US-Canada tourism partners examine border issues

A new study shows stricter travel document requirements adopted in 2009 haven't clogged traffic along one of the busiest stretches of the U.S.-Canada border, as many had feared.

But the study focusing on the western New York-southern Ontario corridor did find that Americans are making fewer day trips to Canada.

The study's authors say the perception that crossing the border is difficult and a lack of knowledge about things to do on the other side are combining to keep them home. Canadians continue to shop and gamble in the U.S.

The study was commissioned by a consortium led by the Binational Economic & Tourism Alliance. Preliminary findings were released Friday in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Alliance director Arlene White says Canadian tourism officials need to market the country better to Americans.

AMD CEO's pay bumped up in 2010 before resignation

CEO Dirk Meyer got a pay raise in 2010 for his work helping to revive Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s performance. Two weeks into the new year, however, he was bumped from the job mainly because the board felt the chip maker wasn't moving fast enough into tablet computers and smart phones markets.

Meyer's compensation package last year totaled $5.5 million, up from $4.5 million the year before, according to calculations by The Associated Press of AMD's annual executive compensation filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The value of his salary and stock and option awards increased.

Due to his ouster, Meyer also received an $8.6 million cash severance payment, and Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD accelerated the vesting of all of his outstanding equity awards - in total, $2.3 million in options and $5.7 million in stock.

Secret Service tape from Reagan attack is released

A Secret Service audiotape 30 years old sheds light on the chaotic aftermath of Ronald Reagan's shooting when neither the president nor his guardians realized he'd been shot, and an agent's snap decision to get him to a hospital might have saved his life.

"Let's hustle," agent Jerry Parr is heard barking as Reagan's limousine suddenly changed course, the sight of the president's blood signaling there was more wrong with him than a bruised rib or two, as everyone thought right after the March 30, 1981, attack. The car, which had been spiriting Reagan back to the security of the White House after the spray of gunfire, sped to George Washington University Hospital instead. Reagan lost about half his blood and came closer to death that day than Americans realized for years later.

The Secret Service released the tape Friday in response to a public-records request from Del Wilber, a Washington Post reporter whose book, "Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan," comes out next week.

Just over 10 minutes, the tape captures the urgent, confused yet coolly methodical radio communications among agents on the scene and the Secret Service command post, starting when the president and his entourage walked out of the Washington Hilton while John Hinckley Jr., with a pistol, stood waiting.

Hinckley opened fire, wounding press secretary James Brady in the head, police officer Thomas Delahanty in the back and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy in the abdomen before his last bullet ricocheted off the limousine, grazing Reagan's rib and lodging in his lung. As has been known, Reagan and his protectors at first thought he'd merely hurt his ribs from being shoved into the vehicle by Parr.

Obama: Japan earthquake potentially 'catastrophic'

President Barack Obama pledged U.S. assistance to earthquake-ravaged Japan Friday following what he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster.

"Our hearts go out to our friends in Japan and across the region, and we're going to stand with them as they recover and rebuild from this tragedy," Obama said during a White House news conference.

Obama said one U.S. aircraft carrier is already in Japan, and a second is on its way. A U.S. ship was also heading to the Marianas Islands to assist as needed, the president said.

Hundreds were dead or missing in Japan following Friday's 8.9 magnitude earthquake - the largest in Japan's history - and the accompanying tsunami.

Tsunami waves also swamped Hawaii's beaches and grazed the West Coast. Obama said that while there have been no reports of major damage in the U.S., his administration is taking the situation seriously and monitoring developments closely.

Obama urged residents in the affected areas to take warnings from local officials seriously and evacuate if told to do so.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

4th Afghan exchange student reported missing in US

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been told that she was shot. Her ability to walk and talk is improving. And doctors say there's a good chance she'll be able to attend her husband's space shuttle launch next month.

Doctors provided the new details about Giffords' condition Friday, describing several milestones in her recovery in recent weeks. The developments include the removal of her breathing tube and her improving ability to walk with assistance and talk in complete sentences such as "I'm tired and want to go to bed."

Dr. Imoigele Aisiku called the breathing tube removal a "fist-pump" moment.

"I'm very happy to report that she's making leaps and bounds in terms of neurological recovery," Dr. Dong Kim added.

Her memory is also improving, although she does not recall the tragic event in Tucson that wounded her and 12 others and killed six people.

"She has been told both by her husband and by us, and I think she understands," Kim said. However, it's still not clear if Giffords knows if people were killed at the event.

Doctors also said she is showing emotion at times, including smiles when she makes key progress.

"She has a personality that's already showing through," Kim said. "She's very upbeat, focused on getting better. She hasn't shown us depression, and she's just been very forward-looking and even with the speech she's not showing much frustration."