS YEAR THAN ITS PREDICTION IN MARCH *

THE FED NOW PREDICTS THE JOBLESS RATE WILL FALL TO 7.2% OR 7.3% BY THE END OF 2013 *

THAT'S DOWN FROM ITS PREDICTION OF 7.6% THREE MONTHS AGO *

THE FED ALSO EXPECTS THOSE RATES TO FALL BETWEEN 6.5% AND 6.8% BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR *

STOCKS CLOSE LOWER ON WALL STREET AFTER THE FED RESERVE SAYS IT COULD SLOW BOND PURCHASES LATER THIS YEAR *

THE DOW SANK 206 POINTS ON WED TO CLOSE AT 15,112, A LOSS OF 1.4% *

S&P 500 FELL 22 POINTS WHILE THE NASDAQ WAS DOWN 39 *

HOUSE VOTES TO CUT FOOD STAMPS BY $2 BIL A YEAR *

THE BILL CUTS ABOUT 3% FROM THE $80 BIL-A-YEAR FOOD STAMP PROGRAM *

THE CHAMBER REJECTED A DEMOCRATIC PLAN TO MAINTAIN CURRENT SPENDING LEVELS ON FOOD STAMPS AND CUT FARM SUBSIDIES INSTEAD *

HE WAS 51 YEARS OLD *

THE MOTHER OF A 10-YR-OLD PA GIRL WHO FOUGHT FOR A LUNG TRANSPLANT SAYS HER DAUGHTER IS IMPROVING *

JANET MURNAGHAN SAYS HER DAUGHTER SARAH IS NOW ON A VENTILATOR *

SARAH, WHO SUFFERS FROM CYSTIC FIBROSIS, RECEIVED TWO NEW LUNGS AFTER A JUDGE GAVE HER A CHANCE AT THE LIST OF ORGANS FROM ADULT DONORS *

NEW COLORADO WILDFIRE BURNING IN THE FOOTHILLS SW OF DENVER *

THE "LIME GULCH FIRE" HAS FORCED DOZENS OF PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES *

THE FLAMES ARE BEING FUELED BY HOT, DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS *

THE FIRE ERUPTED ROUGHLY 50 MILES FROM THE NOW NEARLY-CONTAINED "BLACK FOREST FIRE" *

THAT FIRE IS BEING CALLED THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE IN STATE HISTORY *

THE TALIBAN OFFERING TO HAND OVER AN AMERICAN SOLDIER IN EXCHANGE FOR FIVE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES *

U.S. ARMY SGT BOWE BERGDAHL OF HAILEY, ID, HAS BEEN HELD CAPTIVE SINCE DISAPPEARING IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN FOUR YRS AGO *

A TALIBAN SPOX SAYS HE BELIEVES BERGDAHL IS IN GOOD CONDITION *

THE OFFER COMES AS THE U.S. TRIES TO SALVAGE PEACE TALKS WITH THE TALIBAN *

THE PROPOSED NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED BY AFGHAN PRES HAMID KARZAI *