Hello Wednesday afternoon to you, I’m Veronica De La Cruz at the CNN center in Atlanta. Let’s take a look at what’s happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Senator John Kerry says he won’t apologize for comments he made criticizing President Bush. He gave his speech earlier this week and said those who don’t succeed in school could wind up stuck in Iraq. Kerry says the comment was not intended as an attack on the military. However, Republicans and some Democrats including Democratic senator candidate Harold Ford Jr. are calling on Kerry to apologize whatever the intent.

Authorities in (the) Reno Nevada now confirm six people died in a fire at a historical hotel overnight. More than two-dozen people were hurt. Officials say when firefighters arrived people were hanging out of windows and yelling for help. Several escaped through second floor windows. A woman has been arrested in the charge of arson and murder in connection to the fire.

Sheriffs in Riverside County, California have arrested a person of interest in that deadly wildfire in Palm Springs. They say 37-year-old ** is charged with two counts of arson from wildfire in June. They stress he is not a suspect in this latest fire. Meanwhile, another firefighter burned over most of his body from Esperanza Wildfire has died from his injuries. Twenty-three-year-old Pablo Cerda died last night. Four others were killed Thursday.

At least nine Palestinians have been killed in the latest skirmish between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. Israel launched air and ground attacks into a section of northern Gaza where * militants have used to launch rockets into Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas characterized Israel’s action as a massacre. He called for Israel to immediately stop the operation.

Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, may be caused by brain stem abnormalities. Researchers are saying these influence sleeping and breathing. And they hope these would test that could ID babies at risk. That may take at least 10 years. And that study is in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

And that’s gonna bring you up to date. For more on these stories and other news of the day, don’t forget that CNN is your source online or on TV.