US Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

PHOENIX (AP) , A day after the most contentious provision of Arizona's immigration law took effect, rallies were held around Phoenix to protest the law that civil rights activists say will lead to systematic racial profiling.

WASHINGTON (AP) , The Justice Department's internal watchdog on Wednesday faulted the agency for misguided strategies, errors in judgment and management failures during a bungled gun-trafficking probe in Arizona that disregarded public safety and resulted in hundreds of weapons turning up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico.

WASHINGTON (AP) , Nearly 6 million Americans , significantly more than first estimated, will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama's health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Wednesday. Most would be in the middle class. The new estimate amounts to an inconvenient fact for the administration, a reminder of what critics see as broken promises.

WASHINGTON (AP) , Fresh signs of a national housing rebound and growing support in public opinion polls boosted President Barack Obama's bid for a new term in the White House on Wednesday as Republican rival Mitt Romney struggled to quell his video controversy.

WASHINGTON (AP) , The son of a massacre victim at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to begin collecting statistics on hate crimes against Sikhs. Harpreet Singh Saini, 18, told a Senate hearing he wanted to give his late mother "the dignity of being a statistic."

DENVER (AP) , A catchy pro-marijuana jingle for Colorado voters considering legalizing the drug goes like this: "Jobs for our people. Money for schools. Who could ask for more?" It's a bit more complicated than that in the three states , Colorado, Oregon and Washington , that could become the first to legalize marijuana this fall.

MIAMI (AP) , Facing tough questions about his commitment to all Americans, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney declared Wednesday that his campaign supports "the 100 percent in America." ...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. , Crews scrambled to make repairs Wednesday near the busiest Mississippi River lock shut down because of damage blamed partly on the summer drought, snarling hundreds of barges and tugboats in a backlog that was growing worse by the hour.

China's state media gave prominent space last week to the People's Liberation Army's most outspoken hawks, who urged Beijing to adopt a unanimous policy of getting tough with Japan. The 10 generals agreed that an immediate war with Japan might not be beneficial for China.